Clever dogs and crazy people with Wendy Graydon The Dog Trainer

The weather is turning a little cold, wet and unpredictable. Your dog still needs to get rid of its unwanted energy, so here are a few ways to exercise indoors. Make sure any precious items are away before you start.

1. Fetch is still a good game for indoors. Teach your dog to drop it in a bucket instead of just giving it to you. Have some special fetch toys for a rainy day so that they are new and fresh.
2. Tug of war is O.K, but only to be played with a dog you feel confident will give it up at the end of the game.
3. Use a torch to create a bit of chase fun and turn off all the lights. Your dog will jump on the bright light and chase it for ages.
4. Set up an obstacle course, this will be a good one for the kids too. Use hula hoops or the kitchen table as a tunnel. Have your chairs as an alley way and use a few blankets to block off some routes and leave others open. Have an old bean bag to jump on or over or use the broom handle to create a small hurdle. Before long your dog will be doing it themselves.
5. If you have any sorts of stairs inside use them to give your dog a work out. Throw a toy up to the top or down to the bottom will get things started. If you have not got stairs use a couple of banana boxes with their lids on to make them stronger and put them up in the lounge in an Olympic stand format and keep them together by using strong brown tape; secure an old blanket over them if you need to.
6. Hide and seek is never too boring and if you have two people one can hide while your dear pooch is looking for the other person.
7. Freeze is also a good game and especially good for those cold mornings. Jump around and dance in a frenzy and get your dog to join in. It won't be hard as you are already looking a bit crazy no doubt! Then stop and stand still as if you are frozen. Get your dog to sit down or move away by a simple command but you cannot move to get them to do it. As soon as they obey you go wild again and jump around. It is a good thing to have good command of your dog even when exciting crazy things are going on. Finish with your command of ‘all done' or game over' and sit down quickly and make out you are reading a book and see how quickly your dog settles and is quiet again
8. Heel off lead - get your dog to heel beside you off lead in the confines of your house, put a little mince in your hand and close your fist so there is a tiny bit squeezed out. As you put pressure on it, lure your dog around while you say heel. Your house is full of obstacles so make it a bit of a tight area and your dog has to work hard to stay in a heel beside you.

Make it fun and have a blast with your dog they love interesting interaction with you every day!