
Alex to Bella, “I know you are shy, but you’ll get used to them taking pictures all the time. I promise.”
If you happen to have a high-energy dog like Alex used to be, and nowadays Bella, you certainly have to look for ways to drain their energy. In order to keep my sanity, I had to make sure that Alex walked, 1 – 1 1/2 hour twice a day, ran, twice a week, and do some training. Because of her injury, Alex now walks around 20 minutes once or twice a day when the weather is not too cold, but just when I thought I was about to get a break, Bella joined our family.
As you can see in the picture, Bella, like many siblings, gets her hand me downs from Alex which includes a backpack. Why do I use a backpack? For some dogs like Bella, a regular walk will just not do, therefore adding a backpack can give her a job to do and she will be tired by the time we get home.
Some dogs have to be eased into wearing a backpack. You can use treats to do that. Let her wear it for a couple of minutes while rewarding her. With Alex and Bella, it seemed like they’ve done this all their life. Go figure.
What do I put in her backpack? In order to make it even, I put the same amount of weigh on each side. Do Not make your dog wear a backpack while she is running. Some people put a bottle of water, wipes, keys, etc., in the backpack so the dog is really working by carrying her pet parents things.
What do I get from making Bella wear a backpack? A tired, relaxed dog, as you can see in the above picture. If you happen to have a high-energy dog like Bella, you need to drain that energy and fulfill her needs in order to enjoy her company rather than having a dog that can easily drive you crazy and frustrate you beyond words. What do you do with your dog to drain his/her energy?