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Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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5 Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

January 27, 2014 2 Comments

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

I’ve got a couple of great dogs. They are loving, smart, middle-aged mutts who are usually pretty good. Even the best dogs, like mine ;), get cabin fever when it’s polar vortexing outside. You take them on a walk and they start limping and crying from getting ice and salt in the pads of their feet, or they get straight up too cold, even after they’ve been wrestled into sweaters and booties.

So what do you do to fight against doggie ennui? Here are my top 5 strategies for keeping the pups happy during the coldest weeks of the year.

1. Play tug. Don’t have a tug toy already? Grab some spare polar fleece or a shelled out towel and play tug of war with them. My dogs just need to see a waving piece of fabric, and they can entertain each other for a good half hour.

2. Give them a puzzle toy. My dogs are all about their Kongs, which are toys that can be stuffed with treats that are hard to get out of, but there are many more puzzle dog toys to keep them busy for hours.

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

3. A little bit of outside time. Taking your dogs outside for even 10 or 15 minutes can do wonders, in my experience. You can throw snowballs or toys around, chase them in circles, anything to get them up and around! Just take them out in the hottest (possible) part of the day & keep an eye on their paws and ears :).

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

4. Siesta fiesta. Sometimes I watch a movie, work on a DIY project or take a nap on the couch with my dogs when I think they’re not getting enough stimulation. Even a half hour of individual attention does wonders for my pups!

5. Find it! Both Woodrow & Storm are terrier mixes, so they like to find things. My family’s favorite way to entertain the dogs inside is something we call Find It. One human and the dogs will hang out in a room with the door closed while the other human hides some dog treats around the house. Then, we let them out, prompting them to “find it!” When we first tried this game, we’d also show them our empty hands to let them know we weren’t holding any treats. Now, they’re fully aware of what’s happening when we say, “Find it!”

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

Woodrow wasn’t always awesome at Find It, but he’s gotten better over time. Storm has always been intensely competitive and awesome at Find It. She follows her nose and it takes her a long time to give up on looking for treats after all of them have been found.

On an unrelated note, Find It is also a great way to figure out just how far your dogs are physically able to reach! Storm tends to get into cooling cookies, and she had a big trash-tipping problem. Find It solved that mystery. 

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

In the end, giving your dogs a daily activity or two in a cold snap is good for their health and will keep them from getting into mischief. Whether it’s a walk, puzzle, physical game, quick outing, or something else, there are a lot of easy ways to keep your dogs safe from cabin fever.

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

Filed Under: How-to, Pet Projects Tagged With: cabin fever, dog toys, dog treats, dogs, find it, games, tips, tug, winter

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is an artist, author and crafts designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame. In addition to running the Hands Occupied Blog and Pattern Shop, you can find her making videos & co-hosting the Very Serious Crafts podcast.

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Comments

  1. Jesse Freidin

    January 27, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    Love these dog ideas! They’re all spot-on. Also, your pups are quite handsome!

    Reply
  2. Lael

    January 30, 2014 at 11:17 am

    Great ideas! the boys look like they are doing well even in this weather. Be well! Lael

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s ab There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s about how I’m going to take the next 2 weeks off to rest & recharge. ☺️🧶 No new content for y’all means I can also take a moment to zoom out & plan what’s next. Link is in bio. 
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A note on Very Serious Crafts: In the post I discuss stepping away from the @seriouscrafts podcast to give myself more time to devote to some minor medical issues. Don’t you worry - my health will be fine, & @molliejohanson @redhandledscissors and I are still pals, and after a short break of their own, the podcast will be back! Just sans moi. 💁🏼‍♀️😆 
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Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it shoul Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it should be. ☺️🎄The past few days have been filled with a lot of catching up on festive zoom calls & raising toasts to the camera. 🥂 Connecting with people has been a welcome change of pace! Now I’m feeling ready to meet my inevitable end-of-year deadlines. 😆
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Warmest wishes for the season, my friends! ❤️💛💙
Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker beh Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker behind Hands Occupied! 👋🏻 I’ve been enjoying making Reels a lot lately, but I wanted to bop in to share a regular photo & say hello. 🤓 
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rather than giving you my bio right now, I have a question. I just got this new sweater & I can’t stop imaging how funny it would be to wear this to a knitting class ... is that bad? 🤣🤣🤣
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Pictured: a blond woman with glasses wearing a sweater that reads “all your sweaters are ugly” standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is o Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is one of the most common methods for finishing a knitting project and helping ensure its final size and shape. Learn basic blocking for absolute beginners in an easy-to-follow (non-Reel!) video tutorial! Catch the tutorial on YouTube or the Hands Occupied Blog, link is in bio. 🧶 #handsoccupied #stopswatchandblockit #KPAmbassadorsDec20 #sponsored
Had to share this perfect capture of one of my fav Had to share this perfect capture of one of my favorite weird homemade Christmas ornaments: a simple macramé Santa face with beads for the eyes and nose! My Great-Grandma made it too. 🎄
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Might have to try making a quickie Reel tutorial for this guy - I think it’s the perfect project for it, don’t you? 🎅🏼 #handsoccupied #macrame
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