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Permalink Reply by Gail and Ashton on September 4, 2011 at 12:23am

Try hiding toys that contain treats around the house so he has to sniff them out. You can start out by showing him where the toy is hidden then tell him to "seek" the toy. When he gets it give praise and the toy (ie Kong with biscuit) is a reward in itself. When he gets the hang of it you can then start hiding them without him seeing them expanding into other rooms etc. It will make him use his brain and keep him busy. You can then hide his toys before you leave (if he has free range around the house that is) which will keep him busy for awhile and hopefully not bored. Hope that made some sense, it's basically some Nosework. I'm sure if you Googled "Nosework" there will be tons of better explanations of what I am trying to say. lol

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Permalink Reply by Beth on September 4, 2011 at 12:14pm

Jack has a similar energy level. We will go on a hike that leaves Maddie exhausted and not even wanting to jump up on the couch and after a power nap, Jack will be shoving balls at me and barking. 

 

One thing I have done is teach him "That's enough, Jack.  Go get your bone."  Really, high-drive dogs need an outlet BUT they also need to learn how to just cool it.   A high-drive, young dog who is physically fit will never have enough exercise unless he's a working dog, and for myself I have found that one thing I need to do is not feel guilty that I don't answer to  his every beck and call for attention.   I think that sometimes pushy dogs learn that you won't respond if they push to break rules, get food, or seek affection; but you WILL respond if they demand play.  That's the ol' guilt thing, thinking we are not giving them enough exercise when in fact we are. 

 

I've also found that he always needs to be learning something new.  For us, that means we do agility classes once a week and practice some of the ground work at home.  I currently have some weave poles set up in the basement; we're doing Susan Garrett's 2x2 method and you don't need much space.  Ten minutes of that tires him out more than a two-hour hike.    Maddie, on the other hand, enjoys training when she does it, but she does not need it to be sane. 

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Permalink Reply by David on September 5, 2011 at 5:36am

The breed with working drive will push themselves to the limit of their physical ability.  Unless, they are really working, otherwise there would be no point in doing it; it might even be unhealthy.  It is important for them to learn just cool it!

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Permalink Reply by Kathy Losacco on September 4, 2011 at 12:46pm

I learned from a trainer that strictly play only session can sometimes be more stimulating than tiring.  Almost like a caffeine buzz.  The dog may be physically tired but the brain is not.  Slowing down the play sessions and mixing in some training time may help tire the brain.  Mix things up a little.  Maybe go for a long walk instead of a play sessiona few times a week.  I know that an hour  agility  class(even though it is not an hour of exercise) is very tiring and a good mental workout too.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on September 4, 2011 at 1:04pm

Thanks for the input. I've tried to get into agility classes with him but I'm not getting any responses from any of the trainers I have contacted. I'm going to just keep hounding them until somebody responds! Our first agility class (as well as our first rally class) moved so slow that Franklin was often very bored. I came to find that the way my instructor taught agility was SO SLOOOWWWW compared to most so I'm looking for another class to test his brain. I use the interactive toys to work his brain and keep him thinking, since his morning and evening meal are fed in them it usually takes him about 20-30 min a meal to eat. I'll work on doing more training during our play sessions and also on just making him settle down and entertain himself at home. He goes through phases where he will get a rawhide and just chew on it to keep himself busy and then for a few months he won't touch the rawhides and wants nothing to do with them....not sure what that's about. Thanks again!

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Permalink Reply by Julia on September 5, 2011 at 9:20pm

I agree with Beth that this dog needs to learn to "settle." Not every request for play gets answered. My Lilli does not self-regulate, and will keep going and going, past the point of exhaustion. This worries me when we are swimming, or playing on hot days. We need to make her take breaks away from the water while at the beach, and at the park we take her ball away before we reach her water bowl to get her to drink.

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