Bringing home a new dog is exciting. And if your new dog is a puppy, it’s difficult to contain your admiration for their cuteness and desire to play. Puppies actually have so much energy that they can be active all day. This begs the questions, “Why are puppies so energetic, and how could all that energy come from a tiny wee?”
The endless energy of a puppy can be attributed to their insatiable curiosity about the world. They are just beginning to understand how their body functions and are experiencing things for the first time. They just find exploring everything they come across to be so exciting.
Puppy play is entertaining, but most of the time it can be challenging to keep up with their energy. The good news is that they will calm down as they age, but in the interim, there are a number of healthy ways to exhaust a puppy.
How We Tire Out A Boat Dog
Our home is on a boat that is 10 feet wide at its widest point. And we have a Golden Retriever. We’ve discovered techniques to exhaust a dog in a constrained space since we can’t always be lounging on a cool beach. You can use the same skills even if you’re not a sailor!
You’ll have enough room in any small space, including an apartment, hotel room, adventure van, RV, or vacation rental, to exhaust any dog.
Here’s what you need to know:
Being a creative owner is the key to a contented and worn-out dog!
The Danger Of Creating Super Athletes
Particularly working dogs—I wrote more about this here: Do You Really Want A Working Dog—are very physically capable animals. They will adapt by getting more exercise and getting more endurance. Unfortunately, they are much better than most humans at getting fit, so their fitness will outgrow yours very quickly.
This occurs especially with puppies because physical activity (such as walking up and down the road) can quickly “wear out” an 8-week-old puppy. It will be much more difficult to physically exhaust a 6 month old puppy!
Activities that require the dog to think and solve problems can actually exhaust dogs much more than purely physical activity. When given challenges that require them to think, especially dogs who are accustomed to instant gratification, who “act first, think second,” who love to be wild, wrestle, chase, and be crazy, they become very quickly and effectively exhausted.
Working on low-energy tricks that call for the dog to make deliberate, controlled movements can be just as taxing as having him fetch a ball for 30 minutes. How about teaching your dog to spin left and right on a small surface like a stepping stool or bench, or to step into an increasingly small cardboard box with all four feet?
Or how about just teaching your dog to lay down and stand up without shuffle (which is much harder than it sounds)? This is a video of a practice from my Slow Down Online Class. Try it out!.
Dogs are not very good at solving two-step problems (“In order to accomplish abc, I must first complete xyz”). You can easily amaze your dog by placing a few treats underneath a large towel and letting him figure out how to get to them. It probably won’t happen right away, but it will probably take him some time to figure out how to flip over one corner of the towel (many dogs try to “inhale” the treats through the towel, try digging, try biting the towel, etc.).
Or how about this game that I call “egg hunt”:
Dogs have activity cycles throughout the day. The majority of dogs have a morning energy burst followed by a nap, an afternoon energy burst followed by another nap, and finally a wind-down period before bed.
(This may change depending on the age, breed, temperament, and work/life balance of your dog; you are the expert on your own dog and his rhythm.)
Waiting until your dog “peaks” before engaging him in a physically demanding, high-adrenaline activity like fetch is especially unwise. By doing this, you’ll only keep him in a constant state of needing physical activity to calm down and craving it. The last thing you want is for being calm to become dependent on being exhausted.
Think of activity like pain medications. If you have ever undergone surgery or suffered an injury, you are aware that it is advised to take painkillers regularly and before the pain becomes intolerable. The same is true for dog activity (and by that I don’t just mean purely physical exertion, as nosework is just as good or even better of an activity):
By doing this, it’s likely that your dog won’t “peak so high” in the first place and won’t experience the excessive energy that can only be reduced by strenuous physical activity.
A Tired Dog Is A Good Dog?
A tired dog is a good dog, as we have all frequently heard. Of course, it’s true: a dog that passed out from exhaustion won’t be punished for chewing on your furniture or barking at the window. However, the reverse is not true. Being physically worn out is not a requirement for being a good dog. Dogs can be good dogs without being tired.
You are in for a challenging ride if you are constantly seeking the next nap that follows your dog’s exertion.
FAQ
How do you tire out a dog fast?
- Rotate The Toys. …
- Play Hide & Seek. …
- Set Up An Obstacle Course. …
- Play The Shell Game. …
- Chase Bubbles to Tire Out a Dog. …
- Feed Your Dog Using A Food Toy. …
- Play Fetch. …
- Wrestle Or Play Tug.
How do you mentally tire a dog?
Play interactively with your dog more often Playing interactively with your dog involves active interaction. Tug-of-war or fetch are examples of interactive play, and these kinds of games are very beneficial for providing your dog with more mental stimulation. And any of those enjoyable games will help you and your partner grow closer.
Is it good to tire out your dog?
Fortunately, it might be simpler and take less time than you think to train your high-energy dog to direct her drive into appropriate outlets. While it’s important to try to exhaust your dog physically, keep in mind that dogs also have active, creative minds that require stimulation.
How many hours a day should you spend training your dog?
For pet dogs, training once or twice a day, a few days per week in intervals of 5 to 15 minutes is likely more than enough to produce positive results. If you enroll your dog in training sessions lasting an hour, be sure to give the dog breaks frequently throughout the session.