My dog is an extremely high-energy dog. I take him to socialize with other dogs but the other will crash long before he does I am a very low energy person. I'm doing my best; we generally go for 45 minutes to hour and a half walk in the evening. And an afternoon walk is too much. Not only do I absolutely hate walking, but it causes me joint pain and fatigue.
The extra energy is leading towards barking, even in the middle of the night. And is wearing us all down and stressing us out. Which isn't good for how much time I can put back in.
I am taking dog-training courses, but they don't address the underlying issue.
So what I'm hoping for are some ideas on how to manage the problem. I am willing to put effort in, but I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on a dog walker or equipment.
Thanks
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You may actually be creating a high energy dog. The more some dogs exercise, the more stressed and aroused they get. Without some down time and relaxing activities, they get anxious (thus leading to the barking and other behavior 'problems'). You may want to try giving your dog some mental stimulation for 20 - 30 minutes at a time, twice a day and cut the walk time to 30 minutes. Play time with other dogs should also be limited to 30 minutes. Mental activities use a lot of energy. In addition, try some really quiet activities like Tellington Touch (you can find info on the web) or massage to relax. Try bringing his stimulation levels down rather than up and see if that helps.
good luck.
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- you already have your answer, but seem unwilling to take the time to do what is best for the animal, and you in the long run. You must walk the dog, at the very least. If you are not able because of your own health issues, you must deal with a wound-up dog, or give the dog to a more high-energy owner.
- You must have a lab or jack russell, lol, try taking your dog on a long walk or do what I do I take my dogs to a large field where there is no traffic and let them roam and wander(of course I watch them) around until they get tired and it works. Hope I helped some. Good luck.
- Do you have anyone in your family or neighborhood that you trust to walk/play with your dog? You'd be surprised how willing people would be to help you out, especially if it means spending time with a fun, playful dog.
Good luck:) - It'd be great if you had a treadmill - you could drain his excess energy with that and he would LOVE it!
Good luck - This may not be the answer you are looking for but maybe you should consider getting a second dog so they can wear each other out. I have high energy dogs and they run through the house and play tug of war all day until they are exhausted. Actually, I get exhausted watching them. They seem happier and more content.
If you have a fenced in back yard that would even be better so they could chase themselves around.
Hope this helps - I know exactly what it's like to have a high energy dog. Walking the dog every day no matter how long will not be enough to tire the dog out. First, you need to find out if your dog will play fetch with a ball, chew toy, etc. Then you need to go to a large open space where your dog won't run away or get hurt. Throw the toy as far as you can everyday for about 30 minutes or until your dog gets very tired. But make sure you bring some water in a plastic container or something because your dog will get thirsty. hope this helps!!!!!!!!!!
- Dog walkers aren't expensive. You could just hire some dog-loving kid who wants to make a couple bucks over the summer.
It looks like you don't have a choice, your low-energy lifestyle is driving your dog mad. If you're a good dog owner, you'll make sure he gets his exercise.
Would you be willing to drive your dog out to a dog park? That would be a good idea. Usually they have benches you could sit on while your dog plays.
Unless your dog is aggressive, a dog park may be for you. If not, hire a dog walker.
Good luck! - TOYS!!!
Get your dog a lot of toys that will keep him busy. There are some toys where you put treats inside and they are so tough that it's almost impossible to get them out so they work all day trying to get them.
Also, one long walk is not too good. How about short 20 min walks, but do these twice a day and then, if you can, go outside with him at night and play ball. This is before you put the dog to bed.
I'm only saying what I do with my high energy dog. She doesn't bark, but she wants to keep busy. Dogs need exercise and you need to provide it somehow, how about tying him to a tread machine? A lot of people do that.
Your body aches and you don't have the energy to give to your dogs. Why did you get another dog in the first place then? - We have a similar problem. We go on a morning walk for an hour or so and run him up and down stoops as a game.
This after we have thrown the ball several times in the enclosed parking lot. We make a big fuss praising him when he brings the ball back.
He still gets excited but now knows the routine. It helps some.
And its certainly a good and easy exercise for us.
Don't give up. Your dog sounds like it will be good for all. - Can you add a morning walk? A forty five minute walk in the morning and and in the afternoon would be a great start! If you can still do the hour and a half in the evening, even better. If there is a local teen that you trust, you maybe able to get him/her to take the dog on an hour walk per day for significantly less than a dog walker would charge. I have a cousin who takes another family member's dog on walks to the lake daily. The dog goes, swims, my cousin sunbathes, and they head back. She doesn't technically charge, but usually they give her $20-30 per week as a thank you.
You mention that you got the dog six months ago, but was s/he an adult when you got the dog? You might have puppy energy going on now, if the dog was young when you got him. You also don't mention whether or not you've had the dog spayed/neutered yet. If not, usually it helps calm the dog down to have them altered. I have also found that feeding a quality food will help with hyper activity. A lot of the foods on the market have corn (carbs will convert to sugar in the metabolic process) dyes and sugars which lead to hyperactivity. You can read your full ingredients list on the bag of dog food. Avoid beneful, moist and meaty, kibbles and bits, most pedigree products and even Iams. Look for foods with meat as the top ingredient...preferably three of the five top ingredients...and no corn, wheat, sugars or dyes. A higher quality diet can be more expensive (sometimes it's not, beneful is wicked expensive where I live) but you can feed less and will have less vet bills in the long run.
Good luck!