Dog Training – Why ‘Exhausting’ Your Dog Isn’t a Good Idea

You probably know them, those dog owners who -always very well-intentioned- do a lot with their dog, because otherwise the dog ‘cannot lose its energy’. Some of those owners say that a tired dog is a good dog. But is that really so? And is exhausting your dog really necessary to get a ‘good dog’?

Creating Athletes

What a lot of people don’t realize when they start doing more and more with their dog to get rid of that energy, is that they are now training their dog to become an endurance athlete. They make top athletes out of them! The dog’s body gets used to that amount of physical exercise, and, you guessed it, does need more and more. Or at least the same amount continuously. And that is often difficult for us humans to achieve.

Being able to think well

There are also people who, before going to dog training classes, first exhaust the dog so that it is nice and quiet on the training field. For example, by first throwing a lot of balls, or cycling with the dog. Often those dogs are indeed calmer at the start of the lesson than the dogs that come fresh out of the car. However, there are a few very big drawbacks to this. First, throwing a lot of balls or demanding other physical exertion from your dog fills your dog’s stress bucket. Stress hormone is released, and the body can only process so much of it at once. And cup full is cup full! What then happens is that what has been learned is absorbed less well, they don’t process what you’re trying to teach them anymore And so you are actually training for nothing. What a waste!
Second, a tired body is more at risk of injury. Especially if you go to dog sports training, where again a lot is asked of your dog’s body.

Good dog

That statement from earlier, that a tired dog is a good dog: of course I understand the logic behind this. A dog that is sleeping does not destroy the house, for example. But of course you can also teach your dog not to do that, without having to constantly exhaust him for it! If you are not sure how to stop or limit unwanted behavior, ask your trainer for advice. They can certainly help you!

The Zoomies

Many puppy owners will recognize this: your pup gets the ‘zoomies’ at the end of the day. Some people take this as a sign that the dog is not tired enough yet, and will do even more with their puppy. However, the opposite is true in the vast majority of cases! There is a very good chance that your puppy has an overflowing stress bucket at such a moment. More on that in an upcoming blog post.
Rest is much more important at such a time, so what you can do from now on is give your puppy a nice stuffed Kong in the puppy pen or in the crate, and let him rest.

Mental exercise

With all that focus on physical exercise, we’d almost forget that there’s such a thing as Mental Exercise. And a balance between the two is super important! You can offer your dog a mental challenge in the form of, for example, Dog Puzzles or Enriched feeding.

How much exercise does my dog ​​need?

This is a question that cannot be answered in a straightforward manner. One dog is not the other, and one breed is not the other. On average, 1.5-2 hours of physical activity per day is sufficient (preferably spread over the day), but as mentioned there are always outliers to one side or the other. Are you in doubt? Please do not hesitate to contact me, I am happy to help!