Well the real cold weather has made it's mark on Northern Indiana the last couple weeks. It's also been the reason for numerous calls flooding our phones. With the onset of cold weather many of us have decreased our level of outdoor time with our four legged family members. This can lead very quickly to a lot of unburned energy that needs to be channeled. Try as much as possible to continue outdoor exercise, if you have to put on a couple layers than do it. It's worth it! Extra energy in our dogs can cause them to become very destructive, anxious, and just plain overbearing. Your other option is to increase their mental exercise. Teach your dog a new game around the house, do some obedience work in the living room, or give them something challenging to do.
Monitoring your dogs weight through the winter is also very important. If the physical exercise goes down too much and your dogs body is conditioned to burning a lot of calories you may want to speak with your vet about lowering his/her food intake.
Well that's all for now, if you want any pointers about teaching your dog some new mentally challenging games around the house feel free to contact us.
