Exercise. Are You Doing it Right?
Your dog should get both physical and mental exercise to be a happy family member. By providing both, and teaching your dog that being calm is a good thing, you are setting your dog up for success.
Physical Exercise
This is what most people think of when they think of exercise. For many dogs, this may be playing in the yard and going on walks. However, this doesn’t always tire your dog. It may actually make your dog even more out-of-control. So, how do we tire our dogs out, so they are not bouncing off the walls?
Take your dog on structured walks. These are walks where your dog is walking on a loose leash at your side and at your pace, not dragging you all over. If your dog is pulling, we can fix that in just a few minutes. With your dog walking properly beside you, you don’t have to worry about the leash jerking your arm and tripping over your dog when your dog takes off after a squirrel.
Treadmill train your dog. This works well for dogs who need more walks than you can give them; for when the weather is bad, due to heat wave, snow storm, monsoon, hurricane, etc; and when you have a busy schedule, your dog can treadmill while you are working on the computer beside them.
Play with your dog. This isn’t chasing after your dog and prying the slobbery toy from your dogs mouth before your dog can jump on you. This is structured play, where your dog brings the toy back to you and releases it on command, then sits or downs and stays until you release them and throw the toy again. Yes, it does take time, but it is worth it.
Take your dog swimming. Make sure that you take your dog to a safe area, especially here in Florida, because alligators like to hang out in the lakes and ponds.
Mental Exercise
Remember when you were in school, and it was finals week? You studied. And studied. And studied. When your testing was over, you were exhausted. You didn’t run a marathon, but you were so tired that it felt like you had run one. Mental exercise, in combination with physical exercise, leads to a tired and happy dog at the end of the day. If your dog is on crate rest, mental exercise is a great way for you – and your dog – to keep sane.
Get a job. Your dog needs to have a job to do. Some dogs need many jobs to do. Having your dog work for his food is the easiest job (for us), and most fulfilling job (for them). You don’t have to use a food bowl to feed your dog, instead you can use his breakfast and dinner as training time. You can also use a food-dispensing toy, such as our Food Bomb, to have your dog work for dinner,
Train your dog. Start with teaching your dog good manners, such as sit, down, come, stay, walk nicely on leash, and place. Then build on distance, distraction, and duration – the three D’s of dog training. You can also teach your dog tricks, agility, or competition obedience. One of our clients taught her dog to get her a drink from the refrigerator! Arrow is currently learning to carry a bucket.
Be Calm
In addition to physical and mental exercise, it is important for your dog to have down-time. Teaching your dog that it is time to go off-duty and relax is critical to a well-balanced dog. Sit on the Dog (Leash) is the easiest way to teach calmness. You can also teach your dog to go to Place and stay there. It does not matter what happens around them, your dog’s only duty is to stay on Place.
In conclusion, remember that in order for your dog to be a happy and well-behaved family member, your dog needs physical and mental exercise each and every day.
