5 ways to tire your dog out
Ideas for unleashing your dog's energy
HOW DO DOGS BURN ENERGY?
Approximate reading time: 7 minutes
Dogs are normally active animals, although depending on their age, breed or character, energy levels can vary. Some dogs are more active than others, and need a high level of activity to feel relaxed and satisfied. There are different ways to tire your dog out and help them release all that pent-up tension. As their caregiver and handler, it is your job to provide them with sufficient exercise, but also mental stimulation to maintain their physical and mental health. In other words, your dog needs more than just three walks a day to feel really good, especially if they are a very active pet.
If your dog doesn't get enough stimulation, they will become bored, apathetic and unmotivated. In addition, they could gain weight by not getting enough exercise (canine obesity is a risk factor for multiple diseases). At the other extreme, hyperactive dogs, who don't burn off the energy they generate, develop destructive behaviours, such as chewing on anything they can get their hands on to get something to do. Tiring your dog in a controlled way, without ever exhausting them, is very positive for their physical and emotional well-being.
Ideas to stimulate and help your dog burn off energy
If you notice that your dog has a lot of energy, either because they are a puppy, young or because of their temperament, you will need to find ways to release it. You can do this through play, physical exercise and mental or olfactory activities that help them move their body, sharpen their senses and regulate their emotions. Take note of these 5 ways to tire your dog safely.
• Learn new cues
It is recommended that you teach your dog basic training exercises while they are still a puppy. However, it's never too late to keep learning different cues and tricks to help you have fun together. Practising small training sessions of 5-15 minutes duration, about 2-3 times a week, will help your dog burn off energy through learning and mental stimulation. Remember to vary the tricks and always reinforce your pet with treats or treats as rewards. Training is a very healthy and useful activity for your dog to tire them out and make them feel calm and satisfied.
• Sniffing games
Dogs do more than just ‘sniff things’ with their adorable nose. Your furry best friend's nose is a veritable operations centre, deciphering all kinds of smells and chemicals and working around the clock to decipher and interpret the world. As you can imagine, sniffing is a very tiring activity for your dog, but also very beneficial, as it helps them to sharpen their sense and enrich their mind. For this reason, sniffing games are very positive for these animals. We recommend practising with a scent mat or playing hide and seek with your dog. Ask someone in your family to distract them, and, without them noticing, hide around the house. If your family member offers your furry friend an article of your clothing, your dog will recognise your scent and follow your scent. This is a very fun and complete game for dogs, as, on the one hand, they get physical exercise, and on the other hand, it is a very powerful mental stimulation through smell. Don't forget to reward your pet when they finds you!
• Interactive toys
Interactive toys should not be an excuse to spend less time with your dog. However, if you are very busy, you can use them to stimulate and tire your furry friend. Interactive toys force your dog to work to find the reward (bits of food or treats), a dynamic that is present in nature. With interactive toys you will allow your dog to connect with this natural instinct mechanism, something that will make them burn a lot of energy and feel relaxed and happy.
• Longer walks
It may sound obvious, but have you tried simply increasing the length of the walks you take with your dog? Extending one of your walks a day will be enough for your dog to get more exercise and, therefore, tire them out more. Remember to adapt the duration and demands of the walks to the level of your pet, as well as to their age and state of health. The aim is not to exhaust them, but to relieve them of the stress and agitation caused by all that accumulated energy. If you also take some of the walks to a new place, you will be mentally stimulating your dog, as they will be able to meet new furry friends, smell different tracks on the ground and delight in a whole new world around them. If your dog has a lot of energy, you could try canicross (running together) or even take them swimming in the summer.
On the other hand, if you're looking for ideas to get your dog to burn off energy at home if you have the space, try setting up a simple agility course with things you have to hand. Play with jumping obstacles of different heights or tunnels so that they have to crouch down.
• Chewing games
Gnawing, licking and chewing are activities that dogs love. They are part of their instinct and release a lot of energy when they have something in their teeth. If you want to help your dog tire themself out, eliminate tension and entertain himself for a good time, offer them a safe and permissible object to chew and suck on. This can be a snack, bones (be careful with the size, they must be big enough to avoid choking and they must be raw and without meat around them so they don't splinter). You can also prepare homemade ice cream, which will also cool them down on hot days.
Tiring your dog with regular physical exercise and sufficient mental stimulation is essential for their health and well-being. Remember that it is very important to adapt physical exercise and demanding games or training to the age and particular conditions of your pet. If your dog has excessive energy that leads to hyperactivity or destructive behaviour, never try to exhaust them with overly strenuous physical activity. It is best to take them to an ethologist to analyse the causes of the problem and offer you the best treatment.