8 Surefire Ways To Tire Your Dog Out

Playing “tug of war” with your dog was once considered taboo because of concerns that it might lead to aggressive behavior. While the game can encourage a passionate response from canine players, instilling a few rules keeps it positive and engages your dog physically and mentally. Tug is appropriate for dogs of all ages, and can be played inside or out.

Follows these tips:

• Use an appropriately-sized dog toy as your tug item (one that puts at least six inches between your hand and your dog’s mouth).
• Always be the one to begin and end the game. Your dog should know how to drop the toy when you ask.
• Make time during the match for quick training breaks. Ask your dog to sit and stay, take a few moments to rest, then get back to the action.

Your everyday walk around the block is a fine way to get your dog’s business done, but if you’re looking to put a dent in their energy levels, you need to get them on the road less traveled. Taking your dog hiking on a wooded path and letting them explore the unique environment will stimulate their senses in a way that your everyday walk can’t. The novel terrain and new sights, sounds and creatures you’ll encounter will tap into all of your dog’s senses and will drain much of their pent-up energy by the end. And if you keep up the pace, you’ll get a workout as well!

Follow dog leash rules, have poop bags on hand, and bring a travel water bottle to help keep your dog hydrated. 

“Find the toy” is a fantastic energy-burning game because it taps into one of your dog’s incredible but underutilized senses—their amazing nose. This game doesn’t require much space, can be played inside or out and is a great game for dogs of all ages because it’s low impact.

To play:

• Teach your dog to seek out their favorite toy first by hiding it in an obvious spot and encouraging them to “find it.”
• Repeat a few times until your dog understands what “find it” means.
• Next, take them out of the room and hide the toy so they can’t see where it is. They’ll have to use their sense of smell to locate the toy, which doesn’t seem like much work, but will tire out your dog more quickly than you might imagine.

This game is similar to “find it,” but instead of looking for a toy, your dog will sniff you out. Hide-and-seek is an easy teach-as-you-go game:

• Begin by hiding in an obvious place (for example, behind a door).
• Tell your dog, “Come find me!”
• Have a celebration when your dog locates you, either with praise, a treat, or a quick game of tug.
• Hide again in a more challenging location and repeat the process.

This game is a scaled-down version of search and rescue work, and once again taps into your dog’s powerful sense of smell. It’s a fast-paced, low-impact game suitable or all ages that will put a dent in your dog’s energy levels, and will increase the bond between you at the same time.

Adding tricks to your dog’s repertoire will not only make them a cute show-off, it’ll totally tire them out as they go through the learning process.

Clicker training is a great way to teach your pooch new skills because it turns training into a game. The more complex the behavior, the more tiring it will be, so teaching a multi-step trick like “roll over” or “play dead” will do wonders to mentally exhaust your pooch.

Nothing quite compares to the full body exhaustion that results from an intense dog play session. Not only is the body very obviously engaged, the social nuances that happen during the play date require that your dog engage their brain as well.

This type of interaction takes more effort on your part because you have to find appropriate play partners. Pairing up dogs that are a similar age, size, and enjoy the same types of interactions (for example, both like to wrestle or both enjoy a game of “catch-me”) helps to ensure healthy and constructive play. By the end of the get-together, you’ll have a tired and happy pooch.

There are so many different ways that you and your dog can team up and spread some positivity in the world while taking the edge off your dog’s energy levels.

Is your dog a social butterfly? Try volunteering in hospitals or nursing homes, where your dog can interact with many different kinds of people. Is your dog happy to hang out with friends? Enroll them as a reading therapy dog, which helps children improve their reading and speaking skills while your dog acts as an impartial listener.

Engaging with new people in a volunteer situation transforms dogs, because it’s almost as if they understand that they’re helping. Plus, these feel-good vibes apply to you as well—both you and your dog will be fulfilled through volunteering!

If you and your high-energy dog are ready to level up, give organized dog sports a try. Most dog sports require a solid obedience training baseline, so polish your basic stays and recalls, then dive into some of the most energy-draining options available.

Dog sports tap into dogs’ natural drives, so if you have a champion sniffer, check out earthdog trails. If your dog loves to retrieve, give flyball or dock diving a try. And if your dog wants to herd the world, look into a newer dog sport called treibball. A dog that’s driven to chase small creatures will enjoy having a turn on the lure coursing field.

And if you want to get in on the high speed action alongside your dog, consider agility or canine freestyle, both of which require a healthy level of fitness on the human side of the equation. You can set up agility equipment at home to see if this activity suits your dog.