best way to WORK a dog

[tz1]

well, basically i was just wondering the most time efficient way to make a dog tired. whenever my akita pup zero gets hyper , or needs to burn energy, he starts misbehaving..

he misbehaves by...lgutting pillows, running around the house, biting everything and anything (including our toes), etc. so whenever he starts getting hyper I always take him out to our backyard which is not so big, and i chase him or play fetch.

chasing him is really the quickest way for me to tire him out since he literally sprints the whole time...but even so, this takes about an hour to really wear him down...and I get worn down way worse than him in the process :p

so basically what i'm wondering is what i could do to best work this darn dog? because I know he is not a bad dog, he just needs lots of daily exercise. he is a growing pup and full of energy, and I want to be able to find better ways to tire him out. :) its also freakin cold outside now...fine for him but FREEZING for me

i was thinking about weight pulling...or some other activities, but are these practical?> weight pulling seems like it takes a lot of time & energy to train ..and money. does anyone have any info on this?

[Husky_mom]

well this may sound weird but i knew this person, who had a belgian malinois and couldn´t work him properly because he had some health issues, so what he did (i dont know if its right but it worked for him) he walked his dog while driving, of course at a slow speed, and very careful, but maybe you can get Zero to pull a bike with you in it, or get him a companion so they get exhausted with each other.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

When Adele was younger she had TONS of energy, so I taught her to "run up stairs." I'm not sure if it burnt off much energy or not (that was the idea), but she would run up and down the stairs. But she only weighs 50lbs, so it might not work for an Akita.
Does Zero really like to fetch? That's the easiest thing I can think of unless you have a dog park nearby. Then he could run and play with other dogs, and you could just bundle up and stand there and watch (or play too).

[BC_MoM]

well this may sound weird but i knew this person, who had a belgian malinois and couldn´t work him properly because he had some health issues, so what he did (i dont know if its right but it worked for him) he walked his dog while driving, of course at a slow speed, and very careful,

My Uncle does that with his Border Collies. His fairly young, in shape, healthy.. people who are health-wise doing great and do this REALLY tick me off. It's such a lazy way of excersising your dog. The dog's energy level is NO excuse. Get another breed if one breed is too energetic.

Have you ever heard of a Chuckit? I hear those things are pretty good.

If he knows sit and stay, you can go run and hide somwhere, and call him and that can wear him out, too.. but I guess you have to be good at hiding if you wanna play that. ;)

[tz1]

I really wish I had a big indoor pool that he could swim in...I heard that swimming is really tough for dogs and tires them out pretty quick :D

or...one of those doggie treadmills hehe...that would be nice for the winter :p

there are a few dogparks around us, but the problem is he isn't neutered yet, I plan on getting him neutered when he's a little over a year old...i heard that if you neuter too early it is bad for their bones/development. he is 7 months old now.

[dab_20]

7 months old is plenty old enough!! Acctually if your dog is 6 months old, that is the best time and it is WORSE to wait after that age. Hope you find some way to burn down his energy!

[IRescue452]

Dab_20- lare breeds get neutered at about a year because it harms bone development if they are neutered sooner.

Autumn and I play catch with a ball up and down the stairs. If you are in a safe area you can play hide and seek, which takes up more of the dog's energy than yours.

[dab_20]

Ohh, sorry about that. I've never had a large breed dog before, and thought it was the same for all dogs.

[tz1]

Ye, I've just heard around that for large/giant sized breeds it is better to wait a little over a year. he's around 80+ pounds now.. pretty big! I just hope he doesn't get hip dysplasia.

[RobiLee]

Well, you probably aren't going to like my answer...lol.

I have found that the best way to tire my dogs out is the good old fashioned way...take them for a walk;). It works every time!

So I say bundle yourself up, snap that leash on Zero and have yourself a nice little walk! :p

[finn's mom]

Well, I know with Finn, I'd have to walk him for four hours to wear him out. And, maybe one day I'll be in good enough shape to make it that far. But, for Finn, I always tire before he does. Unless it's swimming. I can kayak and he swims beside me. That has been the only way that I can wear him out without help from others. He played ball one day at the dog park for a good five hours, I had so much help, though, from other people, throwing the ball. ;) I plan to get one of those bike attachments for sure. I'd do the car thing too if I wasn't afraid something bad would happen. I'd walk him myself for a bit, but, that would certainly help after an hour or so. ;) Good luck!

[cali]

lol I have border collies so in my case the best way to tire em out is to work their BRAIN. for example I will put them in a stay behind an object on the deck then go and hide a toy in a play that easy to see but tricky to get to, then I tell em to "find it" because they are running around the yard jumping and climbing they are working their muscles, but at the same time that have to stay behind the object till I give the go ahead, find the object, and figer out how to GET the object, then they must bring it to my hand, and I play fetch with then for 2-3 throws and we do it again. working the mind and body together tires a dog out MUCH faster then only working one or the other.

[finn's mom]

lol I have border collies so in my case the best way to tire em out is to work their BRAIN.


That's so true. Those food cubes used to wear my roommate's husky out in fifteen minutes, because he'd have to really use his head. ;) Making finn search for stuff is another trick I've used...

[cyber-sibes]

I found that playing fetch is a good way to give Star exercise without wearing myself out, too. Plus they both love to run at the dogpark. I walk around & around while they race back and forth - great exercise for all of us.

[BC_MoM]

Well, you probably aren't going to like my answer...lol.

I have found that the best way to tire my dogs out is the good old fashioned way...take them for a walk;). It works every time!

So I say bundle yourself up, snap that leash on Zero and have yourself a nice little walk! :p

Here here! Since the snow started coming, Mick and I have continued doing our 3 walks a day, and only miss Monday's BUT that's because I have Drivers Ed so we only get 2 walks in. The rest of the time we're either playing/training in the backyard, or playing inside or.... my favourite... SLEEPING.

[KYS]

Maybe Vets tend to differ on when is the best age to neuter a large breed dog?
I remember a long time ago a small debate among breeders
on an Akita forum about when to neuter because of orthopedic problems in large breeds.
Back than my vet did not want to neuter Rocky till he was 6-7 months of age.
(felt he had enough testosterone by than for proper development.)
I ended up neutering him at 5.5 months because he had
an attitude problem. I was concerned about orthopedic problems.
My vet told me not to worry because studies showed
(with not over-feeding) the worse scenario, he might end up
a tad taller.
I believe newer case studies even say you can neuter earlier.
(not telling you to when to neuter or to change your mind.)

Now for your question.

I know it is cold outside, but you are just going to have to freeze. :D
Start jogging and you will warm up.
THey have that bicycle attachment called the Springer.
I used that with my female, but did not feel comfortable
using it with my male.

[tz1]

KYS, what do you mean by attitude problem? I'm sure you know how stubborn most Akitas are. :p Around my house we fondly call Zero the Jiggy....cause he is a gigolo for treats! He will do nearly anything if he knows you have food, but blatantly disoby if you have nothing LOL :D

BTw. the springer looks very cool. Just wondering, why didn't you feel so comfortable using it with your male Rocky?

[KYS]

Unfortunately Rocky was already dog aggressive at 8.5 weeks old
when I got him. (not normal for even an Akita at that age)
He was a bully at a very young age.
It wasn't that he was overly stubborn, it was more of a temperament
attitude problem.
With love, socializing building and training he turned out to
be a wonderful dog. (accept he is still dog aggressive.)

The springer: The reason I did not feel comfortable using it with my him, because of his dog aggression.

[CathyBogart]

My old neighbor had a field lab who she would whack tennis balls with a tennis racquet for. The balls went a LONG way, and it tired the pup out faster than anything else we found.

Another friend of mine has a dog that likes to pull. She got him a weight-pulling harness and hooks him up to heavy stuff to pull. He LOVES LOVES LOVES it and it sure does wear him out.

[lv4dogs]

You've got some great ideas there. Working their brain will tire them out. Even a 10 minute obedience session will ear them out a little.

Along with all the other suggestions (except the one with the dog running next to a car thats just too dangerous) I'd suggest doing the NILIF (nothing in life is free, are you familiar with it?) and an extra walk or two a day.

I have a long hallway and sometimes when it is really bad outside or even just when I am sitting watching tv (after out nightly walk but Kaige still has energy to burn) I sit on the couch & throw his tennis ball down the hallway. He'll play fetch forever. lol

[ParNone]

I gotta say having a second dog really helps. :) When my two smoothies start getting nutty inside, which means barking for Collies :), I just open the back door and let'em chase each other around the back yard, until their tongues are hanging out.

I've also found that short intense exercise throughout the day works better then one long walk. So we go outside and play frisbee. I stand in a corner of the yard with a few frisbees and keep'em running for'em for about 10 mins. I'm barely moving, but they're getting quite a workout. We do this at least 4 times a day. I also play fetch with them inside, while I'm on the computer or watching TV.

I also agree that working their minds helps tire them out too. So I add "find it" to the fetch games. I start out teaching "find it" with treats. Put them in a "Stay", Toss a treat on the floor in front of them, then say "Okay, Find it" to release them from the "Stay" to get it. Then gradually increase the difficulty, by first increasing the distance to the treat, then hide in a different room, then make the hiding place in the room harder. Once they're getting the concept, you can replace treats with say their Ball. Hide a bunch around the house and then you can keep them busy searching for a few, while you watch some TV. :)

Par...

[tz1]

Unfortunately Rocky was already dog aggressive at 8.5 weeks old
when I got him. (not normal for even an Akita at that age)
He was a bully at a very young age.
It wasn't that he was overly stubborn, it was more of a temperament
attitude problem.
With love, socializing building and training he turned out to
be a wonderful dog. (accept he is still dog aggressive.)

The springer: The reason I did not feel comfortable using it with my him, because of his dog aggression.


thanks for the suggestions everyone :)

kys, that springer seems pretty cool. zero is similar to rocky i suppose, he isn't dog aggressive really, he is just very rough. he gets SOOO excited when he sees a new dog, he will run up to them and pummel them...he is not afraid of any dogs. he's walked up to some scary dogs , tail wagging wanting to play even when they seem vicious and are barking at him. when he was around 2, 3 months old, he was tiny, and he used to play with my neighbor's yellow lab. this lab is about 110 pounds, and he was like 20 or 30 lol. Zero would play so rough with him, that the lab would get mad at start barking at him! zero would never back down, it was just the funniest thing. i have a video of them playing in my camcorder. :D So, it might be tough to get zero on the springer as well...

btw, did rocky's behavior change when he got neutered? i mean , was he less dog aggressive?


it was hilarious, when i went to my first obedience class with zero when he was about 4 months old, whenever someone with their dogs for the next class would be outside of our class looking in...he would let out a really deep growl and a few barks. he was the only dog to bark. the instructor laughed, she explained that he is doing what a guard dog woudl do. zero had accepted the other dogs in the obedience class as part of his "pack" but not the ones outside...haha :D

Now whenever zero sees a new dog, he will run up to them and jump on his hind legs, take his two front legs and wrap them around the dogs neck, and push them around and wrestle them to the ground lol. He walks straight up to this big rottweiler in my neighborhood , and the rottie is scared of him now...haha, he walks away with his tail between his legs when we are on the street.

so that would be a big problem , if my family were to get another dog, we would have to somehow teach zero to play more nicely. the breeder we got zero from told us from the beginning that zero was a roughhouser lol, he was roughhousing and bullying his brothers and sisters since pups :p


wow i wrote a lot...sorry lol..I get carried away when I get to talking about him

[KYS]

Zero sounds like a normal young Akita with the rough play and
he is probably dog dominant if he does not back down.
Count your blessings he is not dog aggressive. (NOT fun)
Being neutered did not affect his dog aggression because
in his case I believe his aggression is genetic.
Neutering might have curbed his tendencies like humping,
and wanting to roaming etc.

Zero, must be a character to watch. :D
I use to love watching Sheba play with other dogs in her
younger days.
I bet the video of Zero is priceless.
The springer might not be a good idea, I guess it's back to jogging for you
on those COLD days with a warm coat. lol

Don't worry about writing about Zero. Us Akita people love hearing
other Akita stories. :)

[wolfsoul]

The best exercise for Visa is taking her to the beach and letting her chase the waves. She will go for hours on end just chasing them and playing fetch in the water. Unfortunatly it is too cold for her to go swimming now, so I take her to the field across the road and throw her Chuck-it Flying Squirrel. I also take her to play with her niece, Jaguar. Jag is actually over at my house as we speak and they are busy playing in the backyard. We also do agility. We're actually looking in to weight pull. I have a guy coming over this week to fit a harness on Visa. :)

[tz1]

What are some of the things Rocky did as far as being do aggressive? did he go up to dogs and just try to attack them, by biting or what?

Cause believe it or not there is this very stupid lady in my neighborhood back home that lets her dog wander. Her previous dog she refused to put to sleep for 2 years...it would limp around pathetically, and I believe it eventually lost all bowel control. It was a very sad sight to see. This new puppy she has is already overweight. She lets it roam free around the neighborhood and I guess the other night the dog kept following my mom and Zero on their walk...the dog kept coming up to Zero and sniffing him, well Zero was getting more and more annoyed with the dog and eventually started biting the other dog's neck and shaking it ROUGHLY...the way he does with his pillows toys and other things... and becoming more aggressive with him. The poor dog was not getting the point....My mom had to actually go and tell the lady to put her dog into the house.

Kinda scary when I heard it, ...zero is pretty freaking huge now, I would definitely be scared of him if I saw him barking or acting unfriendly. I'm pretty sure Zero's dog dominant, he has never backed down to any dog I've seen really. Always pushing the other around & sniffing their butt haha..

actually one of the funniest times was when Zero and my friend's pitbull Rex were playing in petsmart...Oh gosh it was hilarious, the dogs loved each other so much, Rex was licking Zero so much!!! And they were playing very rough. Rex is about 65 pounds of PURE muscle...he is very short and stumpy sort of, and at the time Zero was 75 pounds but much taller.. it was a lot of fun to watch them play wrestle friendly :D

[tz1]

The best exercise for Visa is taking her to the beach and letting her chase the waves. She will go for hours on end just chasing them and playing fetch in the water. Unfortunatly it is too cold for her to go swimming now, so I take her to the field across the road and throw her Chuck-it Flying Squirrel. I also take her to play with her niece, Jaguar. Jag is actually over at my house as we speak and they are busy playing in the backyard. We also do agility. We're actually looking in to weight pull. I have a guy coming over this week to fit a harness on Visa. :)

weight pulling really sounds awesome, unfortunately I don't have the time to do that at this point in my life due to freakin school and work :( Some day maybe.

But i wish i lived near the beach so Zero could swim or play in the waves too :D

[KYS]

[QUOTE=tz1]What are some of the things Rocky did as far as being do aggressive? did he go up to dogs and just try to attack them, by biting or what? >>>>>>>>>>

(to long to go into details about pacific incidences.)

I never allow Rocky to go up to strange dogs on our walks.
If he sees a dog a block away being walked he starts
getting very agitated and wants after that dog.
(On very rare occasions on our walks, If I can not put enough distance
between Rocky and another dog walker, he will bark, lung
and growl.) I do put him in a down-stay, but hard to
do when he is agitated. (He also has an unbelievable
high prey drive.)
I always keep my eyes open for loose dogs on
our walks too. I do not think
he would bite a submissive dog, but if not submissive he would
attack. He has fear aggression and he is on the offensive.

Sheba will ignore all dogs on our walks.
She has great body language and will ignore strange dogs as long
as they do not get in her face. She was the best camping dog.
With Rocky, I had to camp in a secluded spot or he would
go ballistic if their was a dog camping near by.

Dog dominant is a breeze compared to dog aggressive.
In his younger years I took him to a behaviorist and 3 separate obedient
classes. (training in on-going.)
IF it wasn't for his dog aggressive, he would be a fantastic dog.
He always has me laughing.

[AllAmericanPUP]

Ozzy and Barkley are very toy driven so i play fetch with them and that wears them out after about 30 minutes, i also use a flirt pole sometimes(you can make a cheap one using a broom stick, a rope and a toy). and they also like the spring pole

i make a flirt pole using a broom stick and rope...i tie the rope to the broom stick and then tie a toy to the end of the rope....then i just make the boys chase the rope with the toy on it...they love it

spring pole you just put a rope on a strong branch and attach a heavy duty spring to it then put a rope from the spring and attach a toy to the rope...ozzy will tug on it for a long time...barkley isnt so bright so he doesnt really get it lol but he will play with it for a bit if ozzy plays with it first


the rest of the dogs dont really care for toys so i just take them over the ball field and let them run their energy out :D

and in the warmer months i run them next to my bike or strap on my rollerblades and take them running...that wears them out in about 10 minutes

[RobiLee]

I have really enjoyed reading about Zero. He sounds like quite a character. I hope we get to see more pictures of him soon.

Katie is also dog aggressive. I couldn't even begin to tell you why. She was great as a puppy and played well with other dogs in obedient classes and when we were out and about. We knew early on that she was a dog dominant dog and not afraid of any other dog at all. Even as a pup she would never look away from another dog. I think that behavior made older dogs go after her when she was young. She no longer waits for a dog to come after her. She attacks first now and she will also go after a submissive dog. I have finally learned that I can't have Katie off leash around other dogs. It took me awhile to accept that because I wanted so badly to be able to take her to the dog park to play with the other dogs. I would be devastated if she were to hurt another dog. I have no problems with her on a leash though. When we are taking walks she doesn't seemed bother by other dogs. We can walk by dogs who are snarling and barking and acting like they would love to take a bite out of either one of us but Katie doesn't usually pay any attention to that. She is too busy strutting her stuff and sniffing out all those wonderful smells. Sometimes we even stop to meet another dog but only for that introduction sniff because I want to make sure it goes no further. Besides Katie's dog aggression she is a wonderful dog. She loves adults and childern and this is far more important to me. She also loves her husky sister, Tori and lets Tori beat her up quite often...lol. I'm watching them out the window right now and they are romping around in the snow having a blast. Hmmm, I should be out there with my camera;). Ok, sorry I rambled on..lol..I just wanted to share my Katie girl with you.

Give Zero a hug from me!

[tz1]

Lol I honestly do love hearing about everyone's dogs, :D Sometimes their quirks are what makes them so great.

I think I might try that idea AllAmericanPup, with the broom with a toy on the end or something - anything to keep this darn pup runnin! :)

I think it's hilarious about Katie letting her sister Tori pummel her lol! What I love about dogs , and something about Zero is that he will act so fierce and ferocious around people he doesn't know, or animals he doesn't know, but if you get to know him for awhile, he really opens up to you and will just come up to you and lick you, or let you use him as a headrest LOL. He's just 7 months old now, so big, but really I feel like I can only see him as a big puppy because of the way he acts around me...like when he wants to play, or when he stretches and he gets on his back showing his belly haha