Just as with humans, there are some breeds of dogs that are just going to be higher energy than others. Even if you get a dog from a breed that is supposed to be relatively low energy, each dog is an individual, and you might discover that he is running circles around you.
Even if you are a high energy person yourself, there is no keeping up with very high energy dogs like border collies and German shepherds.
You don’t necessarily need to pick a certain dog just because of their energy level—there are ways you can manager a high energy dog, even if you’re not a high energy person yourself. Here are three ways to effectively manage a high energy dog:
Pick a High Intensity Exercise for Your Dog
For most high energy dogs, walking will simply not be enough. You can walk them morning, noon, and night, and you might still find them bouncing off the walls when you are exhausted and ready to fall into bed. This means that you need to find a higher intensity exercise routine for your dog. The easiest one? A dog park.
If your town or city has a dog park, this can be a great place to take your high energy dog and just let him run and run and run. It is especially helpful if there are other high energy dogs who frequent the park. They can run and play and tire each other out—the owners of those dogs will be just as thrilled with the situation as you are.
A dog park can also provide a lot of open space for you to throw toys and get your dog to run, even if there aren’t any dogs there that want to race around the park a hundred times.
Not a fan of dog parks or don’t have one in your area? That’s fine, there are lots of different options. For example, there is likely a regular park in your area that is dog-friendly, where you can still meetup with other dog owners or let your pooch off-leash and have a run around.
Another option is off-leash hiking. You don’t need to choose particularly difficult trails. If you let your dog off her leash and let her run (as long as she stays without earshot and eyesight of you), she’ll get plenty of exercise, even if you’re really just having a nice walk through some trees.
A hike can be a great way to provide her with lots of new smells and experiences, too. Other high intensity options include: swimming, running, and even agility training!
Here locally, Nathan Benderson park is a great place to take your dog for running and playing. There aren’t any hills for hiking but, plenty of wide open spaces and great views are certainly a bonus while you’re there. Here’s a link: http://nathanbendersonpark.org/
Get Toys that Give Your Dog Something to Do
High energy dogs don’t always need to be running in order to dispel all that energy. They can also seriously benefit from toys that engage their active brain.
Treat-dispensing toys are a great alternative to normal toys. There are a huge variety of these toys, so find one that meets your dog’s size and chewing needs. You might even find that you can replace their food bowls with a number of different toys that, when squished or manipulated the right way, dispense your dog’s kibble.
What’s the benefit of this? Most very active dogs are also highly intelligent. In the same way that intelligent children often get bored in classes that are too easy and not engaging, intelligent dogs will get bored if their brains are not given something to do. Toys that dispense treats, but only if the dog figures out how to make the toy dispense the treat, engages their brain and usually forces them to be active.
This can even be a good way to distract your dog if you need a moment to yourself, either to get ready for the day or to cook food for yourself. She’ll get exercise and mental stimulation—there’s nothing better than that.
After Mastering Basic Training, Start on Tricks and Jobs
High energy dogs are going to be able to learn lots more tricks than your average low energy dog will be able to.
They’ll quickly get bored with the games that they learned as a puppy and will want more advanced games to play. There’s a reason that many high energy dogs are also working dogs—they enjoy the game that we often call a “job.”
For example, you might want to train your dog to “search and find.” Even if your dog never becomes a search and rescue animal, it might still be fun to teach your dog to track and play hide and go seek with you. If you want to start with something a little more simple, why not teach her to retrieve the paper or find a treat that you’ve hidden somewhere in the house.
There are hundreds of tricks that you can teach your dog and a number of high intensity training programs that can help them manage that energy.
A parting tip: It can be hard and potentially dangerous to leave your high energy dog home alone during the day. Consider a daycare or dog-walking program to make sure she gets an opportunity to burn off some energy before you get home from work or running errands.
