Ways to Exercise Hyper Dogs?

[BarbieLuv]

I'm at the end of my leash (so to speak) with trying to exercise my new puppy. My older dog, a 2-year-old coonhound, is pretty much a couch potato and is completely content with a nice long walk of 2+ miles in the morning+sprinting 1/2 a mile or so and then lazing the rest of the day. During this long walk, I also have her equipped with a dog backpack carrying 7-8 lbs that helps wear her out faster; could probably go up to 11 lbs or so (25% of her body weight), but she seems to get a really good workout with that amount.

But my newest furbaby is soooo overhyper it's ridiculous. He's a chihuahua/GSD mix, around 25 lbs, 9-10 months old, and I can't seem to wear him out no matter what I do! He'll come back from the morning walk (he also wears a backpack with 2-3 lbs in it) and bounce off the walls for hours, then nap a bit, then destroy a rawhide or two, then run around for a few more hours, then wake me up in the middle of the night wanting to play. I've tried running him around the block a few times after the initial walk, fetch, tug, hiding treats in puzzle boxes, taking him to the park, taking multiple long walks a day... It just seems like no matter what I do, he still has energy!

I don't have any way to free-run my pups, due to lack of a fenced yard/no dog parks nearby, and I'm really afraid to try biking/rollerblading with them because I've read some horror stories about dogs getting injured like that.

Any advice on how to get little puppy enough exercise without having to become a marathon runner would be much, MUCH appreciated! ray:

 

[Fay_Galore]

but.., he's so small!
I'm sorry I don't have any advice.

I have a small dog too (shitzu/jack russel) she's a bit older now but she has always been more than content with one long walk and the freedom of a livingroom + tiny backyard. If I take her to the forest or the zoo she's always knackered afterwards and lounges around for the next day, if not days.

I bet Lolli has got some tips though!

 

[MarcelineMuff]

This may seem a bit counter productive but maybe crate training can calm him down? The crate is suppose to give them a safe place to relax in, that might be what he needs I've crate trained my previous pups and they all seemed to enjoy resting in their crate after a while. Right now I have a mini dachshund and exploring does the trick everytime. She likes going out in woodsy and countryside places, I've been thinking of taking her out to some trails and going hiking sometime

 

[BarbieLuv]

This may seem a bit counter productive but maybe crate training can calm him down? The crate is suppose to give them a safe place to relax in, that might be what he needs I've crate trained my previous pups and they all seemed to enjoy resting in their crate after a while. Right now I have a mini dachshund and exploring does the trick everytime. She likes going out in woodsy and countryside places, I've been thinking of taking her out to some trails and going hiking sometime

Unfortunately that's not an option with two dogs, crating either/both just results in barking fits and escape attempts so bad I'm afraid they'll injure themselves (I attempted this while housetraining.) It also just kind of pushes the issue of underexercise 'under the rug' so to speak by forcing the dog to stay still. He needs more exercise, not more downtime to wind himself up, haha. He's also a LOT more hyper than a mini-dachshund, the GSD is definitely dominate in his energy level, not the chihuahua (I wish it was the other way around!) He SOUNDS like he should be a tiny dog based on the mix, but at 25 lbs (and growing still) that puts him at about the size of a Beagle... and just as hyper! :lol:

Thanks for the suggestion though, it might have worked great with different dogs involved! It might help someone else down the line.

 

[LailaBaise]

Doggie treadmill!

 

[BarbieLuv]

Doggie treadmill!

I want one sooo bad, but with a $500+ investment and nowhere to put it (my house is roughly 500 sq ft) it's just not in the cards.

 

[Brad]

There is quite a bit of info on this. So much that you may need to spend some time reading through it to find tips that will work for you but here are a few articles I found that look promising.


http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues ... 259-1.html

http://ocdogtraining.com/puppy-training ... ive-puppy/

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decoratin ... ctive-0208

 

[BarbieLuv]

There is quite a bit of info on this. So much that you may need to spend some time reading through it to find tips that will work for you but here are a few articles I found that look promising.


http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues ... 259-1.html

http://ocdogtraining.com/puppy-training ... ive-puppy/

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decoratin ... ctive-0208

Yep, I've been Googling it for about a month now and read as much info on it as possible. It doesn't seem like anyone has any advice other than 'Walk your dog more'... Which I'm already doing. Trying to exercise his mind and body both hasn't made any difference either. I just want to wear him out, darn it!

Sorry to seem like such a downer to you guy's replies (which I appreciate so much!), I just was really hoping for some first-hand experiences from people who have hyper/energetic dogs and have found ways to deal with it that are more outside the box. Since the usual techniques and advice isn't wearing him out at all, lol!

 

[Rose]

Sounds like my Sammy! At almost 3 years old and ~55lbs he is STILL like this. Drives me batty.

Although we do have a treadmill and put him on it, it's never made a difference. He just hops off of it like we never ran him in the first place. You'd think after running him as hard as we have, it would make a dent in his energy but nope.... Silly dog just sprints around the house like the treadmill was full of caffeine and crack.

 

[Brad]

Yep, I've been Googling it for about a month now and read as much info on it as possible. It doesn't seem like anyone has any advice other than 'Walk your dog more'... Which I'm already doing. I just want to wear him out, darn it!

Have you looked into a portable dog run? Much cheaper then having a fence installed. Here's one example but there are tons of different ones available.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lucky-Dog-Cha ... l/37622086

From what I have read obedience training might also be a viable part of the process.

 

[BarbieLuv]

Yep, I've been Googling it for about a month now and read as much info on it as possible. It doesn't seem like anyone has any advice other than 'Walk your dog more'... Which I'm already doing. I just want to wear him out, darn it!

Have you looked into a portable dog run? Much cheaper then having a fence installed. Here's one example but there are tons of different ones available.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lucky-Dog-Cha ... l/37622086

From what I have read obedience training might also be a viable part of the process.

That sort of pen is not allowed by my landlord, both dogs are diggers/escape artists, and he's obedience trained on the usual sit/stay/down/etc. and clicker-trained to do a few tricks ('play dead' and the like.) I try to spend at least 20-30 min. per day working on obedience training with the dogs+2-3 hours walking per day+sprints.

Doggie Prozac sounds nice right about now. :lol:

 

[Brad]

That sort of pen is not allowed by my landlord, both dogs are diggers/escape artists, and he's obedience trained on the usual sit/stay/down/etc. and clicker-trained to do a few tricks ('play dead' and the like.) I try to spend at least 20-30 min. per day working on obedience training with the dogs+2-3 hours walking per day+sprints.

Doggie Prozac sounds nice right about now. :lol:

Then how about this?

http://www.petco.com/product/6533/PetSa ... ystem-6533

 

[Brad]

I wanted to add that our Lab was super hyper for her first 2 years. Chewed the hell out of everything too. We had a fenced in back yard at the time though so we used that along with training.

 

[BarbieLuv]

That sort of pen is not allowed by my landlord, both dogs are diggers/escape artists, and he's obedience trained on the usual sit/stay/down/etc. and clicker-trained to do a few tricks ('play dead' and the like.) I try to spend at least 20-30 min. per day working on obedience training with the dogs+2-3 hours walking per day+sprints.

Doggie Prozac sounds nice right about now. :lol:

Then how about this?

http://www.petco.com/product/6533/PetSa ... ystem-6533

It's pretty well-known that they don't work with any sort of hound. http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97693

So if my coonhound gets out of the fence (she's completely oblivious to shock collars, so it would take about a second,) the other's going to figure out really fast that you only get shocked up to a certain point. Plus those set a circular barrier area, and since backyards are rectangular, it's not much different than using a tether... With more chance of escape/the dog getting injured.

 

[MelissaLauren]

Hi Gemma,

I know you've said you're afraid of trying to bike with your dog, but have you considered / heard of the WalkyDog?

It's pretty amazing!
http://www.amazon.com/WalkyDog-Dog-Bicy ... s=walkydog

Just make sure to use it with a harness and not a collar, for the dog's comfort and safety.

 

[Autumn_LoL]

Are you in an area where you can do any sort of dog sport?

Agility, flyball, treibball, dock diving, nose work...

Seems like he needs mental stimulation and not just physical.

Give him some sort of job to do and work his mind.

 

[BarbieLuv]

Hi Gemma,

I know you've said you're afraid of trying to bike with your dog, but have you considered / heard of the WalkyDog?

It's pretty amazing!
http://www.amazon.com/WalkyDog-Dog-Bicy ... s=walkydog

Just make sure to use it with a harness and not a collar, for the dog's comfort and safety.

That looks awesome! Totally going to look into that, thanks Melissa! :-D

Are you in an area where you can do any sort of dog sport?

Agility, flyball, treibball, dock diving, nose work...

Seems like he needs mental stimulation and not just physical.

Give him some sort of job to do and work his mind.

Nope. My current location is Middle Of Nowhere, OneStopSignVille, USA. No dog parks or activities within ~50 miles... Which really sucks when it comes to having an energetic dog. There are lots of hiking trails, but that doesn't really work to wear him out. I literally just walked in the door from taking him on a 3-mile hike w/ 5 lbs in his backpack and also let him swim in a lake for a bit to cool off afterward. Got him home and now he's chasing my other dog around like he didn't go anywhere. :lol: :?

I do also do clicker/obedience training with him, as I previously mentioned. And have some puzzle toys/play 'hide the food' games with both dogs, so I think they're getting mental stimulation. Maybe not enough though...

 

[TacoBelle]

If he's a chewer, I can NOT praise this brand of dog toys enough. King (who's 50lbs) can't break through the top outer layer. He chews on it for HOURS.

And if he's just needing the physical exercise, what about a dog run/trolley? You just attach two ends to trees/your porch/etc (similar to hanging a hammock), and he can run safely without being able to break free (unless he breaks his collar). You can pick these up at Walmart or online pretty cheaply.

 

[BarbieLuv]

If he's a chewer, I can NOT praise this brand of dog toys enough. King (who's 50lbs) can't break through the top outer layer. He chews on it for HOURS.

And if he's just needing the physical exercise, what about a dog run/trolley? You just attach two ends to trees/your porch/etc (similar to hanging a hammock), and he can run safely without being able to break free (unless he breaks his collar). You can pick these up at Walmart or online pretty cheaply.

My extreme Kong is a lifesaver, but it is getting a bit ratty. I'm going to check that brand out for sure, there's no such thing as too many chew toys!

I have tethers for the dogs outside similar to this, except attached to the ground; the trolley version won't work with two of them, and there's only one place I could attach it. They love being outdoors, but for some reason on the tether that love comes out in the form of them napping in the grass and refusing to move even when tempted with tennis balls and fetch. Only on the tether though, it's go-go-go when they're on-leash. Which makes no sense, but there you are.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Bocefish]

I dunno what horror stories you've heard about riding your bike with dogs on a leash, but if you're somewhat coordinated and patient, it can work wonders. I've had great success with every breed I've tried it with so far. You definitely need one of those self retracting leashes though and some quiet streets or a bike trail.

As with any type of new training, it takes a little time and patience. I was just recently pet sitting a pit bull/blue healer mix about 4 months old and 50 pounds that would go bonkers if he wasn't exercised.

The first couple bike rides were a little challenging because I let him set the pace and stop to sniff whatever caught his fancy... but by the 4th ride he caught on and everything went great from there on out. You can't be afraid of giving the dog a good jerk depending on it's size to correct direction now and then if you have to deal with parked cars, trees, traffic, etc.

Totally different critters when they can get rid of all their energy!

Best of luck.

 

[nadiaspring]

We used this for our super energetic dogs and it works amazing! I feel totally safe biking them with it , I would not bike them with just a regular leash though.

http://www.amazon.com/WalkyDog-Dog-Bicy ... B003OYIAW4

 

[caireen]

Also, mental stimulation tires dogs out too. My dog trainer has us working on more commands with our crazy energetic dogs. For example, it's mentally exhausting for one of my puppies to STAY when he wants to get up and run. He suggests 3-4 ten to fifteen minute sessions daily of working on commands/obedience/mental exercises.

Also, maybe you could order one of those cheap agility course sets on Amazon and set it up in a park somewhere, but keep a hold of the leash while he learns it? Or use a veryyyy long training leash?

Good luck!

[edit: a leash in an agility course might get very tangled, now that I think about it]

 

[Autumn_LoL]

Anyway you could create a basic agility course in your backyard? You can make a lot of the obstacles from PVC piping.

Also, with Treibball you just need a bunch of yoga balls, basically.

 

[KayleePond]

As an owner of a recently adopted very energetic dog, I am in love with this thread! Thank you for making it Gemma, I think that it can be really tough having a dog who you can't seem to tire out! We've had issues with this and then it's kind of hard to get anything done the rest of the day because the dog wont leave you alone!

I think that training a lot more really might be the answer! We've gone to a class but also have done a lot of things that we've found on amazing dog training YouTube channels! I bet you could get an agility course and then watch YouTube videos for how to train him with it.

https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup

This isn't about agility but might be something good to work on!


This woman is a genius! She uses all positive reinforcement and gets results! I'm not sure if she has any agility videos but just teaching new tricks can help a lot with stimulating and tiring out your dog. If he knows sit/down/stay/rollover/etc really well, of course it's great to keep training those, but he'll get bored of them, too! I know that I can tell when my dog is getting bored with certain tricks so I usually try to mix in the "old" tricks with the new ones to keep reinforcing and practicing them while still keeping him stimulated!

We aren't confident in his recall yet, so I think tiring him out will be MUCH better when we are totally positive that he'll come when we call. Right now we put him on a 50ft leash to practice recall and it's SUCH a pain because if he is running too fast and tries to run further than the leash will go he'll really hurt your arm. He gets tangled up in us and other dogs too so it's not the best. I'm looking forward to getting to be the kind of dog owner that can take their dog out in a field and just let them run and play fetch until they're exhausted. Some day! It sounds like you might have a lot of open space, so perhaps once you get his recall down you can run him a lot in big open places.

Good luck!! I will share any tips/info I can find, since we're going through similar things I'm sure I'm likely to learn a lot more about this soon. I'll ask my trainer if they have any tips, too!

 

[BarbieLuv]

Okay, here is my new, improved exercise plan for the puppy (and by default my older dog, though she'll probably just lay down half the time, haha.) Things marked with an * are new to the routine. :dance:

~ 2-3 mile walk every morning w/ 3 lbs weight+1/4 mile sprint back home
~ 15-30 min. per day of obedience/trick training
~ 3 20 min. backyard walks a day
~ *2-3 mile hike in the afternoon+swimming in the lake afterward
~ *Make moving around the house a bit more interesting - I now have low 'hurdles' made of cardboard boxes (6" high or so) in every doorway for them to hop over as they move through the house/play with each other (so far they LOVE them, they keep leaping over them just for the hell of it!)
~ *Make a makeshift jumping/obstacle course in my backyard, following some DIY instructions I found here. Take them through it at least once a day, until they know the commands down pat, then up the difficulty slowly.

I'm also hoping to be able to do biking with them both soon, but there's one hold-up: I don't actually own a bike. So that'll have to wait for a bit until I can procure one. I'm also still a bit concerned about crashing... not because of the dogs, just because of my own klutziness. But we shall see!

 

[Ambers Troll]

Also, mental stimulation tires dogs out too. My dog trainer has us working on more commands with our crazy energetic dogs. For example, it's mentally exhausting for one of my puppies to STAY when he wants to get up and run. He suggests 3-4 ten to fifteen minute sessions daily of working on commands/obedience/mental exercises.

You seem to be doing enough activity with both your dogs your chihuahuaX will be very different from your Hound... Your hound needs some physical activity, and something new to use its nose on (my houndX for example is trained to find items it completely exhausts her)... Your chihuahua likes companionship, and exploration. I suggest start on companion toys, and in an area for it to bounce around in somewhere near to you. Encouragement to be hyper (social/ antisocial [search and destroy] in the dogs mind) in the right place and calm in certain places is important too. As with any training reward the behaviour you want.

 

[BarbieLuv]

You seem to be doing enough activity with both your dogs your chihuahuaX will be very different from your Hound...Your hound needs some physical activity, and something new to use its nose on (my houndX for example is trained to find items it completely exhausts her)...

My hound has an extreme case of 'nose blindness' that I have been told by a pro dog trainer is something that my particular dog isn't able to overcome. Essentially what that means is if she gets on a scent, she *immediately* starts baying her head off (whether it be food, animal, or person) and she gets completely focused and won't even notice a high-reward food stuck under her nose; it's almost like she goes crazy until removed from the area with the scent. To put it in more common terms, think of how 'red zone' dogs are with aggression (i.e. can't be called off by anything) except with tracking/chasing things. So trying to play scent hunting games is just an exercise in frustration and slowly losing my hearing from her bawling. She does like puzzle-type games where I hide food, but anything even resembling tracking (like putting food in the next room to find) can make her flip out for hours. Not good for anyone in the household's mental state. :?

Other than that she's a couch potato, lol. One long walk in the morning and she's good for the rest of the day.

Your chihuahua likes companionship, and exploration. I suggest start on companion toys, and in an area for it to bounce around in somewhere near to you. Encouragement to be hyper (social/ antisocial [search and destroy] in the dogs mind) in the right place and calm in certain places is important too. As with any training reward the behaviour you want.

He's not a chihuahua, but a GSD/chihuahua mix. He's really much less of a chihuahua and more of a miniature GSD, in terms of both physical activity level/build and personality. He is 25 cute little lbs of hyperactive muscle that looks like a GSD puppy, lol. So his strong GSD tendencies mean that he naturally gravitates towards having some sort of 'job' to do, whether that's carrying a pack, fetching something, or just following commands that I give him. He's the type of dog that could hike 20+ miles a day, come home, and still want to play before bedtime. I'm really hoping that my new routine of hiking 5+ miles a day with him+agility+lots of training will be able to slow him down, but won't get my hopes up until seeing some results. :lol:

Here are some pictures of my hyperactive little guy. As you can see, he's not tiny, and pretty much looks like a baby German Shepard... Except he's full-grown. So basically he'll look like a puppy forever, it's pretty cool. :-D

Them being lazy on the couch; as you can see, he's almost exactly half her size (she's 45 lbs, he's 25 lbs):

And a close-up of his face (he's wearing part of his puppy pack here):

 

[Ambers Troll]

He's not a chihuahua, but a GSD/chihuahua mix. He's really much less of a chihuahua and more of a miniature GSD, in terms of both physical activity level/build and personality. He is 25 cute little lbs of hyperactive muscle that looks like a GSD puppy, lol. So his strong GSD tendencies mean that he naturally gravitates towards having some sort of 'job' to do, whether that's carrying a pack, fetching something, or just following commands that I give him. He's the type of dog that could hike 20+ miles a day, come home, and still want to play before bedtime. I'm really hoping that my new routine of hiking 5+ miles a day with him+agility+lots of training will be able to slow him down, but won't get my hopes up until seeing some results. :lol:

Here are some pictures of my hyperactive little guy. As you can see, he's not tiny, and pretty much looks like a baby German Shepard... Except he's full-grown. So basically he'll look like a puppy forever, it's pretty cool. :-D

Them being lazy on the couch; as you can see, he's almost exactly half her size (she's 45 lbs, he's 25 lbs):

And a close-up of his face (he's wearing part of his puppy pack here):

Apologies, mental stimulation when not being exercised or trained will entail something more like pull toys hanging off trees, a good bone and so on.
For my active dog, built a two story pet house with a ramp to the top, she could watch over the fence and chase anyone passing .... for anyone with dogs that like to patrol the fenceline and run this is a great idea, but you must add bark training to this otherwise they get too noisy.
[Bark control is 2 step: Stopping a dog barking starts with encouraging them to bark/ speak... then another to stop it]

You seemed to indicate that your dogs like to escape.. Dig? .... this can be encouraged in the right place too, make a sand pit for them.

 

[BarbieLuv]

Apologies, mental stimulation when not being exercised or trained will entail something more like pull toys hanging off trees, a good bone and so on.
For my active dog, built a two story pet house with a ramp to the top, she could watch over the fence and chase anyone passing .... for anyone with dogs that like to patrol the fenceline and run this is a great idea, but you must add bark training to this otherwise they get too noisy.
[Bark control is 2 step: Stopping a dog barking starts with encouraging them to bark/ speak... then another to stop it]

Not possible because I have two dogs, and my coonhound has her previously mentioned issues. They do have lots of chew toys/rawhides/etc. to occupy them while indoors.

You seemed to indicate that your dogs like to escape.. Dig? .... this can be encouraged in the right place too, make a sand pit for them.

I rent my house, so that's not feasible, I'm afraid. They like to try to escape (mainly my coonhound, not little puppy so much), but the digging itself isn't something either of them do naturally, so they probably wouldn't like it anywa.


Basically a tl;dr of this thread is: My coonhound is kinda nuts/has behavioral issues (that are unfixable,) my little puppy is hyper to the max/jumping off the walls, and I can't do super-awesome stuff to exercise them because of renting/living in the middle of nowhere. So I'm doing the best I can with what I've got.

 

[Ambers Troll]

Basically a tl;dr of this thread is: My coonhound is kinda nuts/has behavioral issues (that are unfixable,) my little puppy is hyper to the max/jumping off the walls, and I can't do super-awesome stuff to exercise them because of renting/living in the middle of nowhere. So I'm doing the best I can with what I've got.

Seems you are going to have one very well excercised and trained GSD, hopefully not too much chaos before then. My top suggestion would be to look for some type of training that challenges him (might be scent training, control training like with sheepdogs, tricks like crawling, you will eventually discover something), and keep the activity up.... it really is all you can do for an active dog, work them. And you do seem to be doing the best you can, hopefully with age you get to enjoy him more.