# What the heck do you do when it's Raining?



## Oskar der Drachen (Oct 28, 2011)

How the heck do you cure the Bored Puppy Blues when it's raining and can't go outside?

Bear will walk with me in the rain, the harder it is the less he enjoys it of course. Poor boy, in my big duster raincoat with hood, the hood drips.

When I give him a command or talk to him he looks up at me (as he should :wub: good Bear) but the rain off my hood drips into his ears...  poor Bear! 

Do you walk in in the rain, or are there games you play in the house? I'm at a loss. It's been raining for two days now and we're getting stir crazy. Even at 3 months plus Bear would go on two long walks (30 min) a day if allowed to. How to burn off that energy?


----------



## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

He won't melt.  

Rain, sleet, snow, dark of night. I take my puppies OUT SIDE.


----------



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

BlackGSD said:


> He won't melt.
> 
> Rain, sleet, snow, dark of night. I take my puppies OUT SIDE.


Yup.

I took Stark for a 2.5 HOUR hike today in the sleet/snow/rain. 

Zefra is going tomorrow - NO MATTER the weather.


----------



## gusto (Dec 8, 2011)

I live in Washington, if I never went out in the rain, I'd never go out. 

Nosework is great if I'm pressed for time though. Ryka has a little stuffed elephant that I can hide anywhere in the house and I get 20 minutes of peace while she searches. The Lakelands also leave me alone by chasing her all over.

You can look up videos of nosework on Youtube, it's cheap and easy to do indoors.


----------



## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

We're also out in the weather no matter what it is. We play tug indoors and that takes cares of some energy, is pretty good exercise for him and helps with the night time zoomies


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my boy was in a puppy class at 10 or 11 weeks old.
if it rained part of the class was held outside. whatever the weather
was we were out in it. don't get me wrong, i didn't like being
out in all kinds of weather but i had to go out in it. being
out in all kinds of weather is merely another part of training.

you can always train indoors. one of my favorite inside games
is "find it". i hide something and then say "find it" and off
he goes to find it. when we play "find it" i hide the object
on the floor, behind things, under things, in drawers,
hide things above his head so he's not always scenting 
on the ground.


----------



## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

gusto said:


> I live in Washington, if I never went out in the rain, I'd never go out.
> 
> Nosework is great if I'm pressed for time though. Ryka has a little stuffed elephant that I can hide anywhere in the house and I get 20 minutes of peace while she searches.


:rofl: When we play nose games, it takes me longer to hide the toy than it does for Siren to find it!!! I'm lucky if it takes her longer than 20 SECONDS to find it!


----------



## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

I've never seen a dog or a person melt... We go out. My dogs love romping in the rain.


----------



## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

'Tuff it out. My rain coat gets lots of miles, as do the towels in the car 

I will say that off leash is much more fun in the rain than walking around the neighborhood dealing with all the street nasties. I kind of like training in the rain. No one else is every out so I feel like I am in this little vacuum and can concentrate so well!


----------



## Pepper311 (Sep 11, 2011)

Move to Cali it hardly ever rains here. 

When I lived back east I walked my dog in the rain she would not go out in it unless I did too ( bitch haha). 

But there are days when it is so cold I don't want to go outside. So do mental stimulation inside. We work on training. I trench her new tricks and snect training has been lots of fun. I have my daughter Hind something and my dogs finds it. I think the sent training game can really help on rainy cold days. 

Rainy day do a short walk and extra indoor training try new things make them really use There mind. Because mental exercise can be just as much of a work out as running. Just in a different way.


----------



## JanaeUlva (Feb 5, 2011)

Same . . . Mail service quote . . . We go out rain, snow, cold, dark. I kind of like it because nobody is about. I choose these days to pack up and hike the state hunting grounds because rarely do I run into other hikers, dogs, or hunters. The worse the weather, the better


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

today it's raining here, my dogs don't care, , so I'll weather up and we'll go for a hike


----------



## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

We get wet.  I just do stuff in the house or barn. I also have a training facility available where I can go. We do obedience, play, tug and that training place we do agility.


----------



## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

We spend time outside for walks and playing in the yard, regardless of whether it's nice out or whether it's raining or snowing. But we also play inside the house. A lot. We play games of "find it" (hiding stuff for her to find), games of tug, tossing the ball up and down the stairs, train new tricks, inside the house. There's TONS you can do in the house to tire their brains (and some to tire their bodies) if you don't want to spend much time in the rain.


----------



## TriadGSD (Feb 19, 2011)

i seen someone melt before shes green ugly and wears a black pointed hat she likes Farm girls and dogs


----------



## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

What to we do when it is raining?
1. Get an umbrella, or a waterproof jacket, or both
2. Take dog outside
3. Get wet
4. Return inside and towel dog off
Now see? That wasn't too hard, was it?
Uh oh, I see another warning coming my way.
POOF


----------



## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

We're kinda-sorta looking for a new place on at least 5 acres. I think something with a covered horse arena would be just the ticket for rainy days.


----------



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Well I'll go against the grain and say I don't go out in the pouring rain. Sorry, nope, not doing it. Ok, maybe if it has been raining for days on end, I'll wait until it is just kind of "spitting" rain and then we'll go out. Unless it is normal, light springtime rain, the rains here are often accompanied by 15-20 mph ++ winds. I can't see, I can't throw a ball or frisbee, I can't do anything other than end up with a muddy mess of a dog.

I don't feel guilty in the slightest. This pup gets plenty of exercise. Just because he needs to take a break from running outside for a day isn't going to hurt him a bit.

Snow, I don't care. We're really down on snowfall, big time, for my area this year. Normally I'd cheer that fact, but I want to see Bailey romp around in some good, deep, fun snow!


----------



## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Make up some inside games. Tug, ball rolling, hide-n-seek. The hide-n-seek can be adapted several ways. Hide toys, hide treats, hide yourself, hide the kids. Work on training sit, down, wait or stay. Can work on leash walking too. Look for some place that offers day care and play groups where you can take the pup. An hour of running around with other puppies will help burn some energy off.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Everything. If I waited for the rain to stop before doing something, I would never get anything done.


----------



## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

My dogs don't care about the rain one bit, so life goes on as usual. In fact, some of them (Gala and her descendant  ) actually LOVE to play in the rain.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

G-litter just decided their water dish was a swimming pool and minutes after I replaced all their papers, they had water everywhere. I think they will not mind rain at all. The little buggers are getting too big to be bathed in the kitchen sink. So they may find out what the giant water dish in the bathroom is for...


----------



## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

We go for a three mile walk every day no matter the weather. We also have special inside toys that we also use and indoor games we play. Benny would much rather be out in the rain than in the heat and I've always been told that I lack sense to come in from the rain so rain is no deterrent for us!


----------



## Oskar der Drachen (Oct 28, 2011)

Well, it's still raining (day 4) so we have been out round the neighborhood twice, out along the track circling the lake once, and down to the beach when nobody else was there.

We have also taught two new commands: Shake and Roll Over

I've also started nose games of Find It, made much more complex by two other dogs who have *seen* where it is and are keen to demonstrate how clever they are either by retrieving the ball or eating the treat before we get there... :headbang: 

We will work on it some more!


----------



## VegasResident (Oct 4, 2006)

:happyboogie:we have daycare:happyboogie:


----------



## Ninamarie (Feb 14, 2010)

yes your local doggy daycare can take over for bordom if it's raining out. all day play.


----------



## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

We played inside and did training inside. Sorry but I don't do rain, neither do my dogs lol. They hate it so its an out and back in for potty breaks in the rain. Snows not so bad, but we just don't do rain. 

I'll let them run around in the house before I'll walk in the rain.


----------



## Kaity (Nov 18, 2009)

Rainy walks are my favorite. So refreshing.. get your rainboots on and don't be afraid to get out there!


----------



## Alishan86 (Oct 30, 2011)

I live in the Seattle area... and boy does it rain !... When I go to work for like 10 hours I leave Bud in the backyard... he does fine.

GSDs are tough animals


----------



## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

Some of my crew play out in the rain....and some of em sleep.


----------



## Areyyyyyyy (Mar 23, 2015)

well i have a 5 month old working line pup, and she does go out with me in the rain. but unfortunately after our last venture in the rain, she ended up with a nasty ear infection. has any one else here experienced the same thing with their pooch?


----------



## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

"holy old thread resurrection, batman!". once in awhile when out in hard rain with kyra, i would put a couple drops of peroxide in each ear and let her shake out any h2o that she have gotten in her ears. i would know when to this when she started pawing at her ear shortly after coming inside.


----------



## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

If it's not raining too hard, I might take Newlie for a walk in the rain. I don't think he's too crazy about it, he's flapping his ears the entire time.

Inside, we might practice or teach new commands. He knows sit, down, wait, come, drop it, leave it, off, backup, shake hands, touch, pick it up, bring it, drop it in the box (toys), etc. I just taught him to open a door the other day. It took him about 5 minutes to figure it out. I may start with teaching him to turn off a light switch next, but I am going to have to figure out a good way to do it. He also knows heel but that is still a work in progress, and "no teeth" where he has to take a treat without me feeling his teeth. He has become so reliable with this that I can put a small treat between my lips and he will take it out without me feeling his teeth. (You need to be very sure of your dog before doing this, lol) 

I also use a Kong for treats, they are very durable. He has a wooden puzzle, too, where he has to push the buttons back to get his treats. He also has a rubber cage that I stuff toys in and he has to get them out. Also, a "shell game" type of thing where I put a treat under one of three boxes and he has to figure out which box and turn the box over to get the treat.

We play "find it" with either treats or me. We do both tug and a flirt pole with commands and his impulse control has really improved.

I play so much ball with him that I have to figure out variations or go out of my skull with boredom. I pitch the call and I bounce the ball for him to catch. I roll the ball and he stops it like a hockey player. On rainy days, we play "fridge ball" where I bounce a ball off the refrigerator for him to catch. I also made up a game called "fastball" where I throw a ball to him, one after another, as fast as I can and he has to catch and drop it before the next one comes.

Another few: I put a toy in the center of the hall, he is at one end and I am at the other. I start counting and he has to stay until I say "3," then we race for the ball. (I'll give you three guesses who always wins.) Also, I practice sometimes with getting Newlie to recognize the names of his toys so that he can go pick the right one out when I say it's name. I thought I was really making progress until I realized he thought every toy was named "ball." Oh well, we're still trying.

Here is like a 5 second clip of another game I made up where I tie a toy with a ribbon and put it up high and he has to figure out to pull the ribbon to get it down.

https://youtu.be/LrBOz-xeh7c 

You can get lots of good ideas from this forum, but the nice thing is you can just make up things. I'll post more as I think about them.


----------



## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

huntergreen said:


> "holy old thread resurrection, batman!". once in awhile when out in hard rain with kyra, i would put a couple drops of peroxide in each ear and let her shake out any h2o that she have gotten in her ears. i would know when to this when she started pawing at her ear shortly after coming inside.


Well...it maybe old but thanks for the tip!


----------



## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

The cold was not much of an issue with my Boxer! We never stayed out in the snow long and she loved it! But she did not like the rain or wind! My Bullmastiff/APBT/Lab loved the rain and did not seem to mind the cold much either.

My GSD thrives in the winter! Cold temps, wind, rain makes zero difference to him! We went out in a big storm high winds and pouring rain and he thought....good times,good times!

I love walking with him in really crappy weather!


----------



## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Areyyyyyyy said:


> well i have a 5 month old working line pup, and she does go out with me in the rain. but unfortunately after our last venture in the rain, she ended up with a nasty ear infection. has any one else here experienced the same thing with their pooch?


Not from the rain so much, but often after swimming my lab would get start show signs of ear problems. My vet sugested I use something to help "dry" her inner ear. We picked up K9 liquid health ear solution. It's purple and messy, but it helped. This was some time ago, there may be better options available now.


----------



## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

We lived in Oregon for 4 years, and it rains and/or is overcast 300 days a year. You pretty much have to force yourself to go outside in the weather no matter what. We learned to run and bike in the rain with the dogs so everyone gets their exercise. Now I moved to Idaho where there is very little rain or snow, and it's funny because when there is weather, no one around here goes outside. We get the whole place to ourselves! I appreciate what living in Oregon taught us.


----------



## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

Major resurrection! But a good thread!

I've yet to own a dog that doens't like the rain ... maybe I should get small delicate ones LOL

Ky LOVES the rain (I think it's a genetic thing in all long coats - we MUST figure out how to get as dirty and messy as possible) ... and the rain does it!


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I'll keep it short ....

CRY


----------



## Nickyb (Jul 11, 2011)

We don't play outside because of mud, but I have an unfinished basement I throw the balls off the wall and play with her down there. Unless its downpouring, we go for walks.


----------



## Areyyyyyyy (Mar 23, 2015)

lexy is still not a big fan of the rain, but we live in vancouver and this little girl needs to get accustomed to it.


----------



## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

counter said:


> We lived in Oregon for 4 years, and it rains and/or is overcast 300 days a year. You pretty much have to force yourself to go outside in the weather no matter what. We learned to run and bike in the rain with the dogs so everyone gets their exercise. Now I moved to Idaho where there is very little rain or snow, and it's funny because when there is weather, no one around here goes outside. We get the whole place to ourselves! I appreciate what living in Oregon taught us.


Exactly! I used to live on Vancouver Island, home of the Temperate Rain Forest.
Grab rubber boots, a rain jacket, Umbrella or visored hat, and off we went for adventures. If I had to wait for a nice day, I'd never leave the house. I went for some epic horse-back trail rides in the rain, had the beach to ourselves and even today, I let my dog be a dog and play in mud puddles. I try to find a 'clean' or stop at the river on the way home to get him cleaned out before getting home, and have piles of dog towels (used 2nd hand towels) from thrift shops and garage sales. 

Yes, some day I wimp out and stay home and watch the rain come down - but the best stuff I own for dealing with the rain are a great pair of comfy rain boots, and a golf umbrella that is as much dog-walking gear as a leash is. 

Another thing that makes me get out there in the rain is that days are very very short here in the winter. So in the spring, as the days get longer, it is a total joy to be able to go out and do stuff in daylight, even if it is raining.


----------

