Exercise is healthy. We don't have to debate that. 🙂
But if a day goes by... if two days go by... and your dog doesn't "get out"... then what happens? Does your dog behave WORSE? Is your dog going NUTS? Is your dog driving you CRAZY? Is every other pet professional telling you that your dog needs more exercise?
If you're relying on exercise to solve a behavioral problem, then you might be walking 7 miles each day...
Just this week, one of my clients told me that, over the past few months, he's had to walk his dogs for longer and longer each day, to achieve the same level of exhaustion as weeks prior... he told me that he was walking "7 miles each day". Holy smokes!
He was creating the best darn athlete-of-a-dog that he's ever owned!
Another client said to me, "I hate to run, but I feel like I'm training for a marathon since I've owned this Goldendoodle!"
👉 Are YOU creating an athlete? Are you running your dogs with bikes? Or on treadmills? Are you walking loooooong distances?
👉 Do you find yourself needing to walk MORE and MORE, as the weeks and months pass by, to achieve the same level of exhaustion?
👉 Is your dog just becoming more and more *fit*?
Well, there is a key distinction between EXHAUSTION and true RELAXATION...
True relaxation is when a dog CHOOSES to relax IN THE FACE OF stimulation.
TRUE relaxation: 🚫 is NOT forced 🚫 is NOT exhaustion 🚫 is NOT when the dog is UNSTIMULATED (ie: 9:45pm when the world is quiet)
TRUE relaxation is when a dog: ✅ chooses to relax, on their own... even on a day without a walk! ✅ doesn't hold as much muscular tension... muscles soften and the dog is not as muscularly TENSE ✅ stands in a more relaxed position (with tail and head held lower, not always high and *alert*) ✅ rests in a more relaxed position (hips shift, hind legs slide out to the side... NOT in a sphinx position) ✅ deep sighs, deep breaths ✅ softens their eyes and disengages from the environment
✅ lounges around, not jumping alert at every STIMULUS
✅ doesn't require a complete exercise routine, treadmill routine, or bike ride each day
The old saying, "A tired dog is a good dog" only solves TODAY'S problem. The energetic cycle begins again tomorrow if the dog doesn't truly know how to relax in the FACE OF STIMULATION. Relaxation and exhaustion are NOT the same.
Exercise is good. Relying on exercise to solve a BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM is DIFFERENT... and, it could be futile.
🎯 If exercise isn't working well enough for you and your dog to remain SANE, then you might need to implement a few relaxation training techniques! 🙂 If you'd like to start with one, check out my $47 mini-course called the Off-Switch System. Hundreds of my students have implemented this!