How To Tire Out Your Puppy
Ready for bed, but your puppy did not get the message? Looking for ways to tire out a high-energy pup so they sleep through the night? Interested in new ways to stimulate your hyperactive puppy? Not to worry, this article has you covered! From physical to mental stimulation, there are plenty of activities you and your dog can undertake to tire them out.
Physical Stimulation
There are lots of physical activities you can engage in with your puppy that will definitely help expend all that energy. We have listed a couple of our favourites that will definitely get your dog running around and tired out.
Hide and Seek
Hide and seek is a great way to get your pup running around your home! When they are distracted by something, go out and hide in a different room or behind a large piece of furniture. Wait for your dog to search for you, and if they do not come looking quickly, call their name. Celebrate when they find you, cheering your puppy on and giving them a treat.
Obstacle Course
Setting up any kind of obstacle course is a great way to tire out your puppy as it is incredibly versatile. You can place tape, cups, plastic wrap, or anything resembling a border in a doorway or hallway to create jumps for your dog. Using furniture or other household items can create pathways for your pup to run through or jump on, motivating them with their favourite toy, which will get your puppy tired out in no time.
Chase Bubbles
An entertaining way to tire out your puppy is through the use of bubbles! Simply just take out a bubble wand or automatic bubble blower and let your puppy chase and pop bubbles until they are tired! This is a great alternative as the purchase of an automatic bubble blower means you can tire out your dog without any extra individual effort, feel free to tackle any other tasks at hand while your pup is able to entertain themselves.
Fetch
Fetch is a great way to tire out your puppy both inside and outside. To make the activity more interesting for your puppy, you can use a variety of toys in different sizes that make different noises for them to chase. If you are looking for an extra energy burning version of fetch, you can have your dog play fetch on a set of stairs. This keeps the game contained indoors but forces your puppy to continuously run stairs, keeping them extra active.
Tug of War
Tug of war is a great way to get your pup active and spend time with them. Tug of war can also be used as a great opportunity for training, to make sure your dog does not get over aggressive or possessive of certain toys. As long as your puppy is not the type to get overexcited or even more energetic with a game like tug of war, this is a great alternative to tire them out.
Mental Stimulation
The Shell Game
The shell game is a great mentally stimulating way to tire out your puppy, and also improve their sense of smell. To play, grab two cups and some of your dogs favourite treats. Let your puppy watch you put some treats under one of the cups, move the cups around, and let them search for the treat! Most of the time the puppy will knock over the cup hiding the treat. This activity is great because as your puppy becomes more proficient, you can increase the difficulty of the activity by adding more cups or using less treats to lessen the smell.
Food Puzzles
Food puzzles are a great, low effort way to tire out your puppy. By purchasing a toy that makes your dog solve problems before they can access their treats, they are exerting a large amount of mental energy to uncover their food. That, mixed with the scent of food stimulating their brain will get your dog tired out in no time! This is a great alternative because all it requires from the owner is the purchase of a puzzle and setting it up for the dog. After that, your puppy does all the work!
Nose Work
Nose work is a more energy expending version of the shell game and is great for mentally stimulating your dog while having them exert physical energy as well. First, you need to train your pup to understand the ‘find it’ command, which means that hearing ‘find it’ will prompt your puppy to begin searching for treats. Then, simply hide treats around your home, and let your puppy search for it. This is a great way to tire out your dog are they use nose work and run around your home searching for treats.
Training
Finally, a great way to tire out your puppy is through training, which is also an incredibly beneficial use of time. Training your dog basic commands like ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ or upgrading to more complicated tricks is a great mentally stimulating way to tire them out, and also helps you as an owner because your pup is now comfortable responding to these commands.
Whichever alternative you use to tire your puppy out, make sure it is a fun activity for all involved, and enjoy the nap time that follows!
Looking for a recap of all the ways to tire out your puppy? Refer to the infographic below. Which alternative do you use the most? Let us know in the comments!
