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Exercising your dog for better behavior
The following is for information only. DO NOT START your dog on an exercise program without checking with your veterinarian first.
Many dog owners find it difficult
to cure their dog of common behavior problems like barking, chewing,
digging or general unruliness. Providing your dog with sufficient exercise
can be an important step in reducing or eliminating many of these
problems. The more energy your dog spends running, walking, learning
tricks or playing fetch, the less energy he has available to bark, dig or
chew.
There is an old saying trainers have that goes: “A tired dog
is a good dog!”. This
statement is as true as it is simple. Many people don't give their dog
sufficient exercise because they don’t know how to exercise them
in a way that is fun and safe. We would like to give some suggestions
here to help owners give their dog sufficient exercise so they can enjoy
better behavior from their pet.
Here are a number of ways you can increase your dogs exercise. A
qualified trainer can help you teach your dog any of these new exercises.
Have your dog run alongside a bike or with you while you roller skate. Put
your treadmill to good use by teaching your dog to run on it. Fetch is
also a good way to burn off excess energy. Even dogs that don’t like
fetch can be taught to love that game with the help of a trainer. Many dog
owners have been warned to not play tug-of war with their dog. This is
good advice but the real warning is against playing tug-of-war incorrectly!
Again, a qualified trainer can help you play this fun game correctly.
Teaching your dog to pick the toy up off the ground to start the game, not
allowing him grab it from your hands, and teaching him a command to drop
the toy, will allow you to exercise your dog playing tug, without
developing bad habits. Lots of dogs like to dig, so why not create an
acceptable area for him to exercise by digging? Loosen the dirt in one
special area of the yard and show your dog that you are burying a bone or
favorite toy there. You can also purchase rabbit scent from a hunting
store, place it on one end of a long dowel and run the dowel down through
the dirt to make a scent trail. Since dogs love to hunt, let your dog hunt
for his dinner. Instead of eating his kibble out of a bowl, toss it out on
the lawn like chicken feed. Your dog will get mental and physical
stimulation “hunting” for his food. Your dog can also hunt for a toy
or you! . Enroll in obedience
training, trick training and agility training classes. If you are saying
to yourself, “But I don’t have time to do any of these things!” you
may need to employ the help of a dog walker. Some high school kids would
love to make extra pocket change walking your dog after school. At the
very least, give your dog extra chew toys and have a trainer show
you how to teach your dog to play fetch, tug and some simple tricks
you can do with your dog even while watching TV.
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