Dog walking is tough when it’s freezing here in the Midwest and it has been for awhile. Subzero temperatures and tons of snow does not make for a great walking environment for dogs…especially short-haired, small dogs like mine. Zoey and Leroy do really well with just playing around the house…they are pretty mellow.
Stella is a different story (blame it on the Jack Russell in her). If Stella doesn’t get enough exercise and mental challenge, she is CRAZY. I’m talking chew on our furniture, bark incessantly, terrorize the other dogs, hyper-active crazy. Not only that but she doesn’t let us sleep at night if she hasn’t had enough exercise. It’s pretty pathetic when your newborn sleeps through the night, but you dog gets you up 3-4 times! Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Enter…the treadmill.
I’d seen dogs use treadmills before so I knew it could be done. One night at 3am after waking up for the third time, Don got up, put a harness on Stella and put her on the treadmill. Twenty minutes later Stella was Miss Cuddle Bug and went right to sleep. So now we’re going to walk her for twenty minutes on the treadmill everyday. It’s great both physically and mentally for her. As for the sleep interruptions…I’ll report back on that later!
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Tags: dog, dog walking, dogs, exercise equipment, human behavior, human interest, jack russell, keys, train your dog, treadmill, treadmills, walking, zoey
Looks like she’s getting the hang of it!! Here’s to restful nights for you two AND Stella! = )
Love it! I have the same problem with Mollie as you do with Stella. She will wake us up numerous times a night. Since our wind chills have been zero or below for weeks and snow, with no end in sight; neither myself nor Mollie can bear to go to the dog park. I have thought about the treadmill, but will definately give it a try since Stella does so well. Thanks!
Way to go Stella!! Too cute
I love the way Don is getting his exercise by marching!
This is great! I love it! We’re going to have to see if Sasha can do this. She misses her walks terribly but it is far too cold. Miss you and can’t wait to see you and catch up!