Encouraging Exercise

[a.rouse413]

I have a very lazy, food obsessed Mini-Rex who has been having some sore hock issues. I have tried to be as proactive as possible, applying two kinds of medicine from the vet (Silver Sulfadiazine and Collasate Silver Gel), keeping my plush rug covered with either fleece or a soft sheet to minimize friction, getting him plush memory foam mats to sit on, trimming his nails every 2-3 weeks, etc. He’s lost some weight after going on a diet, but I have a hard time getting him to exercise. He runs around my room whenever I give him food, runs up to the door to greet anyone when then come in, and occasionally will hop onto the furniture in my room. Other than that, though, he stays pretty sedentary. I’m not sure what to do to get him moving and keep him interested. 

[Paradigm]

Mr Roger wasn’t a huge fan of exercise. Except when he was scared (such as when confronted with the Hoover) he barely ran. I saw him running back and forth once at night for recreation but never saw him binky.

His ma in exercise was in the form of sighing out cardboard castles and foraging for food using a treat dispenser. I would give him a small amount of ‘free’ food and then put the rest into the treat ball at intervals during the day to keep him moving. (He always had hay, so I didn’t worry about him going hungry – though I always checked the dispenser to make sure he was eating.)

[Lagomorphic]

Clicker training.

It will require a little more food to start, but use a tiny amount of food he likes, not a food he LOOOVES. Eventually you fade the food and can have a full-on exercise regimen. It does take a lot of patience at first, and it helps if you’ve already trained him to do some stuff. Running up to the door to greet someone might be a good place to start.

[Author]

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