Alternate Forms of Exercise

[furever_pit]

Mental stimulation. I have found that training and giving my dogs a mental workout helps with their crazy energy levels significantly.

I'd probably just go ahead and exercise my dogs in the rain anyway, but maybe that's just me.

[furever_pit]

Have you tried 101 things to do with a box or anything like that? Doing exercises that challenge the dog to come up with new behaviors on their own works them in a different way than following commands. JMO.

[furever_pit]

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167

[furever_pit]

That is great that she is working for praise!!
Good girl!!

But just as a side note, if as you move on to more difficult obedience the praise isn't working out you can use food. I, personally, do not feed my dogs from a bowl. They work for what they eat. I measure out their daily rations into tupperware containers in the morning and will make sure they get it all by the end of the day. This also keeps me honest as their trainer.

[pitbullmamaliz]

Food-wise, try hot dogs or bologna - stinky stuff that she doesn't get on a normal basis.

[TinaMartin]

If she works for things other that food thats great. Find out other things she may work for as well such as a favorite toy.

[Marinepits]

As far as an alternate exercise, try giving her an old bowling ball. Tucker and Shorty go NUTS for them! They'll chase them all over the basement until the bowling balls get stuck in a corner, then they'll keep trying to pick them up. Which, of course, they can't so they just chew and slobber all over the bowling balls. Beware -- it can get pretty GROSS with the amount of slobber. I have to clean up the floor and the walls afterward, LOL, but the bowling balls do tire them out!

I also play hide-and-seek with their favourite toys. I'll put them in a stay, then hide their toys out of their line of sight. Then I release them and tell them to "Find the toy!"

We also have a spring pole set up in the garage and that wears them out big time.

[pitbullmamaliz]

Pick a new trick to teach her on rainy days - mental stimulation is more exhausting than physical stimulation.

[TheRedQueen]

My favorite go-to site for tricks and ideas:

Belgian Games:
http://users.tkk.fi/mtt/belg_tricks.html

[Marinepits]

mental stimulation is more exhausting than physical stimulation

I really think that depends on the dog. If Shorty is not physically exercised every single day, she's impossible to live with because she'll get into all kinds of destructive trouble. She has too much damn energy! Tucker is the same way, but he enjoys learning tricks (as long as there is food involved, LOL). Shorty couldn't care less about tricks -- all she wants is to PLAY BALL or wrestle with Tucker. That rocks her world.

Katy has always enjoyed problem solving and learning tricks more so than anything physical. Indiana doesn't learn tricks easily no matter the method used, but he's a good problem solver. All he ever really wants to do is chew on a toy, though. That's his Zen Time.

Mac loves to learn tricks and does so easily. I taught him the "hand jive" not too long ago. He'll give me high-paw, low-paw, side-paw, backwards-paw, etc, as fast as I can throw out the signals to him. With either or both front paws. He's also a Master of problem solving -- too damn smart for his own good, LOL. But, Mac is happiest when he can sit outside the front door and guard his territory from evil interlopers. He rarely wants to do anything like play ball or flirt pole, but when he does -- watch out! He does so with all his being.

Of course, with this crew, what I always try to do is combine the physical with the mental. For example, when they're chasing the bowling balls, the balls often get "stuck" in corners or under exercise equipment and then they work out a way to get the bowling balls rolling again. When I'm just throwing the Cuz balls or Jolly balls for them outdoors, I often incorporate obedience. Other times, I just let them be dogs and let them do what seems to make them the happiest.

[Marinepits]

spring pole: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=29132