Indoor Agility for Dogs on a Rainy Day: Keep Your Pups Active & Happy

Rain has dumped on us for the past two days. Yesterday they called for four inches; I haven’t checked how much we’ve actually gotten, but based on the giant pond-sized puddle in my backyard, I’d say we’re close. Two days of a constant downpour, though, means that my pups do not want to go outside. Unless they absolutely must go to the bathroom that second, they won’t go out. They stand in the doorway and stare at me like I’ve lost my mind. But two days without a walk means two very pent-up pups. Tonight, as the rain continued, I set up a little indoor agility course to get them some mental and physical stimulation.

I created a tunnel by stretching my favorite zebra-print blanket between the sofa and the coffee table. I knew if Lucas touched it and it fell on his head, he’d be done for the night, so I weighted it down with heavy books. They both caught on quickly and started tunneling before I even gave the command… note the creepy green glow of their eyes in the background, waiting for me to get the shot so they can rip through the tunnel again.

I arranged a jump by balancing a broom between two bar stools. Unfortunately, the broom wobbled a little each time they touched it, which – of course – frightened Lucas. Though Lucas never did execute a jump, he did step over it several times, which was a big victory for us. Emmett caught on quickly, so I even tried raising the bar a little bit.

Here comes Emmett! Followed by the worst/funniest action shot possibly ever:

We ended up practicing the tunnel and jump for about 20 minutes, then did a series of simple commands. I think the workout was successful in tiring them out, at least for a little! Note: Lucas does not do agility well. At all. He’s terrified of any new apparatus, so I consider this evening a HUGE success.