Hi all! So, Shelby got bigger he's about 17 weeks old now. Here's our typical day: Morning, I rise about 6/6.30 and Shelby normally wakes up to the sound of my eyelids opening! We have a few tender moments and cuddles and belly rubs before I hop in the shower while he waits patiently (but not always quietly) at the bottom of the stairs. We then head out for a 20/30 min walk and for toilet time before breakfast. I potter around the house while he follows and un-tidies everything I've done. I leave for work around 8.30 ish. I come back at lunch time for roughly an hour and we have a similar routine during that time (except I don't shower!!). I get back from work between 4:30 and 5:30. This time, we head out for a good 40 minute walk, structured play back at home which is normally some fetch in the garden and some training. I have tea, and he has tea. We then go out for a short walk just before bed so he can toilet again. And so, for all the time I haven't mentioned, right up until about 10:30/11:00pm when we both go to bed - he never seems to tire!!! He rarely sits still and I'm constantly on my toes trying to catch him before he bites the chair, or counter-surfs to reward him for not doing it! Now, I've read all of the advice about exercise - 5 minutes per month of age (20 minutes?!) and a couple of short sessions of structured play. I realise I'm going well over the recommended allowance - and yet, he still never seems to tire. And at the same time "a well-exercised pup is a well-behaved pup". Am I exercising too much?! Am I exercising too little?! Can I exercise him some more?! Can we go for a jog?! Can I buy him a treadmill?! I think he might have been more familiar with relaxing in his pen had I left him there more frequently when we first got him - yeah, noobie mistake! He just seems to have such a high drive; he is from a very driven working line but was ironically one of the quietest of his siblings during the first 8 weeks! Thanks in advance
This isn't true. A well exercised naughty dog is just a fit naughty dog. Your puppy is on his own for a large slug of the day and that's probably partly the issue, although completely understand that you have to work (I work too) and his time alone isn't excessive. I'd say don't think in terms of more exercise, but think instead about more things to do. More advanced training, puzzles, low impact games (remember those still not yet formed puppy joints!), new experiences, some training classes....
I tried to follow the 5 minute rule with structured walks when she was under 6 months and still do generally at 8 months, but allow for free play at a park, yard, swimming for much longer. Playing with other dogs definitely tires her out way more than a leash walk. Something that I do in the evenings after work is 15-20 mins training games indoors like 'find your ball" and hide and seek that work on her sit and stays or down stays. After work is the time when she is restless and stealing shoes, bringing toys to us etc so it's the perfect time to distract her. She gets so excited that we normally have to quit hide and seek and then she passes out for a nap haha We have finished basic training now, but after her classes she would be dead tired the entire next day! She would be completely exhausted from class and she loved going. We started classes at 18 weeks and finished when she was 6 months. It also taught her to settle down. Maybe that could help with his energy?
Mine have all been a pain in the evenings until about 6 months and then they started to sleep after their evening meal. There is hope
I stuck to the 5 minute rule generally, but done lots of brain training. We have 2 different treat balls, 2 treat puzzle games, a snuffle mat and we also play lots of 'find it' games. One training exercise we do is: Harley sits in the middle of the room, I place treats around the room whilst she sits and waits, then I release her to get them. We started with one treat and a 2 second wait and built this up over time. We still play this and I can place at least 20 treats throughout the downstairs of the house before releasing her to find them.
What do puppies who are left to roam during the day do? Do they snooze like older dogs do, or do they play with toys/whatever is lying around? Has anybody spied on their pups when they're out?
There was a program on the TV in the UK a while back, that filmed dogs when their owners were away. Some dogs got distressed, some dogs wandered round, some dogs sleep the time away. I installed a baby cam to watch my dog - he ignores his kongs, and watches me mournfully as I leave...and as soon as I've closed the door, he stuffs his face with his kongs, then sleeps until I get back. When he hears my key in the door, he jumps up to wait by his gate as though he has been sitting there all the time... Neither my dog nor my puppy play with toys unless I play with them too.
Mine don't bother with this part. Straight for their kongs I have security cameras set up that allow me to watch them when I'm out and about. They sleep pretty much all the time.
Mental exercise seems to tire puppies more than physical exercise. Like Naya, we've played seek games with Holly since she was a puppy. Our favourite game is when OH hides a small apple (minus stalk) somewhere in the house or garden. As soon as Holly smells the apple on OH's hands the hunt is on. She won't stop until she's found and eaten the apple, and it can take her several minutes. Afterwards Holly usually needs a snooze.
