We didn't have too much snow last year so my rescue mutt (50lb, 1.5 years) is experiencing a big snow for the first time. It's about 7" or powdery white stuff and she LOVES digging in the shovelled piles snow. She'll frantically dig down, stick her head in, sniff around and then start again in a new spot. It's actually quite endearing and she seems to love it.
My question/concern is whether or not I'm creating a behavior issue or encouraging anything that might make her more reactive. Can anyone weigh in?
Even as I type it, but feels a little silly to say but I keep thinking about dogs with a laser pointer and how it can cause issues. My previous dog, a 70 lb mix, loved the snow but he wanted to hike and romp. He did a little digging but not like this. Bailey will romp and zoom but always return to the giant pile of snow to dig. Often, she gets over stimulated and will not recall so we are working through that too (She's in a fenced-in area so she's safe but by ignoring me, I can see she's highly motivated by digging). I'm always watching for cold feet and bring her in often to warm up, brush them off. I'm mostly concerned if I'm encouraging a bad behavior. My plan is to start teaching her dig on command to hopefully help her disengage when necessary. Embark DNA says she's about 30%shep, 13%mal. She has about 10%husky along with a bunch of other high energy breeds: lab, pittie, chow, boxer, border Collie. I love her digging because it helps tire her out and drain some of the energy because we're not able to go on these super long walks on very snowy days. It's also enriching but, again, I don't want want her to pick up a bad habit. My other dog didn't love the snow, she will lay down in it for an hour, if I let ger. I'm guessing that's the husky in her coming out. Any advice is appreciated!
submitted by /u/findthegood123
[link] [comments]