[NAGDU] Keeping the dog entertained

[cindyray at gmail.com]

I think this is a marvelous topic, tool. Rox, what fun your pups are having!
Cindy Lou
cindyray at gmail.com


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Rox Homstad via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 1:18 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Rox Homstad <pawpower4me at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Keeping the dog entertained

Hey Tracy and all, what a great topic! 
I am high risk so have been quarantined for the last month with my 3 dogs--
Soleil, 9 year yellow lab, Rowan, 3 year Amstaff GSD mix, PHOENIX, 15 month
old golden I have tried going for walks but because I am deafblind it's
harder for me to avoid people, aka, people who *still* want to pet my dog!!!

So no more walks. 
We have a yard and I throw the ball quite a bit. I have invented a game I
call hoof-hockey-- this is best played after I have mopped my tile floor for
optimal fun! I throw the cow hoof-- bowling ball style so in shoots across
my giant main room and slams into furniture, rebounding again across my
slick floor and bouncing crazily. The dogs love this! A combination of chase
and fetch! 
Phoenix is practicing her "house elf" skills, she has watched Rowan alerting
me to sounds such as someone at the door and is now in a contest with her to
see who can get me first. She will come up to me, grab my hand gently in her
jaws, and lead me to the source of the sound. She is also working on
retrieving dropped objects. There is also just a lot of snuggling and
wrestling and giant communal pack naps under the kitchen table which the
favorite dogbed dwells. 
I am not worried that Rowan and Soleil will forget how to work. rowan
especially misses guidework. We did get a plastic pool and it is warming up
here in Louisiana so we will fill that soon which will be its own adventure,
I'm sure!!! 

I hope everyone is staying safe! 

Rox'E and the Kitchen Bitches
Soleil, Rowan, Phoenix
pawpower4me at gmail.com

> On Apr 7, 2020, at 10:57 AM, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
> 
> I'd be interested to hear how people are keeping the dog entertained 
> in this time of lockdowns.
> 
> I am working from home full-time.  Before, I was working from home 3 
> days a week, but we had 2 days of going into New York, which kept us both
sharp.
> Now, I try to take a walk every day it's not actually raining.  
> However, I keep away from the main streets, because Krokus naturally 
> has no idea about social distancing, and there are still some people 
> walking around on the main drag.  There are some on the backstreets 
> too, but I can hear them before we come up to them, so we don't get 
> too close.  It does rather limit our walks, though.  I try to go 
> around the big circle different ways, make different turns, etc, but it's
still the same big circle, and he knows it.
> 
> I've also started taking Krokus into the backyard on his Flexi-leash.  
> On his own, he always eats bark and dirt, then throws it up at 3 AM.  
> On his Flexi, I can keep him away from those snacks, and he seems to 
> enjoy having a nice sniff around.
> 
> And of course we have some play sessions.  But I still think he's a 
> bit bored (as are many of us.)
> 
> Tracy
> 
> 
> 
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