Creating a Monster (For Dog Owners)

[bandana4me]

I have created a monster in my life and I am trying to figure out a solution to my conundrum. Here it is:

Marley (my Dog) just can not get enough exercise. Yesterday morning I took him for his morning walk over Mt. Tom and Field (skipped Willey), when we got home I barely sat down to take off my boots and there was Marley in my face with a tennis ball in his mouth wanting to go out and play. Over the weekend we did ~25 miles and he was still a little restless. We walk every day (maybe missed 10 days last year) and we do a trail, wack or logging road when we go out (we don’t always summit it is enjoyable just being in the woods).

I am looking for suggestions on activities for an unsatisfied exercise regiment. I just don’t have anymore extra time to give this monster!

 

[Shardik]

I am looking for suggestions on activities for an unsatisfied exercise regiment. I just don’t have anymore extra time to give this monster!

Try a treadmill ?

 

[sardog1]

If you have a good-sized outdoor enclosure, an exercise ball can work sometimes.

 

[Stash]

Get another dog and a big yard. My two chase each other around the yard or hours and, when I play ball with them, race each other to the ball. Walks can be adventurous, though. Neither is a slack leash walker and I won't let them off leash so when they go in opposite directions I get that great shoulder stretch that keeps you so loose...

 

[Maddy]

How old is Marley?
Dr Nicolas Dodman, who is director of the Behavior Clinic at Tufts, and top dog in the world in this field, has written a number of books which you might find very helpful.
Sounds like you are giving him lots of exercise so the problem might be something very different.
Dr Dodman does recommend teaching your dog his basic commands and most important reinforcing them numerous times throughout the day. It only takes a minute and you won't be sorry. Does need consistent behavior training but he might have some other medical/neurological problem that is causing him to be a "wild child".
Also, never give a dog a command that you cannot reinforce because that teaches him that he does not have to listen to you.
Use positive reinforcement. Treats, praise.
Don't give your dog something for nothing. We all have to work for what we get.
EX. - Before you feed him make him sit and stay until you give the OK.
- Before you start off on your walk/hike give him a command i.e . down/stay
- Before you give him a toy...same thing.
By doing this you are teaching your dog to respect you and pay attention to what you are instructing him to do.
IF all else fails, you can always call the Behavior Clinic at Tufts in No Grafton. They even have telephone consults for folks who cannot go there in person.
I should have gone to them with Bernie at the very beginning because I spent no less than~$1500 on different "behaviorists" and it was a colossal waste of money. I got way more than my money's worth at Tufts.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b...ield-keywords=dodman+nicholas&sprefix=Dodman+

 

[griffin]

You might consider finding ways to exercise Marley's brain, as well. Mental stimulation can be just as important as physical exercise to a dog, and it's not uncommon for what humans see as "dog needs more exercise" to simply be "dog is bored and looking to entertain itself"

Teaching him commands, and to "work" for everything, as Maddy suggests, is a great start. You could also spend some time teaching him tricks, or teaching him to find things. Also helpful if what he wants is less exercise than more direct interaction with you. (if time is an issue, you might be able to work some of this into the walks you're already doing)

You could also start feeding him with a buster cube (http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Buster-Food-Cube/211000.aspx) or the like - I think they work better with kibble, but they basically make the dog work out a puzzle to get his or her meal. I know people who own high-energy dogs that swear by them.

 

[Maddy]

Griffin gives excellent suggestions also.
I forgot to mention that Dr. Dodman recommends walking distances more that once a day. High energy dogs really do need a lot of walking/hiking and as Griffin mentions stimulating activities in the home.
One of his famous slogans is " A tired dog is a good dog!"

 

[bandana4me]

Thank you all for the suggestions

A little more info on Marley:

He will be 2 on 3/24 and he is an Alaskan Husky. I did a lot of research on this breed and discovered he does need a lot of exercise. He is what I call a collarless dog, and is rarely on a leash. We do 1 long walk and 3-5 short walks of a mile or so. He is also known as an escape artist as he enjoys digging and when bored will chew on anything or get into mischief. I have a large supply of marrow bones, and he does not chew on anything else. As far as training goes he is an extremely smart dog and well behaved. When on the trail and he sees hikers (he leads of course) he comes back to me and waits for instructions (I point to which side of the trail to sit on and he will wait until they pass and I give the ok to move on).

As far as a playmate, that would be ideal but I would be sleeping outside with them!

Thanks for the web sites and books; I will continue my on going education!

 

[psmart]

Like all sled dogs (we have Siberians), an Alaskan Husky is a working dog, and needs lots of exercise and mental stimulation. Exercise a couple of times a day is essential or you'll have a bored and problematic dog.

Have you tried running your dog hitched to a bike? There are a couple of good attachments that work quite well. There are also scooters designed to be pulled by a dog, and "rigs" for multiple dogs. You could use any of these on the gated roads in the WMNF. For the winter season, try skijoring!

 

[griffin]

As far as training goes he is an extremely smart dog and well behaved.

I don't think anyone is suggesting he isn't well behaved I'm certainly not - but teaching your dog new commands, or teaching him to "work" for when he wants by performing certain behaviors can be a good way to give his brain a work-out and relieve boredom.

Tapping into his sledding routes is a great suggestion, too - I found this link on the bike-sledding psmart mentioned http://www.nwlink.com/~brucec/bkjr.htm

Heck, maybe you could hook him up to a plow or a lawn mower and make him help you with yardwork!

 

[Maddy]

I don't think anyone is suggesting he isn't well behaved I'm certainly not - but teaching your dog new commands, or teaching him to "work" for when he wants by performing certain behaviors can be a good way to give his brain a work-out and relieve boredom.

Tapping into his sledding routes is a great suggestion, too - I found this link on the bike-sledding psmart mentioned http://www.nwlink.com/~brucec/bkjr.htm

Heck, maybe you could hook him up to a plow or a lawn mower and make him help you with yardwork!

You have quite a fellow on your hands. The breed and and the age explains a lot. Reinforcing commands is just a form of "dog work". It helps them to keep focused.
Run-run-run!!! I think you are going to have a challenge wearing this one out. IF you do hook him up to something for pulling practice, be sure to use a specific pulling harness or he could sustain a serious neck injury.
If you know or have small children, you could have him pull them in a little wagon. They also recommend tying a log to a rope and having him pull that. Anything that will give him a real job.
I own the entire skijoring set up but Kodi flat out refuses to pull and Bernie can't because of his orthopedic issues.There is also a good book "Skijoring With Your Dog". Lots of useful info.

 

[roadtripper]

My friend has a Rhodesian Ridgeback that can be restless like that. What we do sometimes is go for a 10 mile mtn bike ride and he runs alongside the bikes for the entire time. He's exhausted for the rest of the day after that .

 

[Shewolf]

I can completely understand your problem. I adopted the energizer bunny, 16mo. old german shepherd in August '07. I have never seen/owned such a high energy shepherd. And I mean, HIGH energy. I try everything under the sun to get him exercise. I have a dog walker come at lunch time to go for "power walks" or 30 minutes of fetch. Then when I get home, I try to get him another 60-90 minutes of exercise (his favorite is when we get out either his chuckit, flying squirrel or just about anything he can "fetch"). Even after all that, at 7pm at night, I'm getting all sorts of balls/stuffed animals tossed on my lap and a big furry face staring at me waiting for me to throw them....

I found in the winter, when our outside time was limited, we did LOTS of mental stim games. Placing him in a down stay and then hiding balls/stuffed animals in the house and then releasing him to find a particular one. Obedience training every night and other forms of exercise. I found the mental stimulation to be just as important as the physical.

Hiking...where do I begin. PHoenix has hiked the mt. twice by the time we get to the top. He has no prey drive and a great recall, so I can have him off leash while hiking. After a particular 18 mile hike, my boyfriend and I were amazed at how quickly Phoenix recovered and was ready to go a half hour after we were done.

As far as the treadmill, lets just say it's not something Phoenix will ever attempt again. It was not a good first experience and avoids the thing like the plague. The treadmill would be a great trainer/piece of workout equipment.

 

[DreamFarmer]

We used to take the Norwegian Elkhound for a good run by having one person sit on the tailgate holding a long leash, while another person drove.
This was on back-country , seldom used dirt roads.

 

[griffin]

You could also get him a pack to wear when you walk him or hike with him - and fill it with some water bottles, or given his energy level, a boulder or two.

 

[una_dogger]

Trouble with exercising dogs, is they just keep getting in better and better shape!!

I will echo the suggestions for mental exercise...training, training, training. Your dog sounds like he'd love a few rounds of "puppy pushups" each day.


Sit, down, sit, down, sit, down...with treats and make it fun..for example, as he gets really good at it, only reward fast ones...etc.

A great do-it-yourself book is "My Smart Puppy" by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson. Lots of fun "games" to mentally tire your dog. The authors are excellent trainers of dogs and people, too, and have published several well respected, fun and easy to follow books on training the family dog -- they also run seminars and workshops at thier home in Manchester, NH; as well as abroad. I know them personally and they have a fool proof recipe for training -- they make it fun and effective.
(fine for adult dogs, too!)

http://astore.amazon.com/mysmartpuppy-20/detail/044657886X

 

[bandana4me]

Thank you all

Una_dogger said it best " Trouble with exercising dogs, is they just keep getting in better and better shape!!"

That is truely my dilemma it is like he has become immuned to walks! These were all great suggestions and I am going to try a few of them to start. I have to admit he was much better this weekend.

The dog pack maybe difficult to put on him, as I stated he is a collarless dog and wants no part of anything on his body (including a tattoo).

If I keep stimulating his mind maybe I could send him to work and earn his keep!

 

[Little Rickie]

Una_dogger said it best " Trouble with exercising dogs, is they just keep getting in better and better shape!!"

Then sit him in front of the TV in a cozy chair and let him watch sports while drinking beer and eating pizza.

 

[TomD]

Unadogger is on to something. I just saw a story on dogsled racing and rather than long runs wearing them out, the longer the dogs ran, the stronger they seemed to get. It is counterintuitive and scientists can't figure it out yet, but they are looking at what's going on.

A friend of mine used to have two Huskies. One was also an escape artist and wound up at the pound several times. Both of them could walk for hours if you let them. They were both great dogs, so enjoy yours.

 

[woodsxc]

I want a big (ish) dog that I can run and wrestle with. Not now, cuz I'm in a dorm, but eventually.