It’s common to think that an active dog with lots of energy needs lots more exercise to tire them out and calm them down. And while this is great for physical well being, it is also one of the things that often exacerbate or even causes hyperactivity.
Here are some of the possible effects of over-exercising your dog:
- When dogs are involved in strenuous exercise, adrenaline and cortisol are released. These are stress hormones designed to increase the heart rate, elevate your blood pressure and boost energy supplies. It takes time afterwards for the dog’s hormone levels to return to normal which means that many dogs are stuck in a cycle of ever-increasing stress hormones, as their bodies don’t return to normal levels in between walks. This can lead to some problem behaviours that can be difficult to live with.
- As your dog gets accustomed to extra physical exercise their stamina increases and your dog turns into a canine athlete!! requiring more and more exercise to wear them out.
So instead of exhausting them physically, what Can you do?
The answer is ENRICHMENT.
Providing a variety of outlets for their energy, like thinking and problem-solving games, new sensory experiences and scent work.
Your dog’s nose dominates their brain and is dedicated to scent. Enrichment and scent work activities activate something called the seeking system part of your dog’s brain. It is a part of the brain that is also responsible for the release of dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine and serotonin are responsible for regulating mood, positive feelings and inhibiting aggressive responses.
Calm dogs live longer (stress has been shown to be detrimental to the health of dogs).
Simply put, when you play games with your dog which encourage them to seek or hunt for toys or food, you are helping to make your dog feel good, enhance their motivation and allow them to be in a calmer state.
Our BrainBoosterBox and Calm Canine scent in a box, help you meet your dog’s psychological and emotional needs, giving you a calmer and happier dog.
- Nervous dogs – gain confidence
- Over-Excited dogs – become calm
- Anxious dogs – gain the ability to focus and learn