How Do I Properly Exercise My Dog?

Mental vs. Physical Stimulation

Dogs, by nature, are physically stimulated animals. Their understanding of the world stems from tangible senses that dictate how they interact with their environment. Things like sniffing scent for memory, digging out of curiosity or suspicion, barking in order to communicate, and playing fetch for exercise, would all be categorized as physical stimulation. Mental stimulation is anything that requires a sequence to be taught to the dog. For example obedience training, heel walking, agility training, and place command routines. In this article you will learn that providing both mental stimulation and physical stimulation will affect the outcome of your dog’s behavior in different ways. When used properly and integrated into a routine, you will find that your dog’s mood and mental state will become more balanced.

Physical Stimulation

Physical stimulation is any type of exercise that does not require more than 3 mental steps to complete. Most of these activities come naturally and do not need to be taught to the dog. A few of these exercises can be of the following:

1. Walking or running freely & out the heel position

2. Playing fetch 

3. Any outside time in the yard to explore and experience

4. Unmonitored/uncontrolled play time with other dogs

Mental Stimulation

Mental stimulation is anything that requires a specific sequence to be taught to a dog. Some of these training sequences can look like the following:

1. Obedience training - teaching your dog to sit, stay, heel, and rest

2. Structured walks - training your dog to walk close to the heel of your foot instead of pulling ahead  

3. Agility training - obstacle courses that include both physical activity and mental understanding for completion 

4. Place commands - down and watch, advocating practice with unfamiliar guests, and hand feedings

Physical stimulation alone will never fix behavioral issues especially if your dog is naturally high energy and physically stimulated throughout the day. On the other hand, mental stimulation alone may only work for a dog who is more docile in energy. It is an absolute must to ensure balance in your dog’s life, very similar to how you conduct your own. If the dog's brain is not exercised they become mentally stressed and begin to, or continue to, act out physically. The longer a dog goes without a proper balance of physical and mental stimulation the more extreme their behavior may become.