Author: Lisa Maria Stöbich
A wet dog can shake its coat almost dry in a matter of seconds. Because it would take too long for the water to evaporate and drain valuable energy from our fluffy friends, they prefer to shake off the water.
It's raining and storming outside and both you and your fluffy friend lack motivation? Before you curl up with a book and your dog destroys the couch out of boredom, you can keep your little friend busy at home with some creativity.
Learn new at-home activities to keep you and your dog happy during the rainy weather. Here we show you how you can mentally stimulate your four-legged friend with fun games and what you should consider when going for a walk in the rain.
What activities are there for your dog indoors?
Depending on their breed, age and physical condition, dogs need different amounts of exercise. While your old dachshund senior is probably content with little activity, a young husky requires several hours of physical and mental activity every day. It is important that playing, frolicking and training do not fail, even on rainy days.
Don't panic, that doesn't mean that you have to walk for hours even in storms and downpours, because there are many creative games and exercises that you can use to pass the time in your own four walls.
Train your mental abilities with hidden object games
A handful of treats are often enough to keep your nose happy and to stimulate mentally. With a little originality, you can arrange a scavenger hunt for your dog in no time at all, for which you don't need anything that you don't already have at home.
Find a few cups from the kitchen and create your own shell game. Hide treats under the cups and let your dog investigate exactly where they are. You can either put the cups right in front of him and let him sniff out the right cup or hide several cups with treats in the apartment and let them track down your fluffy darling.
Your nose should poke the right cups with your snout or touch them with your paw. But don't worry if she can't control herself that well and simply knocks over the cups and gobbles up the treat. Your dog's detective skills will still be trained and you can still work on self-control. If your dog is already a real Sherlock, you can challenge him even further by hiding other objects such as toys or stuffed animals.
But remember that your efficient search dog also needs breaks. Search games are exhausting for dogs and require a high level of concentration. After just a few laps you should rest, perhaps with a cuddle.
With a short cuddle break you can rest from the romp.
Learn new commands and tricks
The bad weather is the ideal opportunity to brush up on a few basic commands and teach your dog new tricks, because there are fewer distractions in the living room than outdoors. So you can train, entertain and mentally utilize your fluffy friend at the same time.
You don't need much for the training session. By the way, you can store the treats for your darling comfortably in the washable bag, whatever the weather treats compartment one of ours dog walkingbag stow away Then all you need is some space, motivation and a portion of patience.
First, get your dog to sit or lie down and give him a treat when he does. Then you can slowly back away so that your motivated four-legged friend doesn't jump up and run after you when you turn your back on him. As you slowly walk away, speak the command “Stay” combined with an appropriate hand signal. After a few meters you stop and signal him with “Come” and, for example, a thigh slap that he can come to you. Your fluffy fur nose will jump at you full of energy and get its well-deserved treat.
The basic commands can also be practiced at home.
It's also relatively easy to train "give paw", for example, since puppies perform this movement instinctively to nudge their mother. The more advanced you are, the more difficult the tricks can become. “Rolling” or putting your front paws on a chair are also fun tricks that your little friend can practice.
Walks in the rain
But your new hobbies are no reason to give up relaxing walks, because dogs are better protected against cold weather than humans thanks to their fur. If your four-legged friend is fit and healthy and has enough fur, you don't have to worry about his health even in bad weather. If your fluffy companion is old, ill, or has very thin and short fur, you can consider dog clothes.
When is dog clothing necessary or useful?
There are Dog ownerswho swear by the fact that their dog walks through wind and weather with a happily wagging tail, while others do not let their four-legged friends out without a dog jumper or rain protection for dogs in autumn and winter. We recommend just keeping a close eye on your dog and deciding for yourself if clothing is necessary. A dog sweater should only be used in dry weather, as it gets wet when it rains and will cool your dog down instead of keeping him warm. When it rains, a raincoat is suitable instead to protect sensitive four-legged friends from moisture.
Dog clothing is particularly suitable for four-legged friends of advanced age. Warming up in cold temperatures takes energy that older dogs don't have much of. Also if your fluffy friend already has a medical condition, he should be protected. In this case, the walks in bad weather should not be too long. If it just drizzles, you can put your treats in our Fanny pack Hanover out of leather stow away, which does not let light raindrops get to you so quickly.
Can my dog get sick in the rain?
Being outside for too long in extreme weather conditions is probably not good for you or your nose. So keep the walks a little shorter than on sunny days. If it's cold and the rain has really gotten to you, you should to keep moving and no more unnecessary stops on the way home.
When you get home, you should carefully rub your four-legged friend dry with a towel so that he can warm up. Finally, treat yourself to a well-deserved break with a cup of coffee for yourself and a soothing nap for your dog.
Do you suspect that your dog caught a cold while walking? Of course, you don't have to go to the vet at the first sneeze. However, if your four-legged friend is no longer eating well and seems listless and lacking in energy, measure his temperature. The normal body temperature of dogs is between 38 and 39°C. If it is above that and the fever lasts longer than a day, you should make your way to the vet's office. But if your fluffy companion is fit and healthy, it can survive bad weather without getting sick.
Comfortable through the dirty days
Design your day in the dry with our tips or.
So you don't necessarily have to do without walks even on gray rainy days. However, if the weather outside is too uncomfortable for both of you, you can have a fun day with indoor activities. If you do venture out into the rain, you can then watch your dog shake out his fur and see how he copes with it. But be careful not to stand too close, otherwise you will quickly get an unwanted shower.
Cover photo by Andres Ayrton. More pictures by Meruyert Gonullu, Samson Katt and Zen Chung.
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