Exercising my Dog

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AwMyLoLo
AwMyLoLo Posts: 1,571 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a Parson Russell Terrier and if you know anything about the breed you know they are full of energy! Well, since Winter has arrived, neither her nor I feel much like going on long walks or playing frisbee in the yard. She hasn't been sleeping very well through the night since she hasn't been getting as much exercise, so I'm just wondering if any of you actually exercise your dogs indoor and what it is that you do. I will throw the ball or play tuggie with her, but that gets pretty old pretty quick, and definitely doesn't wear her out enough. If I had a treadmill at home, I would try running her on it, but I don't. She really needs to get some exercise, for her and for me! Any advice is appreciated!

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  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
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    I have a Russell Mix myself... I feel your pain. If you have stairs, we play "Up the stairs down the stairs" which just entails everyone running up and down the stairs. That is pretty exhausting. I highly recommend you find some fun ways to be outside during winter. Find a dog park where you can go and let your little friend run around at high speed and play ball. Or you could take up snow shoeing... my husband and I did and our dogs love it.

    Try (even in the winter) to walk a mile every morning with your dog. It helps get energy out and makes them more peaceful.
  • WombatC
    WombatC Posts: 13
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    We have an American Bulldog (I know-- LARGE) and even in the cold we walk him about 20 minutes every morning. He looks forward to it and will wake us up if it gets to be after 7AM. He hates the rain though so on real rainy days he perferes just to go out in the back yard for a real quick leg lift.
  • AwMyLoLo
    AwMyLoLo Posts: 1,571 Member
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    Even in below zero temperatures? I can hardly walk out to my car without losing my breath because of the wind and cold right now. I did a quick google search and read a lot about running up and down the stairs with the dog, hide and seek, or laser pens. My sister's dog goes nuts over a laser pointer, I will have to see if mine will.
  • BiloxiBelle
    BiloxiBelle Posts: 680 Member
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    Even in below zero temperatures? I can hardly walk out to my car without losing my breath because of the wind and cold right now. I did a quick google search and read a lot about running up and down the stairs with the dog, hide and seek, or laser pens. My sister's dog goes nuts over a laser pointer, I will have to see if mine will.

    I've had no problem w/laser pointers however...a girl I know was using one w/her dog & when she stopped playing the dog dug up/tore up a huge chunk of the carpet looking for where it went! I don't use it often, but I always think about that. I have a jack myself & he likes to "solve" things! Good luck! You've posed a very good question!
  • AnneElise
    AnneElise Posts: 4,221 Member
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    my husband and i play nurf basketball in our den and my dog chases us around like crazy. I do try to walk him 3 or 4 times a week too at least for a little.
  • AwMyLoLo
    AwMyLoLo Posts: 1,571 Member
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    Even in below zero temperatures? I can hardly walk out to my car without losing my breath because of the wind and cold right now. I did a quick google search and read a lot about running up and down the stairs with the dog, hide and seek, or laser pens. My sister's dog goes nuts over a laser pointer, I will have to see if mine will.

    I've had no problem w/laser pointers however...a girl I know was using one w/her dog & when she stopped playing the dog dug up/tore up a huge chunk of the carpet looking for where it went! I don't use it often, but I always think about that. I have a jack myself & he likes to "solve" things! Good luck! You've posed a very good question!

    :laugh: I will have to make sure she doesn't!
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    I know what you mean about walking in winter. In the 20's and even the teens is fine. Today it's 9F, feels like -4F and it's supposed to get worse and we'll have wind chill. My dog barely wants to go out to potty let alone try and walk. I'm hoping this cold doesn't stay long. They do get stir crazy without exercise.
  • hhhdddggss
    hhhdddggss Posts: 119
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    I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi ... she is so bored with her toys now that she's an older dog, I have gotten in the habit of racing her up and down the stairs. Both of us get winded pretty quickly, but it's a great option for rainy or just plain frigid days.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    Do you have a treadmill? If so, take a note from Cesar Milan (The "Dog Whisperer") and train her to walk on the treadmill. I've done that with my Italian Greyhounds because they're extremely high energy and have very little body fat (which means they're shivering anytime it's below 80 degrees :laugh: ). I don't take them outside for extended periods of time anytime it's below 50 degrees or so because their body temps will drop. So, when it's raining or chilly out, they often walk on the treadmill to use up all their insane energy.

    It definitely took a while to get them used to it (they're eccentric 'fraidy cats), but it's worth it! I'm working now to train my big greyhounds on it because I'm trying to build up their stamina enough to take them along on my walks/runs (currently they start dragging their feet after about 2 miles and I tend to get frustrated when I have to cut my run short because they can't keep up). Greys are athletes, but they're definitely designed & trained as sprinters, not distance runners (even short distances! :laugh: Anything over a quarter mile and they're toast).
  • AwMyLoLo
    AwMyLoLo Posts: 1,571 Member
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    I think I'm going to try to find a treadmill on Craig's List. If I can get something at a decent price, I can use it and train her to use it too.

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