Exercise is crucial to raising a healthy dog, both physically and mentally. Insufficient exercise leads to physical problems – weight gain, deconditioning, and so on – but it also creates a host of problem behaviors.
Problems such as barking, excessive chewing, hyperactivity, and anxiety (among others) can all be observed in under-exercised dogs – but these can also be observed in over exercised dogs.
So, what does the right amount of exercise look like?
Not all exercise is created equal
Too much of a good thing can be harmful and create addiction. For example, too much fetch for a Labrador can create a compulsion to play until they drop, then play some more.
Instead, try to work in ways to make your dog think during the energy outlet. This can help prevent overstimulation and addiction. For example, pause during fetch to ask for a sit/down, or throw food into the grass to encourage a sniff break before returning to the game.
Exercise should not be a compulsion, but instead fall under the ‘Enrichment’ category for our dogs.
What is Enrichment?
Enrichment is an activity, either physical or mental, that allows a dog to perform species typical behaviors that increase the welfare for our dogs. This includes behaviors like:
- Chewing
- Digging
- Running
- Chasing
- Catching
- Shredding
- Sniffing
- Foraging
By allowing our dogs to be dogs, we can wear them out appropriately and help them be their very best selves.
How do we approach adding exercise?
When creating an exercise schedule for our dog, we want to think about what they enjoy and use that to create ‘hobbies’ for them. Overall, most dogs would enjoy different mental and physical exercise listed below, but the amount varies according to each individual.
Remember, we want them to enjoy these, not be so worn out they grow bored or too exhausted to do them. A balance of both physical and mental exercise is necessary for our dogs.
- Long Leash Sniffari Walks: Simulates freedom off leash, allows sniffing and searching with their nose at their pace.
- Fetch with Frisbee or Ball: Simulates the chase-grab behaviors. Can ask for things like ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘spin’ etc. before throwing the toy. Sub in sniffing for kibble to help further bring down their over excitement.
- Swimming: Great on joints for older dogs and can still be physically enriching.
- Running/jogging: Exploration behaviors/chasing behaviors. Be aware of surfaces your dog is running on for joint safety.
- Hunting/Retrieving Items thrown a great distance: Great for retrievers or dogs that enjoy chase-catch-grab games.
- Dog Sport Classes: Flyball, Agility, Disc; great at building up partnership, and have exercise and focus working together.
- Flirt Pole: engages the chase-catch-grab-shake sequence that dogs perform and puts it into a safe chase environment. Can also have dogs perform skills then get rewarded with the chase.
- Recall Practice like Puppy Ping-Pong: Call dog across the house/yard between people and reward each time the dog gets to each person.
- Play dates with dog friends at SniffSpot: Dogs are social species, but they have specific social groups (established relationships with other dogs: like inviting individual friends to your birthday party as an adult instead of all the kids on the playground in kindergarten). If your dog has specific doggy friends, setting up a play date so they can sniff, romp, explore and play together can be a great outlet.
- Tug Games: Builds up great play reinforcement between human and dog.
- Sniffing Games (inside and outside): Dogs see the world through their nose as much, if not more, than their other senses and sniffing helps dogs learn, process, and categorize information about their environment. Sniffari, back yard sniffs, SniffSpot, odor hid around the house, Scent Work classes
- Forage Games: Forage toys, food thrown in grass, toys and food in towels and blankets, snuffle boxes. Foraging is a great exploration game and dogs as a whole enjoy it.
- Shredding: Paper, cardboard, newspaper, mail, etc. Dogs love to dissect and shred things, and it can be a great stress release as well
- Pattern buttons/games: Dogs thrive on patterns and enjoy puzzles; button patterns and shaping games to keep memory sharp.
- Tricks and Body position skills: Builds a communication bond between human and dog, works towards a common social goal and works the dog’s problem-solving brain. Also can help dogs learn how to move their body.
- Chewing toys: Dogs have texture preference, from sticks, to canvas, to bones. Monitor to be sure they aren’t ingesting things they shouldn’t.
Avoid having too much of a good thing
While we put together our exercise regimens, we also have to factor in ample nap time for our dogs. Young dogs, especially Adolescents, need a lot of sleep to offset the activity hobbies. If we don’t have enough rest in between these things, our dogs’ brain becomes hardwired to go-go-go.
We want to build in naps and down time for our dogs to come back down to baseline. This also helps their brains develop the ability to become excited and then rest and rehabilitate afterwards.
How do we know when we are over doing exercise?
Our dog’s behavior provides information and tells you when you need to tweak some of the games and activities. If you have a lot of play and activities in your schedule already, but you're seeing pacing, restlessness, constant movement, chewing things they shouldn’t, searching for something else to put in their mouth, or even not being able to focus on what we ask them to do, chances are high your dog needs a nap added to their schedule.
Adjust your activity calendar accordingly. Consider if you need to substitute some physical exercise for some mental exercise instead.
Do you have questions about appropriate exercise and activities for your dog?
Our trainers are here to help! For pet parents local to the Twin Cities, our Animal Training and Behavior team can help answer your questions via the FREE Behavior Helpline.
