ICE, RAIN - Generally Just a Mushy Mess

[NarniaMals]

OK - I live in Alaska and its February  - You would think we would be out playing in the snow!  In my dreams.  We have been at 43 balmy degrees with sideways rain and wind now since Sunday.  My pups are getting stir crazy.  My yard has turned into a Huge swimming pool during the daytime and early evening and a skating rink late b4 bed.  I tried walking my Vander Pup Sunday night, but even my ice grippers couldn't find anything to grip and I went sliding multiple times.  Not to mention poor Vander - He really was not meant to be an Olympic Figure Skater.  We are playing indoors after work but I can't get him in the vehicle consistently yet to take him to Puppy PLay.  Any ideas to keep him going while we wait either for it all to freeze back and snow or spring to arrive and melt it all away?  My other 2 do car rides well and get out to puppy school and even over to my school where they can run up and down the hallways when no one else is there

Suggestions???

Thanks -
Marianne and the Pups from the Great SOGGY North

[GreatPyr]

WOW! You live in Alaska! Do you like living there?

I would maybe make a play area in the house and just let them romp and chase/play ball,lots of chew toys/rawhides.

[Bubbalove]

Lazar pointer is great!  Also, I read somewhere about this...you get some small tupperware tops and turn them over and put regular kibble in them.  Then you place them all over your house and play "hide and seek".  I tell Kana, "FIND IT!" and he goes around and discovers the trays in random places in the house.  I have a 900 sq. ft. house and a 100 lb. dog and this works for about 30 minutes.  I coach him through and encourage him but don't tell him (show him )where they're at.  It's pretty fun!!

 

[NarniaMals]

Thanks for all the ideas!  We are hoping for some snow soon!  Unfortunately we have found the mud and grass - but the streets are skating rinks and lakes .  We have been working on all the things my others do at obedience classes.  We are going to try the laser this weekend!  That sounds like fun!  The others keep him pretty busy.  I tried staying up a bit later and the water froze up enough for th egang to play out for a while last nigth after the rain stopped.  That helped!  We have the kongs but with malamutes there tends to bit of "food" type issues.  We are golden on bones now (my house is lttered with all types) but kongs are another story - we aren't able to use them unless the crowd is crated.

Again thanks for all the input. 

(PS - GreatPyr - I love living here and wouldn't trade it for the world!  Been up here 14 years now - 7 of them above the arctic circle in a small vilage - now in suburbia outside of Anchorage.  Originally I am a Long Islander (NY) so it was a big change - I just wish we would get some more snow this winter - Darn that Global Warming!)