Question:

When we have really cold winter or hot summer weather, I have not been taking my dog for our usual walks. Now he’s restless and driving me crazy. What can I do?

The Trainer Answers:

While some people are lucky enough to have the legendary couch potato Greyhounds who are content to sleep the day away on the sofa, some of us have more energetic dogs. Taking walks is a great outlet for both physical and mental exercise. However, when dogs don’t receive daily walks, we often need to provide additional outlets for that built-up energy.

Playing in the back yard is great for those who have back yards and for the dogs who enjoy playing. Some dogs don’t really know how to play on their own – and some need to learn to play even with others. If that is the case, you can begin to teach your dog how to play. While both you and your dog know that you are not a dog, we can sometimes entice them to play by doing our best imitation of playful dogs – offering play bows, racing around, throwing toys, and just having fun. You can also schedule play dates with other dogs or try dog day care.

If getting out in the back yard is not an option, for whatever reason, we need to find indoor options. While it’s difficult for large dogs to get much physical exercise indoors, you can provide plenty of mental stimulation with very little space.

Play indoor games that require more mental exercise and less strenuous physical exercise. Scavenger hunts or hide-and-seek are great options. You can hide food, treats, toys or even family members for your dog to find – anything your dog will be interested in seeking out. Start by hiding things in plain sight so they are easy to find. As your dog gets the hang of the game, find more difficult places to hide things.

Have family members throughout the house practicing your dog’s recall. One person at a time calls your dog and rewards him for finding you. Then the next person calls. Change locations each time you call him.

Rather than feeding meals out of a bowl, place food or treats in interactive toys so your dog must figure out how to access his food. Or hide food under his other toys.

Set up an obstacle course in your home. Think of it as a home-made agility course. Set a broom handle across a couple of chairs for your dog to jump over. Use a table or chair that your dog can go under. Make a “tunnel” out of a blanket over a few chairs. Set up some chairs or other obstacles to weave through. Create your own course and see how quickly you can guide your dog through the course.

Training with your dog provides terrific mental stimulation and can be a great way to bond with and have fun with your dog. If you haven’t done any training, begin with some of the basics, such as sit, down, leave it, come and stay. If your dog already knows these, increase your expectations by increasing distance, duration or distractions.

If you are both bored with the usual cues, try some fun tricks such as shake, crawl, spin or fetch. Teach your dog to identify his various toys by name so you can send him to retrieve each toy by name. Think of other fun things you can teach your dog. Learning new things is just as good for our dogs as it is for us.

If you’re out of creative ideas, find a new group training class to sign up for to try some new things.