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Freddy is starting to go stir crazy – o.k … I lied. Freddy has gone stir crazy! I mean who hasn’t in Boston?  My seasonal depression has reached its limit and I don’t think I’m alone! The airlines have reported more than a usual amount of travelers heading out of Boston than in recent years… can’t say we’re surprised. We need some Vitamin D STAT!I used to go on long walks every day with Fred and head to the dog park a few times a week. Now, the dog park is nowhere to be found and the long walks have turned into us letting Fred out in the somewhat shoveled out path in the backyard for 5 minutes tops – Boston has estimated about 7 feet of snow in the past 4 weekends with temperature/wind chills getting down to -25 degrees some nights! So, unfortunately for our pups, shoveling and plowing out the dog parks is not on the Mayor’s priority list and neither is their owner’s desire to walk in the freezing temperatures— wait— walk? where exactly? or HOW? People are skiing around town!

Freddy’s trainers the other night told us that many dog owners have been asking for Help, explaining that their dogs are starting to get aggressive….

So what can we do inside the house to keep these pups entertained? 

• Hide and Seek
  This is by far my new favorite game to play with Freddy. Have your dog sit and wait while you go find a hiding spot. Call them once when you’re hidden and praise them enthusiastically when they find you. Freddy runs up and down the hall peering in every room and then repeats until I call his name a few times. It’s really cute. He gets SO excited when he finally finds me.
• Find The Treats
  Grab some smelly treats and have your dog stay while you go hide them around the house. Start with some easy hiding spots and work your way up once your dog is accustomed to using his nose. When we started working on this game I would let Freddy watch me hide some of them and then he would use his nose to find his way to the others. I do this when I leave the house in the morning, so he can have an activity to do while I’m away. I love seeing if he finds all the treats…. and he usually does!

  You call to a dog and a dog will break its neck to get to you. Dogs just want to please. Call to a cat and its attitude is, “What’s in it for me?” – Lewis Grizzard

• Teach Your Dog The Names of Their Toys
   I didn’t realize this, but dogs have the ability to learn hundreds of words. Freddy’s favorite toy is Mr.Elephant. I started calling his little stuffed elephant “Mr.Elephant” while we were playing with the toy. Once he could pick it out, I started to play with a different toy, calling it “Nemo”. He has so many toys so I’m excited to teach him the names of all of them to keep him busy.
• The “Go Find It” Game
  I always ask Freddy to go find Mr.Elephant and bring him to me. I love doing this while I’m cooking and he’s bothering me to play.  We have a small toy container that Fred goes to pick out the toy! I try to keep this fun for him by rewarding him with a treat or quick game of tug when he brings me the correct toy. This game is a good mental workout for them.
• Basic Obedience Training
  Freddy knows (almost) all the basic obedience commands. Does your dog? One thing I need to make sure we have is a reliable recall and stay. Living in the city, it doesn’t leave much room for dogs to be off leash and run where they please (which is why I’m super excited to take him to Vermont this Spring!), so its super important to make sure Freddy comes to me when I call him. Even well-trained dogs need a refresher course now and then to keep them sharp and this is perfect weather to practice just that! All dogs should have a basic sit, down, stay, drop it, and come here. We are still working on Drop it with Fred — that is one strong jaw!!
• Tug of War
  Tug of war is extremely tiring, both mentally and physically. The good news is you don’t need a ton of room to play so it can be done indoors.. It’s a simple way to exercise your dog as long as you follow a few basic rules. Caution: This game should probably be played on the ground! I was playing tug of war with Fred on the bed, which is pretty high – and the doodle decided to let me win? – I can never win at this game so I clearly was not expecting this and flew off (dramatically) the bed, slamming into the door – which slammed into the wall and finally landing on the hard wooden floor. My bruises look like I was beaten…. and I was… by my dog! at tug of war!
• Teach Them To Say Please by Sitting
  I have tried to teach Fred that sitting politely is the key to gaining our attention– this requires you to completely IGNORE any other actions — as in barking, crying, nudging your hand– Don’t be afraid to teach your dog how to act – without guidance they develop bad manners. Our dogs look to us for cues all the time, they like to know what’s expected of them. Reward polite behaviors handsomely, with consistency your dog will get into the habit of asking for things in a polite manner.
• Make a Dog Play Date
  I had to babysit one weekend and what little kids don’t love a puppy? Well, they asked me to bring Freddy with me! and he got to play with the family’s 3 year old Cockapoo. A dog playing with another dog is the BEST workout they can get— Fred slept the rest of the day after that! and so did his friend, Rocco!
• *Ideas adapted from puppyleaks.com*

 ‘Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail.’ – Kinky Friedman