debm Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 Hello I am new here and am also new to being a dog mommy. I rescued two dogs over that past six months (I know I'm crazy!), one of which is a border collie mix. He has all the characteristics of a BC (which I love!).....his need for exercise, work and play is very high. I walk him every day and play ball with him a ton but even so, there are days when he just needs more. Or there are days when I am too busy to give him all the outdoor exercise he needs (I have a six year old and a part time job). I am looking for any ideas (especially with winter coming up) for indoor exercise and/or jobs for my BC to engage in. He is a worker by nature and loves to please us. His face doesn't look that much like a BC (he is part Lab as well) but his underbelly is pure BC.....black and white a fluffy! Here is Baxter....my high strung sweet boy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soloagility Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 Hi! I'm new here as well. My Lab/BC, Solo, sounds very similar to your guy, and I've found that good mental stimulation can leave him panting as much as agility can. Solo loves to learn tricks, have you taught your rescues any fun tricks yet? Solo knows quite a few, like playing dead, rolling himself up in a blanket, taking a bow, left/right. You can also work on obedience inside, which is quite useful in the real world as well. You could work on heeling, eye contact, sit/stand/down, recalls. Solo also loves to play hide and go seek inside, and that's something you could get your child involved in as well. Keep it fun, and a short trick training session can really tire him out. I usually end with a stuffed Kong, which I find helps Solo relax afterwards. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruger's Dad Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 Besides throwing a frizbee a bazillion times during the evening this is different. Set up a small agility course in your house. You can use a couple of brooms, hula hoop, I believe you can even purchase some cheap tunnels. I guess if you want to get fancy you can make the items out of PVC fairly cheaply. Now you can work on your up, stay, over, through, right and left commands. I haven't done this but you could even set up a small flyball course. Now you can use your imagination and keep your dog thinking all at the same time. Word to the wise, keep the training times short and the fun times long. Do not frustrate yourself or your dog while teaching new commands. My Border is always thinking a couple of steps ahead of me so he can be a trip at times trying to get him to do the command that I want. Pure training times should be stopped after about 10 minutes. This is also the time of year to take the dog on errands with you. All mine love car rides. Keep their stays by themselves in the car short until you can trust him. Otherwise, replacing car interiors is expensive. I hope this gives you some ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 Baxter looks so sweet. His face reminds me of my Maddie. She's a Border Collie/Lab mix, too. You might want to look into clicker training. When my dogs get bored, a 5 minute free shaping session usually takes the edge off. My dogs are very active outdoors in the summer, but when it's cold, I don't go out. They play ball in the house, but of course they need more than that. I find that clicker work gives them a good mental workout and they tend to be more content when I spend a little time each day doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phej Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 And then there is the ball hiding/finding game. I put Molls (bc/lab as well) in a downstay in one room. Go and hide her tennis ball in another. Call her in, and she looks for it. We then have a party when she finds it. She LOVES theis game!:-) You can also teach yor dog the names of different toys and have him bring them to you one by one as you ask for them. Lol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyler Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 If your puppy fetches and you live in a two-story home you can always throw the ball down the stairs and have them bring it back up to you. I found this to work well in the Winter and tires them quickly. If it was just cold and not insanely bitter I would take them for a run as well. But on those nasty days the ball down the stairs, obedience and tricks worked well for me and Skyler was an extremely active Border. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 Some good ideas at this link: Indoor games That site is meant for dogs who can't exercise outdoors because they are recovering from surgery, but the games are great for any dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SweetJordan Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 And then there is the ball hiding/finding game. I put Molls (bc/lab as well) in a downstay in one room. Go and hide her tennis ball in another. Call her in, and she looks for it. We then have a party when she finds it. She LOVES theis game!:-) You can also teach yor dog the names of different toys and have him bring them to you one by one as you ask for them. Lol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SweetJordan Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 And then there is the ball hiding/finding game. I put Molls (bc/lab as well) in a downstay in one room. Go and hide her tennis ball in another. Call her in, and she looks for it. We then have a party when she finds it. She LOVES theis game!:-) You can also teach yor dog the names of different toys and have him bring them to you one by one as you ask for them. Lol... I do this w/ Riley and she loves it as well! We also like to use the upstairs hallway to play hockey and soccer. She loves to play goalie. Of course I don't hit/kick the ball to her the same I would if she were human as she doesn't have a helmet or pads. We set up a goal and I swear she understands the rules, and it's hard to get anything past her. Though if you don't have the right space this may not be considered an indoor activity. You might want to try running her depending on her age. It gives a high energy dog a more intense work out than walking. Riley doesn't do much walking as she finds it too boring. She loves to run, so I bike her. She goes so fast I don't even have to peddle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debm Posted December 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 Baxter looks so sweet. His face reminds me of my Maddie. They could be twins!! Its uncanny!! What is her personality like? Thanks to everyone who responded! Being new at this I am still learning as I go along. I imagine we will be doing many of these games this winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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