It’s cold outside, and there are always a lot of questions about dogs in cold weather this time of year. However, don’t stop your dog’s outdoor activities or agility training. Depending on where you live, there might be snow on the ground from November through March, but that’s no reason to give up your agility training. If outside is too cold, bring your training indoors.
The concern about dogs in cold weather is a valid one. Pet safety is extremely important!
Dogs in Cold Weather May Need to Train Indoors
Get creative with your training locations. Do you have a hallway, basement, or garage? Then you have a place to train! Before it snows and your equipment is frozen to the ground, store some in your garage, shed, basement, or put a tarp over it. Bring in one piece of equipment at a time, and begin your indoor training.
If your dogs in cold weather is a concern for you, here are some indoor tips:
A Pause Table is great for indoor training. The Pause Table is a great obstacle for developing your obedience behaviors and teaching agility directional commands.
Don’t forget to work on your contacts. It’s easy by having a Contact Trainer indoors. A 3-Piece Contact Trainer offers you versatility; you have an A-frame side, the Pause Table, and a Dog-walk plank. Practicing your two feet on and two feet off is convenient and quick when you have indoor contacts, only a few minutes a day to steady your dog’s behavior.
Indoor jumping must be approached carefully. If you don’t have indoor matting, don’t jump. You don’t want your dog jumping on concrete or wood floors. But you can use the uprights or posts to practice your handling. Use your Sit-stay or Down-stay and practice your lines or dogs path with no jump bars.
Weaves can be practice indoors. Are you training with a weave-chute or straight line weaves? Five minutes a day of weave training through out the winter will have your dog weaving smoothly by springtime. You can practice weave entries and weave sends or weave recalls.
There is also a variety of mini agility equipment that can be purchased, and don’t require the same space as standard equipment. There are mini-teeters, mini-dog walks, and mini-A-frames. These are great obstacles for puppy training or indoor winter training.
So, during the cold winter months, don’t give up on your agility training. Whether you are starting a young pup, working a novice dog, or an experienced titled dog there is always something that you can do indoors with your agility training.
For more information on pet safety in cold weather, go here >>
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