Happy holiday week everyone! Exercise your dog to help with anxiety.

Does this time of year with the loud fireworks and thunderstorms make your dog anxious or uncomfortable? Whether your dog has true anxiety or they only display annoying behaviors, exercise will be a great benefit. A lot of behaviors that us humans don’t like our dogs to do, stem from your dog being bored and they are simply finding ways to entertain themselves. These can include digging in the yard, barking at everything that walks by, chewing, and much more. 

Making sure your pup is getting their needed daily exercise can help with these boredom behaviors. And before we go on, we should make sure everyone is on the same page about what exercising your dog really means. Walking your dog, even jogging with your dog, for most dogs, is not enough of a workout to make them so tired physically and mentally that they won’t continue to find ways to entertain themselves. Let's take barking as an example, if your dog has gotten the exercise they need they won’t be bored and looking out the window barking at everything that walks by. Instead they will be napping, daydreaming about that amazing game of fetch you just played. 

Dogs love to run. You don’t often see a dog running that looks like they are having an awful time. Most dogs could not be happier than when they run and play. So, find some fun neighbor dogs and have play dates where they have space to run. Find a good dog park that both you and your dog feel comfortable with. Teach your puppy to play fetch, as young as you can. A good game of fetch is the easiest way to get a dog exercise. And, with the heat in the summer, it doesn’t take as much to get them really tuckered out. 

For us, with a lab that just turned two (Happy Birthday Barry), we run him about every other day. He loves fetch so much he runs his little heart out and that gives us about one and a half days of him being calm in the house. He couldn’t care less about barking at noises he hears outside, even the mailman will get a pass when Barry is in fetch recovery. Point being, all the things that Barry would care about and act out on, aren’t really important when he is tired. His brain doesn’t process that trigger that his bored and energized brain can’t control. 

BARRY OUT GETTING HIS BIRTHDAY EXERCISE THIS PAST WEEKEND.

Of course this isn’t a perfect solution for every dog. Some dogs need some medication help if they have true anxiety. We must make sure all their needs are met and it is not just medication to fix annoying behaviors. Our last dog, Dexter, had some pretty severe anxiety. He was on Prozac and it made a world of a difference in both of our lives. We still had to meet all his needs on top of that to keep him from getting bored and acting out. 

If you have any questions, or need more ideas on how to get your pup more mental and physical exercise, please shoot us an email. We would be happy to load you up with things to try. And, as always, if medical solutions are needed, always talk to your vet first. There is also an endless amount of info online to help you get an idea of what a medical treatment for anxiety may look like. 

Happy independence everyone. And have fun exercising your dog before you head out to that socially distant cookout! Your pup will thank you.

Happy Training!!

Please contact us if you have any questions on this these tips. For more information please visit www.newmansdogtraining.com.

Also, follow us on Instagram @newmansdogtraining. You can also follow Barry’s adventures on Instagram @adventuredogbarry.