Following on from walks on lock down - exercise ideas?

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BoggyGirl

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I have multiple dogs but am a single parent I can't walk them all at once with little people at home from our house with roads to cross and hands to hold. Its not an issue at weekends as we go on the beach but can't now as its a 5 mile drive reading the advice. So I will have to walk them in shifts alternate days. Can anyone recommended some good tiring out exercises? My kids are building an obstacle course but these dogs are used to big walks. Any ideas much appreciated to hold sanity.
 
I've got one on 'box rest' so even without restrictions in place I'd be in the same position.

We're working for our tea each evening. Could the small people teach them new tricks? There's plenty of free groups on Facebook with courses and ideas.

I've already got a snuffle mat, kong wobbler and B&m snake so one has their dinner in them while I do foundation agility work, tricks, games and in Dobby's case foundations for some new disc tricks.
 
Thank you that's great I will look. Yes little ones are keen so they will help out. I didn't understand it till today properly reading online we went to the beach as normal yesterday so this is the first at home day.
 
Teach them tricks have mini agility and dog shows which the kids could organise and compete with each other you could think up silly little prizes for them.
 
We have been show jumping all afternoon its been a huge success quiet dogs and kids. Maybe dressage tomorrow my daughter is putting the boards out she says with garden canes
 
We are well along now in being locked down. We have been rotating who gets walked but its total chaos on here bouncing animals and one very neurotic spaniel really struggling on one walk or less than one with alternate days for walking. Just wondering if this is effecting anyone else? I have tried the garden but as its not very big its a real struggle to exercise anything well. I was hoping that things might be relaxed a bit walks wise next week but it doesn't look likely. My neighbours are all walking more than once but I am trying to keep to the rules. Any thoughts?
 
Probably I hide treats I could try that thank you. I need to find a way to make it more interesting and wear them out I feel sorry for them I would love to take them out again but feel we should stick to the rules even when others aren't
 
I would get the kids to put one dogs meal in the garden in 5-6 piles easily found (although the dogs may need some directions to start).
Let that one dog out and help it find all its food.
Work through the dogs and make the 'finds' smaller and harder at each mealtime until you can put the food in piles of just 2 or 3 pieces of kibble some very well hidden, if I do this with my lurcher I can hide the food well enough that it takes her 40+ minutes to eat her meal.
Depending on how house proud you are you can feed the dogs in a room each and/or the garden.
Do you have newspaper/magazines/old rage? If you do allocate a box for dog feeding wrap a few kibbles in a bit of paper or a rag then pop it in the box, you can add kongs or other slow feeders to this, then sprinkle a few bits of kibble loose on top, that's a dogs dinner, again it takes time and using mental energy.
Make things easy for each dog till it is confident then make them work harder for it.
Some will search hard from the start and others won't.
 
SusieT said:
Can you tether dogs to you and then you can cross roads easier with all? tether children too if needed...
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Normally yes but not now there are hundreds of people with loose dogs everywhere. Its crazy how many people there are now in somewhere that used to be quiet. I will try the hiding food thing and see how that goes. I might try if we can get up super early and maybe take three out together then. Better than two.
 
twiggy2 said:
I would get the kids to put one dogs meal in the garden in 5-6 piles easily found (although the dogs may need some directions to start).
Let that one dog out and help it find all its food.
Work through the dogs and make the 'finds' smaller and harder at each mealtime until you can put the food in piles of just 2 or 3 pieces of kibble some very well hidden, if I do this with my lurcher I can hide the food well enough that it takes her 40+ minutes to eat her meal.
Depending on how house proud you are you can feed the dogs in a room each and/or the garden.
Do you have newspaper/magazines/old rage? If you do allocate a box for dog feeding wrap a few kibbles in a bit of paper or a rag then pop it in the box, you can add kongs or other slow feeders to this, then sprinkle a few bits of kibble loose on top, that's a dogs dinner, again it takes time and using mental energy.
Make things easy for each dog till it is confident then make them work harder for it.
Some will search hard from the start and others won't.
Click to expand...

Fantastic will definitely try those ideas thank you. Spaniel will love that and kids will like hiding it too I'm sure!
 
twiggy2 said:
Pm me if you want any more ideas, 20+ yrs of working with pet dogs and owners gives you lots of ideas and I am more than happy to help.
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Thank you really appreciate it. Its probably my frustrating as much as theirs very energetic dogs and kids with little outlet is driving us all a bit stir crazy when we normally are outside pretty much all the time
 
Do you have kongs?
If so you can soak the kibble stuff the kong put something really tasty in the hole and through the middle, if the dogs are used to kongs and happy to work at them then freeze them, takes a lot longer to eat, if the dogs are less keen make it tastier and/or part defrost it to get them going.
 
You can't teach the dogs to wait whilst thw kids hide the food too, increase obedience and if the kids give the command then the bond grows and dogs learn to listen to the kids, you need to physically have a lead on the dog, loosely held so the dog cannot break the wait, they have to wait for the child to return to the dog and give a release command to tell the dog to go search.
 
twiggy2 said:
It's normal for the house to be a bit pent up when everyone lacks a physical outlet
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Thank you so much those are all fab ideas. Currently they are all passed out sunbathing maybe its me whose the worst for the itchy feet. Lots to think about i'm sure that we could try all of those. We have plenty of Kongs
 
BoggyGirl said:
Thank you so much those are all fab ideas. Currently they are all passed out sunbathing maybe its me whose the worst for the itchy feet. Lots to think about i'm sure that we could try all of those. We have plenty of Kongs
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I am sure someone can cone with ideas for you- not my fortè though, 4 legs not 2 is my department.
Good luck and shout if needed.
 
twiggy2 said:
I would get the kids to put one dogs meal in the garden in 5-6 piles easily found (although the dogs may need some directions to start).
Let that one dog out and help it find all its food.
Work through the dogs and make the 'finds' smaller and harder at each mealtime until you can put the food in piles of just 2 or 3 pieces of kibble some very well hidden, if I do this with my lurcher I can hide the food well enough that it takes her 40+ minutes to eat her meal.
Depending on how house proud you are you can feed the dogs in a room each and/or the garden.
Click to expand...

Mine hasn’t had his proper walk today as I’ve got a bit of chest pain and wanted to rest instead of go running, but he’s killed the last 25mins hunting for 2 handfuls of kibble hidden around my relatively small garden and house and scattered in the lawn, and he’s still going. Not sure it tire him out enough to chill him out whilst I go off to do the horses this evening, but it’s certainly entertaining him for a while.

I also do trick training and obedience stuff around the house, and use kongs and licky mats to entertain him when I go to feed the horses or if he gets at all overexcited in the house. I just have to make sure I don’t get conned into overfeeding if his walks are reduced.
 
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