The answer, any trainer will tell you, is good dogs! As discussed in my previous training articles, exercise releases good hormones, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and epinephrine into the canine brain resulting in a calm and happy dog. Too often I come into training situations where the dogs are highly reactive running uncontrolled through the house, jumping on furniture, the owners and anyone coming into the house. They chew and nip at anything they can mouth and are super sensitive to various sounds.
All dogs, no matter the breed, need exercise to live a healthy, calm life. Owners therefore must be aware and practice good exercise rituals with their dog. These include:
Training-Training actually creates new neural connections in your dog’s prefrontal cortex. This is the impulse control area of both the human and canine brain. Your dog should be fluent with the name game, watch game, hand tracking, recall, doggy sit ups (sit, stand, sit and down), no distance and distance stays, leave it, drop it, heel, easy, let’s go and calm. Training should occur in short 5-to-10-minute intervals, 2 to 3 times a day preferably before feedings so your dog is treat motivated.
Games-Owners should be fluent with and play at least once or twice a day, the fetch it, find it and chase it games with their dogs. Before you play fetch with your dog make sure you train a strong recall so your dog will always return the fetch object to you. Also make sure you train a drop it command so you’re not trying to pull the object out of your dog’s jaws which can lead to guarding behavior. Chop and heat up some low-fat protein (turkey dog, beef dog), bait your dog’s nose, tell him to stay and then walk away with your treats at nose level hiding them around the house. Return to your dog and tell him to go find! The chase it game is wonderful for dogs with high prey drive. I use a retractable dog flirt pole available on Amazon for $19. You can attach different stuffed animals to the pole and have your dog “chase down” the prey. Once your dog gets hold of the prey you can teach him to drop it in return for a healthy protein treat!
Leash Walking-A dog’s primary sense is smell. It’s thousands of times more powerful and discriminating than ours! Walks give a dog a smorgasbord of scents to explore and enjoy. As you’re walking you can stop and tell your dog to go sniff. Try different routes so your dog gets exposed to many different scents and locations to keep his senses engaged! Try bringing your dog to outdoor malls exposing them to different sites, scents, sounds and people. Bring your treat bag along so he associates all these new things with rewards!
Park/Beach Visits-Dogs are tremendously social animals. It’s important they get to socialize with other people and dogs in various locations as often as possible. Dog parks give your dog an opportunity to learn social skills while exploring and running helping to wear her out! It is critical to know the ins and outs of dog park safety for yourself and your dog. Bring lots of water for your dog at the beach and make sure he keeps away from stagnant water!
Canine Sports– American Kennel Clubs hosts many events including Obedience, Rally, Freestyle, Agility, Flyball, Frisbee, Dock Diving, Tracking and Dancing. Very affordable home dog agility sets are available on Amazon.
Long-Lasting Chew Treats-2 or more minutes of chewing helps release Dopamine into your dog’s brain helping to calm her and clean her teeth! Use responsibly sourced North or South American made bully, rawhide, collagen, and beef esophagus sticks from e.g., Redbarn Naturals, Bones & Chewy and Canine Chews. Always supervise your dog when giving these!
