Skip to content
Sweet Dog
Exercising and keeping your dog busy
Training & behaviourPart of · Training & behaviour

Exercising and keeping your dog busy

6 min read

Why the mind tires faster than the legs

Making a dog think often tires him just as much, if not more, than purely physical exercise: sorting through smells, rummaging, solving a problem on his own, all of that takes intense concentration. Running him into the ground, on the other hand, mostly makes him fitter, and he's asking for more the very next day. Scent-based and mental enrichment, by contrast, genuinely lifts his mood, and it can be measured (Duranton & Horowitz 2019).

Scent work: tiring your dog out in a few minutes

The nose is the dog's crowning organ. Getting him to search is the most accessible form of mental exercise: it suits everyone, even the senior, the convalescent or the reactive dog.

1

Hide an easy-to-find treat

In the living room, neither too obvious nor impossible to find: the corner of a rug, the foot of a piece of furniture.

2

Let him smell the same treat

Keep one in your hand, from the same packet, to give him when he arrives.

3

Give the "search" cue

Walk him to the hiding spot the first few times, then let him work it out on his own.

4

Mark the find, then pay up

A short marker word ("yes!") at the exact moment he finds it, and you give him the second treat from your hand.

5
5 to 10 min is plenty

Make it harder little by little

Several hiding spots, other rooms, then outdoors. Always finish on a clear success.

Keeping him busy to suit the moment

When you head out
  • A high-value activity toy (a stuffed Kong) brought out only as you leave and taken away on your return: your absence becomes a good moment.
  • Chews suited to his jaw, supervised the first few times.
  • Put away the interactive toys (tug rope, bumper, ball): they stay for your time together.
When it's raining and there's no outing
  • Scatter a handful of kibble over a rug or around the living room: he searches, he rummages, he unwinds.
  • A little homemade thinking game: a treat under one of three upturned cups.
  • A lick mat spread with a thin layer of plain purée, given under supervision.
  • Teach him a new little trick: thinking is tiring.
The senior, convalescent or reactive dog
  • Scent work is the ideal outlet: almost no physical intensity, adjustable mental load.
  • Short sessions, in the cool of the day, with water available.
  • After an injury or surgery, check with your vet before resuming activity.
When it all boils over at the end of the day
  • Often a sign of overflow: an extra 20-30 min outing, with plenty of sniffing.
  • Teach him quiet times at home: you don't respond to everything, rest has to be learned too.
  • If it happens every evening, rethink what goes into the outings rather than adding more stamina.
  1. Duranton & Horowitz — Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgement bias in pet dogs (2019)
  2. AVSAB — Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
  3. Demant et al. — The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition in dogs (2011)
  4. Krontveit et al. — Housing- and exercise-related risk factors for canine hip dysplasia (2012)

To go further

guideTeaching Your Dog to Stay Home Alone Without AnxietyA well-exercised dog copes far better with being left alone: the natural next step for calmer goodbyes.Read the guideguideThe dog who destroys things when left aloneChewed cushions and mischief are often a sign of pent-up energy: understand it and start fixing it.Read the guideguideThe "seek" game: scent work that tires a dog outYour dog's nose is a goldmine for mental fatigue: an easy scent game to set up at home.Read the guideguideMy Dog Barks Too MuchA bored dog often speaks up by barking: give them something to do and quieten things down.Read the guideguideTeaching your dog a trick with positive methodsLearning a trick is both play and brain work: the basics to get started, no clicker needed.Read the guideguideGetting your dog's attentionA dog who knows how to check in gets much more out of every game: the foundation skill to build first.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you calm a hyperactive dog?

Most so-called "hyperactive" dogs are mainly under-stimulated mentally, not ill. Add some thinking (scent work, chewing, little tricks), teach him quiet times at home, and above all don't run him into the ground physically: that just makes him fitter. If the agitation is sudden or extreme despite all this, speak to a vet or a behaviourist.

How do you keep a dog busy?

With activities that work the mind: hiding treats for him to search out, a stuffed activity toy when you head out, chews suited to him, a new trick to learn. Alternate physical and mental exercise rather than piling on the miles.

How do you tire a dog out quickly?

Through the nose. A few minutes of the "search" game often tires him more than an hour of running: let him smell a treat, say "search", mark the find with a "yes!" and reward him. Finish on a success, in a matter of minutes.

How do you keep a bored dog busy when it's raining?

Scatter kibble to search for around the living room, offer a cup game, a lick mat under supervision, or teach him a trick. Mental exercise doesn't require going out and tires him just as much.

My dog has the evening zoomies, what should I do?

These mad moments almost always signal a build-up of surplus energy. An extra 20-30 min outing with plenty of sniffing, then learning rest times at home, is often enough. If it comes back every evening, rethink what goes into the walks rather than their length.

Is the ball a good way to exercise a dog?

In moderation, yes: it's fun and it builds a bond. But thrown to excess, it winds up arousal and can turn into an obsession. Ration it (roughly once a week), and always round it off with scent work and chewing.

Read nextNext in this pathPunir ? Pourquoi le renforcement positif marche mieuxRead

Loading your progress…