Enriching Ollie’s Walks

~ beetleypete

At this time of year when so many people are on holiday, it is not so easy for Ollie to come across many of his regular doggy pals when we are out walking. So it is up to me to try to do something to make his long walks in the heat more enjoyable.

One word he learned a long time ago is ‘Hiding’. He usually checks out regular spots where he has seen cats or squirrels in the past, and when he is upset that they are not there, I generally say that they are ‘hiding’. I adopt a hushed tone when saying the word, and imply that he might have to find them. This makes him rush around looking for whatever he was expecting to find.

This not only gives him more exercise, it also provides him with some sense of purpose to his walks, besides sniffing and marking.

The recent hot and humid weather has made Ollie reluctant to do much. He has been lagging behind me, and spending too much time just standing in the river. So when we got over onto Hoe Rough today, I took him to the spot where he had last seen a deer, and pointed into the undergrowth. I hissed ‘hiding’, and off he went, understanding completely what I was on about. For a good fifteen minutes, he scanned up and down looking for the non-existent hiding animals.

When he returned looking hot and bothered, I let him go down into the river, to cool off.

The things we do for our pets…

43 thoughts on “Enriching Ollie’s Walks”

    1. We have spent virtually every minute of every day together (except when sleeping) for over seven years. I reckon you could say we have ‘bonded’. 🙂
      Thanks, Maggie.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  4. Our diesel used to charge out into the garden when we said ‘cats’ but he seems to know if we are telling the truth and judges for himself whether it is worth racing or not. A sign of old age, I suppose. We tell him when the squirrel is on the bird feeder but he doesn’t look up so misses it. He’s had to learn ‘foxes’ as they are out and about all day now and he delights in seeing them off the garden.Trouble is, he senses when they are outside the living room window and barks, often when we are watching TV or having an afternoon snooze!

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  5. Love it! We do something similar with our dogs, a different phrase, but they love it, all that excitement and usually find something that makes them feel a sense of accomplishment. And we feel a sense of accomplishment too, as we have exercised them well without breaking into a sweat haha! 🙂

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  6. What a great word to learn for a dog. I recently read somewhere that dogs can learn up to 165 words. That’s pretty impressive. My dog, Jake, is a master of anything having to do with food.

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    1. Ollie has a fairly large ‘understood vocabulary’. That includes ‘Treat’, Guest’, ‘Baby’, and even the specific names of some of his stuffed toys. And of course, ‘Biscuit’. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  12. Summer is as hard, or harder, on our pets as it is on us. Imagine running around in ninety degree weather wearing a fur coat!
    I read somewhere watermelon is really good for them. It’s loaded with water, sweet to taste, and has the added benefit of vitamins for their dehydrated bodies.
    Ollie looks like a sweetheart 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Jaquie. It’s not really that hot here. It was only 75 F today, but the sudden change from much cooler weather seems to have caught Ollie out. He is generally a very happy dog, and a delight to have as a pet.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  13. My furbaby, Annie, loves to play fetch. In my entire lifetime this is the first dog I have ever had that adores catching things. This has caused us to buy her a plethora of different toys. She has trained us to play every time we come hone, get up in the morning, as it cools in the evening, if we go out back, if we have company, etc. We are well trained humans.

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    1. Ollie will play with a stuffed toy, but he can’t catch anything. That’s because he has very heavy and floppy jowls, so is unable to ‘snap’ properly. Unlike many of his dog friends, there is little point taking a ball out on our walks, as he would just ignore it. 🙂
      I have to come up with ‘fake hunting’ instead…
      Best wishes, Pete.

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