# How to entertain a VERY ACTIVE puppy



## Brunos_mom (Sep 9, 2009)

Hi all!
Bruno is almost 9 months old now and is FULL of puppy energy. I have been blessed that he's extremely quick to learn (only ever had two potty training accidents at 4 months and has learned sit, down, stay, leave it, shake, other paw and roll-over so far...) and is EXTREMELY good natured with no hint of aggression towards any animal or person/child ever. All in all, he's a great little guy.

However, he is EXTREMELY active. Yes, I know he's a puppy and they've got energy...however, Bruno and I walk/jog around 4-5 miles a day (yes, thats 4-5 MILES a day) AND he goes to offleash playtime for an hour every morning and he's still ready to go immediately after getting home. He sleeps about an hour a day (plus 8ish hours at night) and is simply full of energy. This energy is cute and fun except when A) I'm trying to DO something and he's crawling all over me or B) I have to crate him for a while and he's a total maniac when I get home. I realize that a lot of his "behavior" issues (climbing furniture to get to things, crawling on me all the time, bringing his toys and being sort of relentless) are because of this energy but I'm at a loss about what else to do. I can't exercise him more than 4 hours a day (I mean come on, he's 5 lbs!) and he needs to learn to self-entertain a bit.

I have gone so far as to get him a teeny backpack which I put saltshakers in to help wear him out...this works, but is a short term solution. He LOVES his kong but I feel like I should;t just keep refilling that because it's got to be bad for him...and he quickly destroys his plush toys and even his teething-style toys (he totally shredded all the rubber "tough" toys except his kong.)

Basically, I need help. Winter is coming and its going to be dark more often, plus snow and whatnot, and I'm dreading him being a maniac in the house every day! I love him and want him to be happy and tired but I can't think of any other way to entertain him! Ideas? I also tried one of those plush "game" toys (where you put the little squirrels into a box and they have to pull them out) but he quickly got through that then de-fluffed all the squirrels all over my apartment...



haaaaaaaalp!


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## beckinwolf (Sep 2, 2008)

Maybe you can get him into agility, obedience, or rally classes. He sounds like he'd be a good candidate with so much energy. Also, maybe for his kongs, just put his daily food amount in them, then you won't have to worry that he's eating too much out of the kong in addition to his normal food. Maybe also, get him some interactive puzzle type toys (the kind with NO stuffing!)


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

1. NO jogging. 

2. NO added weight.

His growth plates have not yet closed and these things can be detrimental to his bones and joints. 

I agree about putting his meals in food toys. You can pre-pack a kong with his breakfast and dinner and freeze them to make them last longer. 

Puzzle toys are a great idea! Mental activity can be just as or more tiring than physical. On walks, stop and do obedience multiple times. Take a break and practice a stay. Even when you play fetch or tug in the house, he should do something before the throw or before you initiate tug. 

Some dogs have to learn self control. Work up to a 30 minute down stay daily. It is just fine to have down time during the day where he has some crate time to chill out. I've had many dogs who will not nap unless you put them up. 

I also teach a default behavior to end any pesky behavior. I taught Roo the classic border collie down ("that'll do"). We worked on a down at a distance, in the middle of games, when there is something exciting nearby, etc. If he's too rowdy, I can down him. 

Getting into puppy agility foundations class is a great way to work that energy and learn self control. Anyone who knows crazy Roo is impressed with his stays on the start line.


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## Brunos_mom (Sep 9, 2009)

QUOTE (JMM @ Sep 11 2009, 07:00 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=828562


> 1. NO jogging.
> 
> 2. NO added weight.
> 
> ...



I think agility training might be a good idea, something to mentally stimulate him. We do hurdles in the park sometimes but he will only do them for things like little logs but not actual hurdles he can run under. Its a work in progress.

For clarification, we don't jog too often (and only sans backpack) for maybe a total of 10 minutes a day usually when we hit the park (where he would be running offleash anyway.) the backpack was a suggestion from both my behaviorist and my vet (both independent of eachother) and the weird thing is he seems to LOVE the backpack. Just today he was going crazy trying to get something off the top of his crate...finally I realized it was the backpack which i put on the floor. He pawed and pawed it for 5 minutes whining so I put it on him and he immediately went into his bed and went to sleep (not even ATTEMPTING to jump onto the couch.) I'm sort of in shock, it seems sort of like a security blanket...however, he does look pretty stupid wearing it and its not practical in the rain as it gets waterlogged and isnt waterproof, so it's not a foolproof solution.


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## diesel (Oct 21, 2008)

Puzzle toys are an excellent solution. I bought this for Diesel after he mastered the Kong and I fill it with his dog food and a few chicken treats to keep it entertaining. It takes him at least 3 hours to empty it, and the entire time his mind is working.

Omega Tricky Treat Ball

It's always hard for me to keep Diesel entertained, but I tie old lanyards and shoe strings to his toys, and it keeps him busy trying to get them off. On rainy days it's too hard to take him outside and he hates it, but stimulating his mind gets him just as tired as a really long walk. 

Good luck!


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