[LY909]

Hi Everyone,

My Porter hates to be outside when it rains. If he doesn't get a long enough walk, he likes to wake up early, and I mean early like 5am instead of the usual 7am. Is there some activities that I can do inside to tire him out. I also live in an apartment so noise issue can be a problem.

Thanks

 

[Boomer's Mom]

Hmmm, a treadmill?

 

[Kirska]

Maybe you could take him to a pet store and wander with him inside.

 

[CatherineM]

I got caught out in a rainstorm once when I lived in Florida, and my basset at the time walked home by crawling under the hedges all the way home. He got scratched and muddy, but didn't melt in the rain.

Parking garages can be a good place to walk in bad weather. Also areas where there are big overhanging roofs, drive ins, car washes or car ports. I find the lower levels of parking garages at the mall before they open are great places to walk when there's 6 feet of snow on the ground and it's -20 outside.

 

[Wworm]

I second the brilliant advice of the others, esp CatherineM. I had forgotten but that's exactly what we did w/Worm when in rains. There is parking garage here-- we would do some laps in it. Other thing I did was get him a raincoat-- maybe i'll post a pic here of him in it. And take him out on a walk in the rain.

And we've definitely gone to PetCo and PetSmart just to roam around and socialize w/other dogs on rainy dayz...

 

[Mikey T]

walking at a human pace is not much excersize for a dog especial a basset if it involves stoping to take in all the scents.

For a energy burner that takes very little space one can not beat tug of war

see:
Dog owners have been admonished for decades to never play tug of war with their dogs because of the risk of it increasing aggression and/or dominance in the dog. Even many dog resource people such as breeders, trainers and veterinarians caution against this game. This is partly a failure to discriminate between agonistic behavior (conflict resolution & defensive aggression) and predatory behavior. Also, many people have issues about witnessing intensity. Intensity is not aggression, however. [/LEFT]
Played with rules, tug-of-war is a tremendous predatory energy burner and good exercise for both dog and owner. It serves as a barometer of the kind of control you have over the dog, most importantly over his jaws. The game doesn't make the dog a predator: he already is one. The game is an outlet. It’s intense, increases dog focus and confidence and plugs into something very deep inside them [/quote]

[url=http://www.4pawsu.com/tugofwardog.htm] TUG OR NOT TO TUG:
SERIOUSLY, THAT'S STILL A QUESTION?

In 2002, a study was done to determine whether or not playing tug increased the incidence of aggressive or "dominant" behaviors. The researchers concluded that tug games had no negative effects on the relationship between the dog and human.​

If you have a dog that dog not play tug it can be taught see

HOW TO CREATE A MOTIVATING TOY

tip featuring macey

if you can't read it the tip is basical putting food/treats in a twisted paper bag to encourage tugging in the end the dog gets the food and to rip up the paper bag as well


the make tug toys specifically for converting food motivation into tugging see

Bunny Jackpot & Tug Toy
Which is what I use with Macey

Tug It Training Toy

The Tug It! is made out of nylon/polyester mesh so it automatically delivers food reinforcement as the dog clamps down on it. The harder the dog mouths the toy, the more food reinforcement the dog gets. Simply open the Velcro closure at the top of the Tug It! and fill the toy with your dog's favorite food (the food should be semi-soft and absolutely irresistible: hotdogs, hunks of cheese, chicken breast, etc.). Close the toy and let the training begin! Present the Tug It! to the dog. The dog will begin to sniff and lick it. Soon the dog will start to mouth the Tug It!. As he does, the dog will start to get some food reinforcement. The result is that the act of mouthing is immediately paired with the primary reinforcer—food. Once the dog starts to mouth the Tug It!, grasp the handle and gently start to exert some tugging pressure, pulling the toy away from the dog. The dog will start to mouth the Tug It! harder to ensure it doesn't go away. The harder the dog mouths the Tug It!, the more food reinforcement the dog gets; therefore, the act of tugging harder gets immediately paired with the food. This results in making the tugging behavior stronger.

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