Winter Training for Pups – Willow Creek Kennels

Winter time brings shorter days (for most of us it’s dark when we get off work,) colder temperatures, and unpredictable weather. If you are anything like me, this cold weather is not only off-putting but downright gross. I would rather have warm weather, something that is fun to go outside and play with your pups then finding ways to entertain a bored, cooped up, or even moping pet.

Training shouldn’t stop just because we are stuck inside. There are many different enrichment activities we can do with our dogs that give them some training and stimulation and may just keep our boredom at bay.

BARKING

People often ask how we can stop our dogs from barking. Here is a creative indoor game you can try and see if you can minimize that barking. Get a couple of bowls of treats, one for you and one for your furry friend (I’d be willing to share a bowl of blueberries with my dog.) Then stand at the window and discuss stuff until someone passes by, I would do this game when I know my dog has been barking a lot during this time of day. Once you see a person and your dog begins to get riled up take a treat and hand feed them (tell them a story of who is passing by) and use a command that means “quit barking”, like quite or hush. Use a word that is easy to say. Once they are not reactive to that situation, let them down and praise and reward. This may be a way to stop and encourage your dog to look at you instead of outside stimulation.

FIND THE TREAT

Start with 3 bowls and toss a treat across the room. While your dog runs the length of the room (if it’s my Jack Russell Terrier you better believe it will be the longest room in our house) and then drop a

treat in one of the bowls. Make sure to give several treats when the dog finds the correct treat before replaying the game.

ADVANCED TREAT GAME

Once your pup has successfully picked the correct bowl, now we turn the heat up a bit. We are going to use a muffin tin and preload treats in one tin. Use a tennis ball or if you have a ball motivated dog you can use a bit of crumpled up paper towel and add it to several of the empty tins. Start by making the dog search until they find the treats again give praise and several treats from hand before sending them off again. Once they get the hang of just finding open treats we are going to make it even more challenging by covering the treat with the ball or paper towel. This will give you both some stress relief.

COMPANY IMPRESSIVE TRICKS

If you entertain much and your dog loves to be the life of the party these tricks might impress even the most skeptical people that don’t believe your dog knows anything.

Start with a good smelly treat and place it in one of your hands, teach the dog to touch your hand with their paw and reward with that treat plus a few extras for being so smart. Keep switching it up until your dog hardly ever gets it wrong then try hiding it in your hand behind your back. This will impress even the most cynical friends. This game will also lead to teaching high five (later on down the line).

I’m one of those that doesn’t always allow my dogs to put their paws on me (dogs that like to jump will think they will get rewarded and that’s not something you want to start). I love to teach this where my dog actually comes to find me or maybe searches out a treat. Start with smelly treats and a towel or blanket. Make your dog sit and stay (if they don’t know these basics we can help (https://www.amarillodogboarding.com/training/) and go behind their back and hide the treat in a towel. Turn your dog around and release them to go find the treats. Follow them across the room and praise when they search out and find the treat. Next go to a doorway and hide the treat around the corner so they have to search and find the treat (if you release them with you hiding with the towel-hey they just found you too!) Do this consistently until they’ve caught on then move on to a room away instead of the corner. This game can build a little or a lot of space and fun for you and your pet.

INDOOR TRAINING

When the weather turns cold and training turns inside you have to start by reinforcing basics. Start with stay and see how far across the house you can get. Remember dogs will only learn how you teach them so if you are walking away saying “stay” and repeating it dogs don’t think they have to stay unless you are saying the command. Give one firm command and walk away if you need to return and praise “good stay” and then continue on. Once you reach your desired distance turn and face your pup and cross your arms and don’t stare them down, look over their head or around the room. Time yourself and increase your time until you have a least a minute or if you want a Canine Good Citizen title from AKC https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/ you will need to work up to three minutes (however that is for them to be not anxious with you being out of their sight).

Next comes spin, roll over, or high five.

High Five

As mentioned earlier if you teach your dog to “find the treat in the correct hand” this leaves an easy transition to “high-five.” Please remember if you have a dog that is excessively hyper and jumps a lot teaching it to put its feet on you in any way is praising that behavior and this game may not be for you. When finding the treat, once the dog correctly noses that hand you can then start picking up the paw and putting on the hand before giving the reward. As they are getting more proficient at that step offering their paw quickly turn your hand to face their paw and say hi five, say high or whatever command you will be using.

Spin or Twist and Turn

When teaching spin we use a lure in the hand (treat or toy) and teach the dog to chase it. As your dog begins to move for the treat curl it towards the body and put a command to it. Make sure to teach your dog both directions.

Roll Over

When trying to perform this command your dog needs a good down and to not be stiff, some dogs will not relax if they are lying down and you are hunched over them. You’ll need to get down on the ground with your pup and be able to push them over on their back and from side to side. This will help determine which side they are more comfortable rolling to. Now here comes the food (yes most training is more fun with food, your dog loves to get paid). Once your dog is on a down make sure they are stretched out to the side. Take the treat and as your dog follows the treat tuck it to their shoulder and the motion if quick enough should result in them rolling over or rolling from side to side. The more often they do the rolling motion down and then it’s just working it so they can go on their own. https://youtu.be/dsCMFdlYcb0 This is by far a harder trick to teach so if your dog does a lot of resisting just try a different one from up above.

The moral of the story is to not let the weather get you down. You can always find creative ways to do something with your dog. If your pups are tearing down the walls or running around acting crazy, you now have a few ways to funnel that extra energy.