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Dr. Dennis Fetko, nationally known dog behaviorist and trainer states, "Dogs need exercise like they need air, food and water." Dr. Ian Dunbar, internationally recognized dog behaviorist states, "A tired dog is a good dog. Dogs also need mental exercise…Fido needs to go sniff a new bush once in a while." Not all methods of exercise are appropriate for all dogs or all owners. Check with your veterinarian and use common sense regarding exercising your dog. Ways to Give Your Dog Physical/Mental Exercise 1. Walking 2. Obedience exercises 3. Retrieving 4. Playing with other dogs 5. Swimming 6. Round robin recalls (multiple people calling dog) 7. Hide and seek (with people or toys) 8. Jogging 9. Running with a bicycle 10. Hiking, backpacking 11. Hunting 12. Herding 13. Agility 14. Flyball 15. Tug of war (*see note) 16. Wrestling (*see note) 17. Get your bone exercise 18. Go to your place exercise 19. Creative toys (food cubes, Kong filled with food) 20. Breed related work (i.e., hunting, herding, etc.) Remember, most dogs do not exercise themselves, no matter how much space they have. The average dog sleeps about 18 hours per day unless there is something more interesting to do. To have a calmer, better behaved dog, you must actively structure and supervise ways for the dog to work off excess energy. *Note: When rough-housing or playing competitive games with your dog, you must end the session with calming behaviors EVERY time. That means you give an "out" command, take the toy from the dog and massage or calmly pet the dog until he is in a relaxed state. |
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Obedience Training Center: For more information on dog training theory and an understanding on how your dog learns, review our Basic Orientation Book. *Students, now available on-line the new: |
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The Importance of Exercising Your Dog |
