Alex, my 12 year-old pit mix, only started to settle down when she was about 10 years old. Yes, you read that right, 10 years. During those 10 years, I had to take Alex for long walks and get her to run a couple of times a week in order to keep my sanity. The weird thing about it was that once her level of energy started to decrease, I realized that I missed my hyperactive girl. Humans! Can’t make up their minds. That’s what Alex would probably think if I told her this.
Anyway, then Bella came into our lives and I realized I was fortunate – ok.,to be honest sometimes I thought I was cursed – because she is also a hyper girl like Alex used to be. For a while, she wore a backpack, but I stopped since I didn’t think she needed it. Well, I was wrong. The hour walk twice a day is not enough anymore so she is using her backpack again. I am also getting her to run at least twice a week to drain her energy along with some basic training sessions. Does it sound like a lot of work? Yes. Why do I do it? Because I want Bella’s needs to be met and I want a dog I can enjoy sharing my life with and if that means being more active than usual, then so be it.
There are several things you can use and do to drain your dog’s energy such as: get her to use a backpack; take her for a run a couple of times a week; swim with her; train her to use a treadmill; and compete in Obedience Trials in your area, to name a few. Those are just some suggestions, but I am sure you can come up with your own ideas. With that in mind, what do you do to drain your dog’s excess energy?