How to Keep Your Dog Active and Happy Indoors This Christmas

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WinterWoofs: The Challenges of Winter for Dogs 

📧barbara.j.hardman@brighthorse.ie

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Oh, I'm about to talk about Christmas. I know, I know, I know. It seems a long way away, but the build-up to Christmas for our dogs is just it's such a weird thing. And I start all of this saying that dogs don't know what Christmas is. They just know there's suddenly a tree in the house. Trees don't belong in the house. There's suddenly presents under the tree. Uh there's suddenly lots of visitors. Uh, New Year's brings fireworks. I thought we escaped that with Halloween, but no, we're gonna keep going. And our dogs do less, you know, and there's lots of hazards around Christmas time and the winter that we just don't really recognise from a dog-centric world. Um, apologies for anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, uh, we don't really in this household, but uh yeah, but we we celebrate Father Dogmas, that's for the dog. Yeah, we also celebrate Kitty Claws for the cats, and then we had to try and get really creative when it came to the horse. Um, so we came up with the patron saint of Hufika. Uh that's Hufika with a hoof. So, yes, uh, we we also are a very multi-denominational household here. Um, so when I refer to Christmas, it's really just the busyness of the season and everything else that goes in with that, and the challenges just for winter in general, like it is a difficult time for dogs. It has a couple of unique challenges. Um, the days are shorter, and I often talk about the Sarcadian rhythm when it comes to animals and also ourselves, it it does affect us. Um, the shorter days, less light do make a difference, and trying to get outside and get some actual sunlight is really challenging for us as well. Like, we don't get enough vitamin D, and either do our dogs, and then when they're so used to a certain amount of exercise and the temperature drops, and there's lots of rain and also wind here in Ireland, it's really hard to keep a routine the same for our dogs, and physical activity and mental engagement with our dogs often shifts, and this can lead to potential stressors and discomfort, particularly if we combine that with Christmas parties and people are away and you're going out, and then they're going into boarding facilities, and then again, suddenly there's a tree that belongs outside in the house. So, all of that combines to what can be a really sort of topsy turby world for our dogs. So, we can do a couple of things to mitigate that stress and support our dogs. So, while we understand that physical activity is important for dogs and getting out for walks, it may not be possible during the winter months. So there's a couple of things that we can do to keep them happy and healthy, and I hope that this blog will give you some ideas. In the blog, there's also a link to some DIY enrichment in one of my previous blogs. There's no podcast for that because it's just some ideas, so you can flick through that and see if there's anything that jumps out to you that you'd like to do. But one of the major challenges is ultimately the disruption to the normal routine. Um, I don't know about you, but I'm kind of a lady of leisure these days, and I am very much a fair weather lady. If I see it's wind and rainy outside, I'm like, oh god, I really don't want to do that. And to be honest with you, so is my dog. Uh, she's got arthritis, she's a bit older, and anytime there's any s any hint of rain, we are not stepping outside. But dogs are highly sensitive to change, particularly when it comes to their the daily routine, and winter often forces us to alter the schedules that we normally would have and reduce the time outdoors. And I say that also limits light hours and circadian rhythm. We don't always want to go for a walk in the wind and the rain, I'd say, neither just my dog or me. So it's more than just about exercising our dog. We want to meet their needs, and if we don't meet their needs, we run the risk of creating behavioural issues when they're missing out on exploratory and stimulation, which is sniffing, chasing, doing all the sort of good stuff that dogs do, you know, which we normally get to do a lot more in the winter months. Like, let's face it, we we like our sun, we like going onto the beach, um, we like going for walks in the forest when it's not pissing it down raining. Um, and for very active breeds and younger dogs, when they don't understand what's happening, this can present a challenge. So we need to start creating indoor activities in order to burn off that energy. Temperature regulation is also something we don't talk about a lot, and we can get a lot better about it. So it is important if we do venture outside with our dogs. So there are some breeds that are naturally equipped to deal with cold, um, but smaller breeds and puppies and also older dogs. I mentioned my my dog has arthritis, so she feels the cold a lot more, but also senior dogs, you know, just like when we get older, like we struggle to stay warm. Exposure to the colder temperatures can pose a risk to hypothermia. Dogs can get hypothermia, particularly if they're left outside for extended periods without proper protection. Now, I am very much a believer if you have a quote unquote outdoor dog that lives in the back garden, they should come inside during winter. Like it it's there's no two ways about it. Bring them inside during winter. Like it is not fair to leave them outside. It's not. Like frosty paths, frozen paths, they can hurt the dog's paws. Temperature drops to like minus three degrees at times, particularly when it hits two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning. And even on footpaths, if there's a lot of salt that's been put down to de-ice the roads and pavements, this can be really abrasive when we walk our dogs. So even a simple walk on frost can pose like risks. We don't have to have 20 feet of snow for our dogs to suffer. Even when we do have snow, snow builds up in the paw pads, it kind of half melts, and then it basically creates little balls that stick to the pads. And I don't I know we don't get much snow in Ireland, but it is an important thing to consideration to consider, and it's not particularly comfortable for the dogs. As say older dogs get arthritis, they feel the cold more, and then walks in the cold air may not be the best thing to support their needs and can exacerbate joint pain. The other thing that often happens, and we don't kind of consider it, is social interactions can be affected during the winter months. We might be going to more Christmas parties and seeing people more, um, but dogs not so much. Like we have fewer outdoor play dates, we don't visit the park as much, and they might experience a reduced socialization with other dogs. Now that also, you know, heavily caveated with dogs that actually enjoy being with other dogs because there's some dogs that don't, and that's absolutely fine, their personal preference is important. But if your dog enjoys being with other dogs, they might feel quieter in the the winter months, and they might feel a little bit lonely. Okay, so I've listed a load of things that are a lot of winter hazards, and brrrrr, yeah, there's a lot to say the least, but don't worry, I have a couple of really fun indoor activities and some ideas to help you during the winter months and also during the Christmas period. So there's lots of indoor fun activities that we can do to keep your dog moving. So when the winter weather, basically rain and wind if it's me, uh makes outdoor activities less appealing, it's time to kind of get a bit creative indoors and keep your dog physically and mentally engaged. So dogs, as I said, thrive on movement, stimulation, mental and physical, and with a little imagination, you can transform your home into something that meets their needs. So we've got lots of interactive games that can burn energy. So we've got indoor games, and honestly, the good old classic tug of war. Like it's an excellent way to support your dog's energy levels to help them kind of get that out of their system, it's part of the predator motion pattern, and it's a really fun game. I often play blanket war, it's kind of like tug-of-war, my husband doesn't particularly like it so much, where I have a blanket and I play tug-of-war with the dog, and she loves it, and I call it blanket war. Um, so instead of a tug-of-war toy, we have an old blanket that I use, and it's her favourite thing in the world. Um and she has shredded me a blanket, which is probably why my husband doesn't like it. Try and see if you can support the dog to release the toy when it's asked like when you ask them, and then you give it back to them as a reward. So you can go leave it, ask them to release the the the the tug of war, and then go back to playing. It's a great way of supporting that training so you can get back. Like, can you do it? Can you let go? And yes, oh my god, you're amazing! Now we get to play again. So there's lots of really fun ways that we can do that, and also watching your dogs play tug of war is the cutest, or blanket war. That is not my professional opinion, by the way. Don't destroy your blankets. What I do what I say, not what I do. Um, otherwise, it might end in divorce. Hide and seek is another oh, so much fun. Uh, not just for kids, by the way, also for dogs. So you can get one person to hide in a room. Uh, do it at a low level to begin with. So hide somewhere where it's just like behind a door or somewhere easy for them to find, and then ask them to go find it, and then they have to sniff out and find the person, and then they get all the cuddles in the treat in the world if they find them. So my husband is six foot seven, so we usually have to put him behind a door or a full-length curtain in order to hide him, um, but that's what we do, uh, and we hide him somewhere, and Izzy doesn't know, that's my little dog, and we go, go find David, go find David, and she will run around the house and she'll find him. And when you add in all the scents of where the person has been, so David leaves his smell, I mean, he's a boy, um so do I, around the house. So all the scent is there, so she has to track the scent and find him, and when she does find him, she's told she's the best girl in the world and gets loads of treats. Now, when you think we go into the kitchen and in the living room, and then we've gone up the stairs, how much activity is that? And you know, they get rewarded and told they're brilliant, and it's quite a fun game, like it's fun for us too because these are long winter months. Fetch indoors works too. Now I appreciate not everybody has the space, but the hallway is often perfect. We nearly all have a hallway. Um, just make sure that you have a rug or a nonset floor because the laminate wood in the floor can cause injuries, and we don't want to do that to our dogs, so we want to have something that has good traction if we're playing fetch. If you have carpet on the stairs, and if your dog is able to climb the stairs, because again we could have injuries and stuff, so I caveat that, then doing fetchy up the stairs can be a really nice way of doing some other cardiovascular fitness. Food motivated fun, loads of stuff we can do here. And again, if you scroll down through the blog, you'll find there's a link to my enrichment blog, which has lots of fun ideas. You don't have to go out and spend a load of money. Puzzle toys, treat dispensers, there's loads that you can buy online, but check out my blog for some free versions. Scatter feeding is the easiest thing in the world you can do. Like if you don't want to go out and buy things or make things or you don't have time, honestly, grab a bit of their kibble, mix it in with some treats, leave them outside of the room, and then scatter it around and hide it in a couple of different places and then get them to go find it. They have to use their scent smell, they like scent smell, they have to use their sense of smell and try and find them, and you can always make this harder for them by hiding it in like using less and hiding it in tricky places, so they have to go and search and find. Winter is also an amazing time to do training and tricks for mental engagement. Um I have I have taught myself and my dog to dance to Ricky Martin. Um, that video is somewhere. Um, maybe I should link it in here, maybe I will, maybe I won't. Uh so yeah, my dog and me have learned to dance to Ricky Martin. We have learned spins. Uh by the way, it's livid. Oh no, oh god, what song is it? I can't even remember. It's very silly, it's very, very silly. Um, but it's very much about like a bit of fun and a bit of silliness and lots of positive reinforcement and lots of activity um and teaching her to spin and do high five and weave in and out of the legs, and it has been so much fun. Only Ricky Martin, though. Like, I at my professional opinion, you can only teach this to Ricky Martin. Um, so you can do lots of different things. You can teach place, and if you have a mat or even just a towel, you can help teach your dog to learn how to sit and stay. So the mat really helps. So sit and stay in place, and then you take a step away, and you can reward and give them a treat, and then you slowly extend it so you can disappear into different areas of the house and teach them how to like do a longer stay. It's a really great try time to explore clicker training if you've ever been interested in it. Um, have a look, there's some amazing books out there. Um, like have a Google or reach out to myself or other trainers, and we can show you how to do some training techniques through clicker training to just have a bit of fun with your dog. DIY obstacle course. Uh, my dog is unfortunately I say old and arthritic, so I actually do this with my cats now, um, which are amazing, and it's great fun to help keep them fit and active. You can make an agility course out of lots of indoor items. Okay, cushions, amazing hurdles. Um, I used a pillowcase once over a piece of wood that I propped over a door. Um, tunnels, blankets, chairs. Just become a kid again. Make make an obstacle course, have some fun with your dog. Like again, it's physically active, it's mentally stimulating, and you just become a kid again. And if you do have children and you want to engage them in an activity, oh how much fun is it to do something together with your dog? So it's not only a great workout, but it also really does strengthen your bond because you're doing something fun and fulfilling together. So indoor activities are just as fulfilling as outdoor play. Like when we get a bit creative and we understand what we need to do to offer physical and mental challenges to our dogs, we can keep them entertained, healthy, regardless of what the weather is outside, which is often just rain and wind. When you do go out for walks, we want to ensure that they're safe and enjoyable both for you and your dog. So, as much and all as the winter can make outdoor activities challenging, it's also really beautiful. Like frosty mornings, beautiful like cobwebs covered in frost. There's something really beautiful about all that. Daily walks, you want to keep them as part of your dog's routine. Fresh air, exercise, exploration, they are important for physical health, but it doesn't need to be that long. Twenty minutes is the golden rule, and if we are heading out, we do want a few precautions in order to ensure that it's safe and comfortable and that everybody enjoys it. So, not all dogs, I know I mentioned this earlier, are equipped with to can't handle a cold. Um, so there are certain breeds which sort of coats, puppies, senior dogs that might benefit for a coat and a jumper to help create a bit of warmth. Now it's very important, and I do talk about this later on when we come to the Christmas jumper. Um, if your dog is not happy wearing a coat, please don't force it on them. It's important to do some proper training to make sure that they're comfortable. The other thing is to protect their sensitive paws because they do have sensitive paw pads. You can get boots which can help protect them. Um, but to be honest with you, an easier version of that to stop them from getting hurt from de-icing agents or rock salt or whatever's being used to de-ice is just literally Vaseline. Pop a bit of Vaseline or BAM, you can get dog bams now onto the pads, and then that lubrication can really just help take away that abrasiveness. With the shorter days, many winter walks happen in the morning or late in the evening. Okay, so there's a couple of things for this visibility is reduced, and people cannot see you coming. So if you've got a reactive dog and another reactive dog is coming, then we can't see each other, and it makes it a little bit harder. So I really do recommend equipping yourself and your dog with high-vis um harnesses, colours, leads, whatever it happens to be, or an LED light. With this in mind, my shameless plug. I think this is really important from a clinical perspective because and the behaviour of the animal, and I have created what I call my safety tride collection, and it is literally a dog lead, simplest thing in the world, um, that is high-vis and reflective. I'll include the link in the blog below if it's something you want to look into, but just something to help people see you and your dog. You don't have to do a long walk, 15-20 minutes, you know, in some form of daylight is more than enough to support your dog's cardiac circadian rhythm. We often walk, as I say, at night during the winter, but we really need some kind of exposure to natural light, even if it's a case of using enrichment to just do some scatter feeding in the back garden or another safe indoor space instead of going for a walk, it just gets their nose to the ground and engaged in outdoor activity and they get that natural light. So now I'm gonna say the C word, uh Christmas. So let's think about dog-friendly tips for Christmas. So for a lot of people, Christmas brings excitement, gatherings for family. I'm already exasperated talking about it because we are like, oh, it's amazing, it's great fun. I mean, everybody has a fight over Christmas, it's not that much fun. And it also can induce stress not only in the humans involved, but also the dogs, and many hazards, and I would argue probably for the humans involved. We want to keep our home and whatever celebrations we celebrate dog friendly and enjoyable as much as possible. Christmas decorations might be a little bit too intriguing for a curious dog and potentially dangerous. So things like fragile ornaments, glass-based stuff, tinsel, electronic cables, oh keep them out of reach. Just control and manage the situation and make sure they don't chew through them. Avoid toxic plants, mistletoe, holly, they're actually really harmful for dogs to ingest, and we love hanging them up. If you are going to do it, make sure they're high and out of reach so that dogs don't eat them. Christmas treats and meals for humans are a lot of them are unsafe for dogs. For example, chocolate, raisins, grapes, fatty leftovers, I mean turkey bones are the worst for causing health issues. Every year there is a case where someone has had to go into emergency surgery because the dog ate a turkey bone and it's impacted a bowel. So please keep it pet safe. If you want to give your dog a little bit of turkey or a safe portion of plain cooked meat, please put it in Richmond, put it in enrichment, give it to them a safe place, and generally speaking, keep all food out of reach and remind your guests not to sneak an old snack to the dog because it could be harmful. It's become increasingly a trend for hanging chocolate on your Christmas tree. Do not do it. Don't do it, don't leave chocolate under the Christmas tree, don't put it in the stockings. Dogs love chocolate even though it will kill them. So please do not do it. When it comes to visitors coming in your home and just increased activity, Christmas can just be so overwhelming for some dogs. Please set up a safe zone so this is a quiet area somewhere in your home where your dog can just disappear, find their own den away from the madness. The endless visitors may not be fun for dogs, they'd just rather chill out. So we want to set up a safe space with familiar bedding, toys, calming aids like diffusers or a white noise machine. Associated with positive experiences, you can give enrichment so that your dog feels like it's their kind of safe space. If you're hosting guests, please let them know that your dog needs boundaries, particularly if they're a reactive or shy dog. Let your dogs greet the visitor in their own time. And if you have a dog that becomes way too excitable around new people, then we need to be able to redirect them to a safe space and help them adjust. Just a really quick word on Christmas clothes. Humans love them, most dogs hate them. Please, please, please, please, please do not force your dog to dress up. I know you want the Christmas photo with everyone in the family and your dog in the Christmas jumper, but most dogs hate it. Instead, why don't you try a little Christmas bandana or a collar? That's usually more than enough. If your dog is comfortable wearing clothing, please just respect their boundaries and their comfort level because ultimately wearing a Christmas jumper and dressing up for family photos is very much a human thing. Just remember they do not understand what Christmas is. Even though it's a really busy time of year, try your best to stick to your dog's normal routine for meals, walks, and playtime. Predictability really does help reduce anxiety and ensures your dogs feel secure under all the Christmas madness. If your plans do include travel or you've got a lot of work dues and you're away, make sure that your dog is comfortable and the journey if you're going away and care arrangements they have been exposed to them beforehand. So just wrapping up, and there's a pun intended there, for many people Christmas is a time of celebration. It's an important part of Irish culture, and we also want to spend time with our loved ones, including our dogs. Even if you're just celebrating the father dogness. Just remember, Christmas and winter look so different from a dog's perspective. They don't understand that it's a special day for us. So we need to make it special for them from a dog's perspective. This Christmas, if it's important for your dog to be part of the day for you, try and see it from their point of view. Do your best to make adjustments for them. From all of us in the Bright Horse and N family, which is Izzy, David, Monty, Cash, Django, and Blossom. We wish you a very, very, very merry dogmas and a happy Oh I can come up with a good one. New Year. Oh I need something. Oh I need something new to year. Oh I need an animal. Okay, message me. Message me. We'll find a good one. But yes, all the best, and I hope this podcast and blog helps. And have a wonderful, wonderful holiday however you celebrate.