When you brought a dog into your life, that requires exercise in the form of daily walks, you probably didn’t anticipate a global pandemic. So many aspects of daily life are being affected and how your dog is exercised is one of those. So what are the best steps to take to care for your dog during these very uncertain times? Advice from the government, medical experts and science is being updated almost daily. For now we give some tips for how to keep your dog active in a lockdown situation as the advice currently stands.
Walk your dog
At the time of writing this post, the advice is that you can still exercise outside once a day and walking your dog is included in the approved activities. Don’t walk your dog as part of a bigger group of dog walkers – only walk with another family member and keep your distance (at least 2 metres) from others.
Play in the garden
If you have a back garden, allow your dog plenty of time to play out in the garden. For dogs that like to engage in ball play, that is a great way to give him some exercise.
Take the stairs
If you have stairs in your house. Getting your dog to run up and down them is one way to get those wiggles out. Stand at the top and throw a toy for your dog to chase. Doing that multiple times is a great way to expend energy.
Set up an agility course
Set up an indoor agility course using some household items. This article from The Bark gives suggestions on how to achieve that. https://thebark.com/content/agility-training-exercises-your-dog-can-do-indoors
Teach a trick or two
If you do not easily have access to an outside space, try to give your dog as much mental stimulation as possible. Teaching a new trick gets your dog moving around and provides mental stimulation too.
Give your dog a puzzle toy
Using puzzle toys can help enhance mental stimulation. These can also help your dog be more physically active.
Play hide and seek
Play hide and seek with dog treats. Hide small treats in different areas around your home so that your dog has to move around the house to get to them.
