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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Lots of ideas!  First off, is the cold too much for you or for him?  If him, get him a coat and go on with it.  If you (and I totally commiserate), then you have to get creative, but that's not a bad thing.

First, dogs can be tired out two different ways: physically and mentally.  You want a healthy mix of both, in general.  The following are a few ways to increase the mental stimulation for your dog, which will really help curb energy levels

1: Food dispensing toys.
No more kibble in a bowl! It's too easy, it doesn't make the dog think one bit, and you're wasting an opportunity for your dog to have fun. Go to petco or on amazon and search for the following:  Kong Wobbler, Twist n treat, tug-a-jug

You can also start providing Kongs for your dog when you're going out. To start with, just smear a little peanut butter in there for her to work on. Once he has the general idea nailed, you can mix it up. Soak his kibble in chicken broth or water and mush it into the kong. Throw it in the freezer over night and you have a doggy popsicle that will last all day. You can also put in yogurt, melted cheese, banana...whatever makes your dog crazy. Freezing it will extend its life significantly.

My dog is now a pro at these things, but it still makes breakfast last 5 minutes instead of 5 seconds, which is nice :)

2.  Train some new behaviors.

My favorite way to train for mental stimulation is called "shaping".  You basically get the dog to offer baby steps towards the finalized behavior.  I've trained so many neat commands this way, some useful (back up! go to your bed!) and some just goofy (sneeze and get a tissue, do a handstand).

A decent description of shaping: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/9_3/features/Dog-Training-Equipment_15792-1.html
My favorite beginning trainer on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup
My go to rainy day activity, once you understand the premise of shaping: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167

3.  If you're REALLY desperate (and I've been there!) I'll play fetch with kibbles in my carpeted hallway.  Dog is with me, throw the kibble to the end of the hallway, she goes and gets it and I call her back (if you have a partner, they can be at one end of the hallway and you're at the other, and you just call back and forth).  Bonus is that it works on recall at the same time :)  Once the dog has the hang of that, I started putting little obstacles in the way--a laundry basket to jump over, couch cushion pyramid to climb, whatever I had easily handy.

4.  Long term solution:  Look into dog sports :)  I take agility classes, and it has been a life saver for my high energy dog.  It's improved our relationship, really helped her training (and my ability to train), and it's FUN for all involved.[/quote]

this is so helpful![/quote]

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