We're getting bored

[anna&jacksmom]

Anna and I are getting bored with the same things. She has severe hip dysplasia and can't go for long walks, we tried swimming and I ended up rescuing She goes for car rides but even with that she limps the rest of the day. I do her obediance that she learned with her every day: sit to eat, down stay before going out, heel in the front yard with people walking by, stay with visitors before meeting etc...

Even with the basic OB I think she is getting bored or at least would benefit from some chores.

She takes rymadal (sp?) and ester c and glucosamine.

What are some good household chores for a dog with limited mobility and how did you teach them?

Anna does have *some* understanding of Take, Carry and Drop

[flyballmom]

Bringing in the paper, and picking up her toys are two things that come to mind......

Originally Posted by anna&jacksmom

Anna and I are getting bored with the same things. She has severe hip dysplasia and can't go for long walks, we tried swimming and I ended up rescuing She goes for car rides but even with that she limps the rest of the day. I do her obediance that she learned with her every day: sit to eat, down stay before going out, heel in the front yard with people walking by, stay with visitors before meeting etc...

Even with the basic OB I think she is getting bored or at least would benefit from some chores.

She takes rymadal (sp?) and ester c and glucosamine.

What are some good household chores for a dog with limited mobility and how did you teach them?

Anna does have *some* understanding of Take, Carry and Drop

[debbiej]

my dog has HD too. she likes games like hide and seek and tug. if you play tug on a rug it isn't too hard on them. She likes to go up the end of the driveway with me and carry back the paper.

as far as the swimming, if you use a doggie life vest, she may have an easier time of it. mine would swim all day if she could.

[Roscoe's dad]

short walks, were half the walks are for her to sniff and explore and just to be a dog, and the other half, have her heel, l&r turns, stays and just plain OB walking. work at her pace.

[debbiej]

walks yes. I think a flexi lead allows my girl to get in a bit more exercise than a regular lead. she can trot away and back while I may still be walking. If you can get to some grassy or sandy hills it seems to offer a little more exercise too. I too think car rides are hard on her, but I could be wrong about that. she seems to have more trouble when we go somewhere in the car.

[RottsNScotts]

You could also teach her games in which she uses her nose. These are not too strenous yet allows her to use her mind. I know there is a book out there describing some of these and how to teach them but I don't know the name. Anyone else?

[jas'smom]

I am not sure how much exercise your dog can do...but have you thought about trying tracking? You dont have to go for long distances....it is slow and gentle on their joints and can be great fun!!

[anna&jacksmom]

Well, when I say short I mean not more than ~ 50yards. She goes in the backyard to do her business and immediatly goes to the gate and plops down.

I attempted to teach putting toys away and confused both of us.... Any suggestions on how to do this from scratch. It seems that Take and Carry only apply to sticks and she doesn't know Pick Up.....I tried with her favorite toys but she just dropped the toys somewhere near the box never in it.

I am going to work on hide and seek this weekend Jack knows this game I will just hide food for Anna instead of toys. Thanks for the suggestions

[mwaters]

Have you done any clicker training? I know my dogs all love a game of 'anything goes' clicker in the livingroom on cold winter days. I just bring the dog in and put a small bowl of yummy treats on the table beside me. (the dogs know to 'leave it') Then I wait. They will eventually do something silly, lift a paw, tilt their head, sigh and bingo I click. It doesn't get their bodies working but it is good for their brains when they have to figure out what they did to get the click. Then you just wait for them to try again and keep rewarding the behavior with a click/treat. I have taught/shaped wave, limp, lie down flat, head down, shake a paw, spin a circle, sit up and beg and high five using this method.

It is very funny to watch them go through their whole list of behaviors that have worked in the past. My oldest Rottie would always start with sit, down, stand, bark and when that didn't work he would start getting creative!

[anna&jacksmom]

That sounds like fun. Do you only do one behavior per session? I will go get a clicker tomorrow. Anna will do anything for food

[mwaters]

I really let the dog drive the session. I usually do just one behavior per session but will sometimes do a couple of sessions in a night with a break in between. I like to have some sort of prompt in place for the new behavior before I ask for a different one.

For example when I taught my old boy to put his head down on his paws it started with just clicking when his head touched his paw. (no prompting, pointing or speaking) When he figured out what was earning the click I started saying 'head down' when he offered the behavior just before the click. It didn't take more than a few reps before he would put his head down when I said 'head down'. (he was a very smart boy!) Once he was at that point I quit and put him away...then a while later I took him out and started shaping 'wave' (cause that is what he offered) we didn't get too far with wave until I had bruises on both legs...wave seems to mean swat with your paw...ouch...so I put him away and later went back to more 'head down'.

Lots of fun to have with the clicker. I find commercial breaks are a good length for clicker sessions cause then you don't keep going too long...if you are like me you sometimes don't know when to quit!