When the weather gets colder and your schedule gets tighter, does your dogs’ need for exercise start to plague your conscience? You are not alone!
Your dog will love these great indoor exercise ideas that can take less than 9 minutes out of your day…
1. Instability training
3-5 minutes of instability training tires out your dog physically AND mentally. Tired dog = Happy dog!
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- Your dog’s tricks from on the ground can turn into a challenging workout on the FitPAWS® Peanut and the FitPAWS® Donut.
- How about a 360° pivot on the FitPAWS® Balance Disc or Giant Balance Disc?
2. Target training
Try target training with the FitPAWS® Paw Pods. In this video to you will see how happy the dogs are to be challenged.
3. “The Gauntlet”
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- Create an obstacle course out of your FitPAWS® equipment and safe household objects.Need inspiration? This is what our friend, Robert J. Porter III, CCRP, came up with, but be careful, this “FitPAWS Extreme Obstacle Course” is built for the pros!
- Have you tried the doggie limbo? The FitPAWS® Hurdle Set can be a great addition to your “Gauntlet.”
Doggie Limbo Using FitPAWS® Hurdle Set
4. Do you have stairs?
Running your dog up and down the stairs is a great idea, but did you know
Walking your dog SLOWLY on the stairs gives them a more challenging workout?
Try it and tell us what you discover in the Facebook comments below!
5. Try it backwards
You know your dog goes forward. How well does your dog handle walking backward? Why not try training your dog to back up while being guided by a wall.
Once your loveable canine masters the technique, make it challenging by adding FitPAWS® Paw Pods and a FitPAWS® Balance Disc to the mix.
6. Nose work games
Hide small treats around your house and let your dog find them. Give them an extra challenge by placing a piece of FitPAWS® equipment in such a way that blocks your dog from the hidden treat.
Please Don’t Forget…
… that the dog fitness activities that you choose must exercise your dog’s brain AS MUCH as their body.
This why we love FitPAWS® equipment so much! It is sure to be the best 3 to 5 minutes of your and your dog’s day and a holistically positive experience that both of you will look forward to again tomorrow.
Big thanks to Marian Murray…
… who’s visiting us from the land down under! Her excellent insights into dog behavior added much to this post.
Marian Murray is the Director of Canine Comfort Pty Ltd, Australia
Marian has a longstanding and passionate relationship with dogs, having spent most of her life with dogs at home and working with them professionally for the past 9 years. This initially began with Marian’s own Dog Walking and Home Care Service which soon developed into a much deeper involvement with her clients’ needs. This inevitably led to her wanting to contribute yet more to both the physical and mental wellbeing of her four legged friends.
