Most of our dogs were bred to DO something and they need you to give them things to do and think about or they’ll come up with things on their own. It won’t be something helpful like vacuuming or dishes. It’ll be something like alerting you to ever little noise outside, rearranging the pillows, or destroying the furniture.
That’s why our dogs need exercise, and I don’t just mean physical exercise, I mean mental exercise too. They need things to think about.
The bad news is that leash walks probably aren’t going to cut it. The good news is that we have any easy and flexible formula you can follow to help ensure your dog gets enough exercise, which will improve his behavior and save help save your sanity.
See, there are three pieces to a good exercise plan. Physical exercise. Mental exercise. Calming activities. That’s it.
Ideally this formula will take you about 45 – 60 minutes to get through, but it can be condensed to as little as 15-20.
Step One: 20 – 30 minutes of physical exercise.
Exercise that gets your dog’s heart pumping. Things like running, swimming, biking, or playing fetch. Depending on your dog’s breed and age he may need 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise a day.
Check with your vet to see what types of exercise is right for your dog.
Step Two: 10-30 minutes of mental exercise.
Your dog needs something to think about, so either give him something appropriate to do or he’ll come up with something on his own.
The best way to keep your dog’s brain busy is through training. Teach him obedience, teach him tricks, or learn a dog sport like agility or nose work.
It really doesn’t matter what you teach him, it just matters that he is using his brain.
Step Three: Calming activity.
Calming activities help bring your dog down from all his exercise ad help him relax. Giving him something special to chew like a frozen Kong or bully is perfect (again, check with your vet about what types of chews are safe). Scatter feeding can also work, which is simply throwing your dog’s food into the grass for him to sniff around and find.
Chewing and sniffing are very calming for dogs and if you time it after his exercise it will help lull him into calmness.
Teaching your dog to lay calmly on a dog bed can also be useful, but it’ll be even more powerful paired with something to chew on.
What about leash walks?
Taking your dog for a walk is definitely good for him, and something you should continue to do, but it falls more into the category of mental exercise than physical exercise. In order to really get the most out of your dog’s walk, spend time training while your out, let him smell new things, and give him something to chew when you get home.
What if I’m in a hurry?
If I only have time for physical or mental exercise, I choose mental exercise. That’s because learning actually burns calories, which is why it’s so exhausting to learn new things. That means that training your dog will actually burn off his energy while fighting boredom, two things that can lead to nuisance behaviors.
You can also play the find it game, one of our favorite ways to keep dogs busy, which you can learn about here.