[trumpetjock]

He's been getting higher and higher energy as he gets deeper into his teenage period. Today, I decided to see how far I could push him, and what the result would be. Here was our day together.

6:00 am: I wake up and get into my cold weather running gear. We go out and run 3 miles.

7:00 am: We train for about 30 minutes with his breakfast. Heel work, stays, and agility.

9:00 am: More training. Tug focus this time with a ton of agility. Lasts probably an hour.

11:00 am: I throw on his dog pack with about 15 pounds in it (totals about 40% of his body weight with the weight of the pack) and we go hiking. We hike about 5 miles in the snow. Takes about 2 hours.

1:00 pm: We get back from the hike, and I warm up the car. We leave for the dog park at about 1:30.

3:00 pm: we return from the dog park. I cut up some treats and we go outside for some formal obedience work. Half hour session.

4:00 pm: I pop in a movie and watch it while we both rest for a bit.

6:00 pm: We hit the streets and go for about a 3 mile unpacked walk. Return, and train with his dinner for about 30 minutes. Mostly parlor tricks and free shaping via box game.

At this moment, 8:42 pm, he is still awake looking for belly rubs and butt scratches. He has rattled the hook that holds his leash a few times, and has drug his tug toy to me no less than 3 times.



If you ever want to own a truly high energy working breed, beware the teenage years.

 

[MyCharlie]

omg it's a good thing he has you for an owner!! Talk about a slave driver! LOL Sounds like you guys had the perfect day. You will both sleep good tonight!

 

[trumpetjock]

omg it's a good thing he has you for an owner!! Talk about a slave driver! LOL Sounds like you guys had the perfect day. You will both sleep good tonight!

This isn't the normal routine, by any means.

Lately, with our normal routine he would stay up half the night panting and gnawing away at a bone. It was bugging me that a 6 am run, 3-5 mile packed hike and 2 training sessions wasn't enough. I wanted to find out what it would take to truly exhaust him. I still haven't found it

 

[RBark]

Believe me, I know what you mean. With Priscilla I often have to put her into a down stay until she falls asleep LOL.

She's not quite a teenager yet. But I can only imagine what she will be like.

 

[sol518]

I found with our dogs that they seem to be drained the day after. Maybe he'll be mellow tomorrow?

 

[Willowy]

I've never been able to wear Penny out. She just keeps going and going, like the Energizer bunny, and she's already 6 years old! Fortunately, she seems content to just lie around when that's what I want to do, but when we do go running, the other dogs will be completely spent, and she'll still be raring to go some more.

 

[trumpetjock]

I found with our dogs that they seem to be drained the day after. Maybe he'll be mellow tomorrow?

No dice. He was just as crazy as normal today! He did sleep through the night very well though. Normally he only sleeps til like 3 am and wants to play, so he goes in his crate for the rest of the night. Was a nice change.

 

[lizalots]

I hear you! Rocky is very lucky to have someone who can give so much time to him, even though it NEVER seems to be enough. I love that my two are so active, but I can't wait until they mellow out a bit. Oh well, at least it keeps me very active. I'm running farther now than I did in my training days. If only I had four legs...

BTW, where did you get your dog pack from?

 

[trumpetjock]

BTW, where did you get your dog pack from?

Ruffwear. They make the absolute best packs out there, imo. They are really spendy though. If you're looking for more bang for your buck, go with wolfpacks. They don't have all the bells and whistles of ruffwear, but it's alot cheaper and a fantastic product.

 

[lizalots]

Thank you.