Hello everyone, we hope this blog finds you all happy and well, today I thought we would have a little chat about what we have been up to over the last few weeks, So its has been very wet and windy over in Western Australia, so we have been keeping warm, and as some people might already know Miss Mildred is a princess and if the ground is wet or cold she won't go outside unless she has her pink gumboots on, but then when she comes back in she wants her gumboots back off, its very funny because she will bring me her gumboots in their packet so she can have them put on to go outside, Miss Mildred knows how to get me to do things for her haha and I love every minute of it.
All the things a girl need when going to the dog park with your little furbaby, and if you look at her feet yup her pink gumboots she is a diva and a very cute one at that, soon when we do out to the park Miss Mildred will be able to get in her new pink carry bag that we were surprised with yesterday, when we were out walking a very lovely lady named Lisa popped over and hid the most beautiful pink carry bag out the front under the chair, and when I got home from walking the furbabies I walked straight past it oops! Then I got a message saying to go and look outside and wow I was so surprised and happy to receive this gift, Lisa you'r a beautiful soul, big hearted loveable lady and we are blessed to call you our friend, Below is the very first picture of Miss Mildred in her new carry bag aww just so very cute!
My little chihuahua Miss Mildred is so very spoilt
over the last few weeks she has got a few new outfits in the mail, and a new pink leather chair what more can a girl need a few new dresses a new fur coat and a new blanket, So to say she is spoilt is a understatement, do you spoil you furbaby?
I think if I keep getting Miss Mildred more outfits she is going to need her own walk in robe soon.
As her clothes are starting to take over I now
have her summer stuff stored away with her winter coats and dresses hanging up, Below is a picture of her new clothes.
What do you do in the wet cold winter with your Furbaby? I find myself doing lots of training and playing on the ground with Miss Mildred and
Sir George as its to wet to get outside and walk them as our roads flood and sometimes people driving past don't slow down and yup we get wet from the puddles, so like I said we have lots of playtime followed by some training and the furbabies love getting played with I am training Miss Mildred to know names of different toys and she know a few now and its a cute trick to show visitors that come over, Here are some more ideas
for playing on a wet raining winter day.
How to Keep Your Dog Busy (and out of trouble) Indoors
Remember that just because you’re stuck inside doesn’t mean the fun has to end. Trying to come up with ideas on how to keep your dog busy can be more exhausting than actually getting up and doing it. So whether you’re looking for some
So whether you’re looking for some fun games to play with your dog or just some easy ways to keep your dog busy try out some of these indoor activities with your pup. They’re a simple way to help keep your dog mentally and physically active, even when indoors.
1. The Which Hand Game
If you’ve been thinking about teaching your dog some scent work games this is a great game to get you started. The only thing you’ll need is some dog treats. If you don’t have dog treats on hand you can use fruits & veggies, or make some simple dog treats of your own.
How to play the which hand game with your dog:
Place a treat in one of your hands.
Close your fists and hold them out in front of your dog.
Let the dog choose which hand it’s in.
When your dog sniffs or paws the correct hand open it up and give them the treat.
If he chooses incorrectly don’t discrouage him, it takes a few tries to catch on.
A gentle “touch” command will be helpful.
Our dogs have excellent noses but they need to learn to utilize them.
Just like us they’re used to relying on visual cues in their normal day to day activities. Simple nose work games help hone in their natural sniffing ability, and it’s a nice mental workout.
Tip: Chopped up carrots make excellent dog treats. We use them for scent work games and training. They’re low in calories, easy to prepare, and (most) dogs absolutely love them.
2. The Three Cup Game
One step up from the which hand game this game is also commonly referred to as the shell game. You place a treat under one of 3 cups and have your dog choose the correct one. Once they get the hang of it you can start mixing up the cups so they’re not just relying on visuals. Don’t let this cat put your pup to shame.
3. Play Hide and Seek With Your Dog
This is by far one of Laika’s favorite indoor games. Have your dog sit and wait while you go find a hiding spot. Call them once when you’re hidden and praise them enthusiastically when they find you.
4. Use the Stairs For a Workout
If you’re snowed in you might not have an opportunity to get in your regular amount of physical exercise with your dog. If you have stairs in your home utilize them. Have your dog follow along as you get in some exercise going up and down the stairs. If your dog isn’t clumsy you can also try playing fetch on the stairs.
5. Make a Scavenger Hunt or Play Find The Treats
Grab some smelly treats and have your dog stay while you go hide them around the house. Start with some easy hiding spots and work your way up once your dog is accustomed to using his noseWhen we started working on this game I would drag the treats along the carpet so my dog could easily pick up the scent.
6. Fetch My Slippers/Paper
Dogs love having a job to do, even if it’s something as simple as fetching you your slippers. Make them feel extra useful by teaching them the names of some items you wouldn’t mind them retrieving for you. If you want to impress all of your friends teach your dog to fetch you something from the fridge. To make it easy on your dog tie a towel around the handle so it’s easy to pull open the door.
7. Use a Stuffed Kong For a Nice Challenge
If you’d like to keep your dog busy with a toy for awhile stuff a Kong with something yummy. You can freeze peanut butter or broth, or just put some treats inside and give your dog something to work for. There’s a ton of dog safe options.
8. Teach Your Dog The Names of Their Toys
Have you seen Chaser the Border Collie? She knows over 1,000 words and can pick out any given toy among 800 just by it’s name. We can’t all be overachievers like Chaser, but we can teach our dogs the names of their toys.
Start by playing with one specific toy and giving it a name while you do. After some practice & praise your dog will assign that verbal name with the chosen toy . Once your dog has learned that specific toys name you can test their skills by seeing if they can pick it out among their other toys. This is the game we are learning with Miss Mildred at the moment and she is doing great!
9. The “Go Find It” Game
Once your dog knows the names of some of their toys teach them the “go find it” game. Have your furbabys toys in a pile or container and tell them to “go find” their favourite toy. Keep it fun for them by rewarding them handsomely with a treat or quick game of tug when they succeed. This game will give your dog a great mental workout.
10. Master the Basics of Obedience Training
Does your furbaby know all of the basic obedience commands? Does she have a reliable recall and stay? Even well trained dogs need a refresher course now and then to keep them sharp. All dogs should have a reliable sit, down, stay, drop it, and come here.
11. Teach Them To Say Please by Sitting
Does your dog come up to you and nudge your hand when they want something? If you don’t find this behavior desirable teach your dog that sitting politely is the key to gaining your attention. Don’t be afraid to teach your dog how to act – without guidance they develop bad manners.
Our dogs look to us for cues all the time, they like to know what’s expected of them. Reward polite behaviours handsomely, with consistency your dog will get into the habit of asking for things in a polite manner.
We hope you all enjoyed this fun blog, we will be back to our normal information packed blogs in the next few days as I thought it would be fun to do a update on Miss Mildred and what we have been getting up too.
Thanks so much for reading and remember if you have any ideas or stories please leave them in the comments below as we really enjoy reading what you have been up too.
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Can't wait for you all to come backhand read our next blog so take care and stay safe.
xx Miss Squeak and Miss Mildred xx
