Exercise

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I too need advice on how to exercise my husky puppy.  She is 13 weeks old and so far does not fetch a ball when you throw it.  It is getting colder so i can't see if she likes to swim.  I can take her on walks but fear this won't be enough to really get her tired and worked out.  I need some helpful ideas on what huskies like to do.  Especially with the winter months fast approaching.

ANSWER: For most Sibes, the two best exercises are running and thinking (they are really good at both).  They don't often fetch, but don't mind chasing and "killing" balls you throw, but since they don't usually bring them back, it's not much of a workout.  I recommend puzzles, especially a lot of obedience work.  It can wear the pup out very quickly.  Beyond that, long walks, runs, chase games in the yard, etc. are the best activities.  As she gets older, pulling, roller/ski/bike-joring can also be great activities.  Oh, and any level of social interaction (especially with other canines) can be great to help the dog out.

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QUESTION: I would like a little more explanation of puzzles and joring.  I went to Petsmart and could only find a ball that you put dog food in and the pup is to roll it around until the food falls out.  This is as close to a "puzzle" I could find.  And our husky is in no way interested in it!  Our lab took over the toy b/c she ignored it.  Where do you find the puzzles you mentioned in your email?  Also, what is joring?  I thank you in advance for your help.

Answer
First, the easy part.  Skijoring is a popular sled dog sport where the 1-3 dogs are hooked to a person on skis instead of a sled.  You don't need as many dogs, and (presumably) it is easier to control one or two dogs rather than 16.  This sport has evolved into rollerjoring (on rollerblades) and bikejoring (on a bike).  It can be a great activity for the dog, and is great exercise.  My best recommendation is to Google skijoring and you should be able to find some groups that can help get you started (better experts than I in that category).  If you are  into biking, you may also look at devices like the Springer, or the K9 Cruiser.

As for puzzles . . . this one is tough, as each dog is unique.  You see, Siberians were bred to be intelligent dogs with critical thinking and problem solving abilities.  The problem is that without a lot of activity and distractions, they can get bored and cause trouble.  Some dogs do great with toys like the iCube (four squeaky balls in a plush box).  Mine - they can get the balls out in less than 20 seconds.  Some dogs like tasty things, and will work for hours to get them out of thngs like a Kong.  Some dogs could care less.  Your best bet is to start working with your dog and you'll figure out what drives him.  One of the best stories I have is that our dogs were in obedience classes and were put in a Down-Stay at the beginning of the class.  We spent the entire hour long class having given the dogs one command - the Down Stay.  We then spent the next hour trying to ignore them and letting the distractions at the park tempt them.  Some dogs got up, some didn't.  The ones that did were corrected and placed back in the stay.  Guess what?  After an hour of laying down, my dogs were exhausted.  The reason?  They were working so hard on concentrating on their command (the Down-Stay) that when they were finally released from it, they were mentally drained.  There were so many distractions and so much to think about, they were done mentally.  Both dogs took a nice long nap when we got home from that training.  The more you can stimulate the dog mentally as well as physically, the better.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you what puzzles to buy, because it may be that your dog won't like anything you buy.  But get your dog thinking.  It can be obedience work, agility, running (with sled commands), getting your dog to pull his favorite toy out of something, or a treat, etc.  I was dog sitting a small terrier this week, and she loved digging.  What did I do?  I hid myself under the covers in the bed and called her name.  She immediately started trying to "dig" me out of the covers.  Great game that gave her a chance to do something physical (the digging) while stimulating her mentally (where can I dig that will get him out of there?).

It's a challenge, but the more you get to know your dog, the better and easier it is to find things that both of you enjoy.