Dogs are very intelligent animals and they blossom in environments where
they have plenty to do. City dogs are often required to spend substantial
periods of time inactive. "In the old days", dogs lived on country
properties and spent their days exploring the grounds, scrounging from the
compost, trotting after the tractor, rounding up the livestock, playing with
the kids, and napping under the shade of an oak tree. The average urban dog
experiences a very different reality: after 7-8 hours of sleep, they get a
brief morning walk around the block to eliminate, followed by a well-balanced
breakfast served in a bowl. The dog then snoozes while the owner prepares for
his/her day, takes a long nap on the bed until the dog walker comes at mid-day
for a 30 minute leashed walk in the park, followed by an afternoon nap until
the owner comes home. The lucky dog will spend another 30 minutes walking with
the owner about the neighborhood, maybe share a quick game of fetch in the
hallway, have dinner and a cuddle on the sofa watching TV with the owner
before bed.
Couch potato dogs will relish this sedentary lifestyle but most dogs, if
given a choice, want to be active! In fact, some dogs can't hack the cushy
city life at all and instead, drive their owners crazy, racing around the
house, tearing the pillows, and digging up the flowers. Why do dogs have so
much energy?
Most breeds of dogs were developed to perform specific jobs for people,
such as guarding, herding, or hunting; work that demands physical stamina and
mental concentration. When we choose to open our home to a dog, it becomes our
responsibility to meet the behavioural needs of that dog by providing
appropriate outlets for his physical and mental energy.
"No Pain, No Gain"
A tired dog is generally a good dog! Dogs need physical exercise. The
average dog benefits from a minimum of two outings per day. If left to their
own devices, dogs tend to be most active morning and evening, choosing to
sleep mid-day. Off-leash exercise is best, provided the dog is trained not to
run away or get into other forms of trouble. Being off leash allows the dog to
monitor his own exercise - he can run when he feels like it and rest when he
needs it. This is especially critical for puppies because their growth plates
have not yet closed and too much exercise can result in orthopedic problems
that plague the dog the rest of his life.
The most extensive exercise should be in the morning, after a good night's
sleep. If you wait until the evening, you've forced the dog to remain
sedentary all night AND all day, which is a lot to ask. This is particularly
true if you plan to leave the dog alone all day. A moderately sized dog, from
a terrier to a retriever, should be out for 45-60 minutes in the morning and
at least 30-45 minutes in the evening.
Strenuous aerobic exercise is best for healthy, physically sound dogs. If
your dog has been a couch potato, check with your veterinarian before
embarking on an exercise program with your dog. Off leash running and play
with other dogs permits your dog physical exertion and social contact with
others of his species. If you plan to frequent city dog runs, your dog should
have impeccable manners with other dogs and with people. Mature dogs don't
always like the close confinement of a dog run and are more likely to behave
aggressively, especially if there are rambunctious young dogs present.
Even dogs with orthopedic problems need managed exercise to keep the
muscles strong so they can support weak bones and joints. Swimming is great
exercise for any dog but is especially beneficial for unsound dogs, like those
with hip dysplasia.
Owners with high-energy dogs can enjoy including their dogs in their own
exercise programs, such as running, roller blading, or cycling. Sustained
running like this is a wonderful way to expend excess energy and keep a dog
fit but, just like people, it is crucial to build up your dog's stamina for
distance. Make sure you give your dog an opportunity to urinate and defecate
before you get going, especially if you exercise them on lead. Keep in mind
that dogs don't cool themselves as efficiently as people - they pant rather
than perspire. If you require your dog run to keep up with you, make sure he
has frequent opportunities to immerse in water. This allows for rapid cooling.
Every morning, my dogs run while I ride my bike. I ride on a bike trail
that runs alongside a stream so every few minutes, the dogs take a quick dip.
When it's really hot, they even dunk their heads under the water! As long as
they can keep wet, my dogs are able to run for several miles, even in summer
heat waves.
Training a dog to run alongside you while you roller blade or cycle can be
a bit of a challenge, especially if your dog likes to chase bunnies or
squirrels. Your dog must be taught that it is unacceptable to chase animals
while exercising with you. Some dogs can learn this on just a regular collar,
while others need to wear a training collar, such as a choke or pinch collar,
to ensure everyone's safety. There are attachments for bicycles to prevent the
dog from knocking the bike over. A solid-leash device, called the Springer, is
attached to the bike frame and the dog is connected to the bar. These are
available from some pet stores and through pet supply websites.
For those owners averse to physical exercise themselves, fetch games are
great but take care if your dog likes to catch air going after a Frisbee or
ball. They often land hard and, if it happens enough, this can cause long-term
damage to bones and joints. Another option is the doggy treadmills. For a few
thousand dollars you can have the latest in dog exercise equipment! From what
I hear, if trained properly, dogs love to run on treadmills. I've also heard
of owners training their dogs to run on their own treadmills designed for
humans. Often these treadmills have been collecting dust in the basement for
years.
"Will Work for Food"
They say that if people don't use their brains, cells begin to deteriorate.
I have no reason to assume that dogs are any different. Dogs love to solve
problems, especially ones that involve food.
Food toys are a great way to enrich your dog's world. All animals enjoy
spending time and effort obtaining food. In fact, it has been shown that, if
given a choice between free food and food that requires work, such as
searching or manipulating an object, animals prefer to work for their food.
For instance, squirrels would rather be given peanuts in the shell than ones
already shelled. So rather than give your dog his food in a bowl, for free,
give him a puzzle to solve. Offer the dog his dinner in a Kong, a Goodie Ship,
or a Buster Cube (see below for detailed instructions). Hide small containers
of food around the house and release him to go find them. Take his bowl of
food and toss the kibble into the backyard so he has to snuffle around in the
grass to find the small pieces of kibble.
Training is another excellent way to stimulate a dog's brain. In general
dogs love to learn and even old dogs can learn new tricks. You can practice
basic obedience manners, teach parlor tricks, or set up a few obstacles in
your backyard so your dog can demonstrate his agility. Short sessions of 5-10
minutes once or twice a day is best. Keep it light and fun for the dog (and
for you!) by using food, play, and plenty of praise and enthusiasm.
If you want more formalized stimulation, try agility or flyball training.
The sport of agility involves teaching the dog to jump, climb, and weave
through various obstacles. Most dogs love to use their bodies and they love to
"play" with their owners, so agility is especially popular among
dogs. A well-trained agility dog responds to various commands, including
turning right, left, going ahead, flipping behind, sit, down and stay. Flyball
is a relay race between teams of dogs - one at a time, dogs on a team will
race over a set of low jumps to a special box that, when triggered by the dog,
releases a tennis ball at top speed. The dog catches the ball and returns over
the jumps to the owner. The first team with all four dogs across the finish
line, each with a ball, wins! Flyball is a very noisy activity because most
dogs tend to cheer their teammates on with frantic barking. Serious flyball
competitors are pretty noisy as well and tend to resemble hockey moms or
soccer dads!
In addition to obedience, agility, and flyball, there are unlimited
activities for owners and their dogs, such as tracking, search and rescue, pet
therapy, clicker training, freestyle, and so on. Check out the book "201
ways to enjoy your dog" by Ellie Milton (1990, Alpine Publications).
How to stuff food toys
The Kong:
Mix the dog's kibble with some small treats and something sticky, like
Cheese whiz, peanut butter, or tinned dog food. Fill the Kong completely with
this mixture and place it in the freezer. Frozen is more difficult for the dog
to get out and it is less messy for your floors. Some dogs will lick at the
Kong until it is empty; other dogs will learn to toss it around so bits of
food fall out. The average dog takes about 20-30 minutes to empty a Kong. The
Kong can be cleaned in the dishwasher (no detergent is necessary).
The Goodie Ship:
Use any moist treat to stuff in the cookie cutter shapes of the
Goodie Ship. There are different sizes and shapes of ship. Goodie Ships can be
cleaned in the dishwasher (no detergent). Dogs seem to prefer the medium-sized
ball ship, maybe because the toy fits in the mouth so the dog can use a lot of
force to squish it and get the food out.
The Buster Cube:
Only kibble and similar sized hard treats should be used in the
Buster Cube and its mimics. The dog rolls the Cube around the floor, as the
food falls out. The Cube is quite noisy, especially when the dog bangs it into
furniture and walls, but it has a nice feature: it can be set to
"easy" for the dog to learn and then "hard" once the dog
has figured it out. Sometimes the dog gets so into rolling the Cube around
that he forgets to eat the food! I use the Cube for my small dog because he
gets substantially less food than my large dogs and, if I give him his meal in
a bowl, he finishes much quicker than the large dogs. Rather than making him
watch the other dogs finish up, I give him his meal in the Cube and it takes
him about the same time to eat as the others.
© 2002 ASPCA
Courtesy of ASPCA
424 East 92nd Street
New York, NY 10128-6804
212-876-7700
www.aspca.org
