Hi Finley Here, WOW! It’s sure been a great summer! Here in the Pacific Northwest, where I live, we had lots of warm, sunny weather this summer, which is so fun for us dogs! There’s nothing like spending a warm summer day enjoying the great outdoors with my human. But, as I hear people say, “all good things must come to an end,” and I guess that means summer too! So, it got me wondering……… why should all the fun have to end with summer? I don’t think it should. In fact, us dogs, just like people, need exercise and activity all year long. So when the weather gets colder or really wet, like where I live, here’s some great tips to bring the outdoor fun INSIDE!
Get your dog a kibble toy: A food dispensing toy is a great way to beat boredom for your dog. The way they work is you stuff these great toys with your dog’s food or favorite treats, and then he gets to spend the time trying to get the food out of the toy! I hear you can find a lot of these really cool toys at your favorite pet store.
Go Shopping: If the weather’s crummy outside, you can always take your dog along to pet friendly stores. Lots of stores nowadays, besides just pet stores, are pet friendly and welcome pets that are well behaved. Your dog will enjoy these places as much as you do, and he might even get a treat if he’s good.
Do a kibble hunt in your house: This one’s so easy! Instead of putting your dog’s food in his bowl, you can take little portions of his food and hide it around the house! You may have to put your dog in his crate while you hide his food, but once you’ve hidden all the little piles of kibble, you can take him on a hunt through the house to find his food. As he gets better at finding his food, make it more challenging by putting the food in “harder to find” spots.
Play Hide and Seek: This one’s really fun! It’s kinda the same as the kibble hunt, but the humans hide with the treats! You call your dog and once he finds you, reward him with the treats and then he can move on to find the next family member.
Play fetch, tug-of-war or monkey in the middle: A hallway is a great place to play fetch and I always love a game of monkey in the middle. It’s kind of like keep away with your favorite canine in the middle of two humans tossing a ball or toy. Of course, a game of tug-of-war is never wasted on us dogs…. We love it!
Have a doggie play-date: Invite one of your canine’s favorite friends to come for some fun play. Or better yet, check out the doggie day-care at Cascade Kennels for a full day of fun with lots of friends. This is a great way to keep your dog happy and engaged on days when you might be too busy to spend time with him.
So, there you have it! My tips on how to keep your favorite canine happy and fit during the long, cold-weather months.
Until next time,
Finley
Executive Canine Quality Control Officer
