If it’s so cold you are tempted to skip your dog’s daily walk, then one thing you can do is practice some obedience training indoors with your canine instead.
This change to the routine might actually leave your canine much more exhausted than usual.
I used to live in Fargo, N.D., where it was brutally cold practically every winter. There were typically a lot of excited, bored and anxious dogs there in the winter because they did not get out for enough exercise.
It had to be pretty cold for me to use the weather as an excuse not to walk my dog. When I originally wrote this post, the windchill was -35. Sure, I could’ve gotten bundled up and been ok for a short time, but that was just too cold for my mutt Ace and a lot of dogs to be out for much more than 10 minutes.
Instead, we went for a quick 10-minute jaunt and then dealt with some training indoors. Ace loves to train, and it’s something that ought to be worked into our daily routine anyway.
If possible, on extra cold days you could split your typical longer walk into two or three shorter walks so your canine still gets some exercise. another good way to exercise your canine in the winter season is to join a dog obedience club or an agility club where all the training will take place indoors.
What do you do to exercise your canine when it’s this cold?
