Exercising Hyperactive 10 month old.

Hi guys,

After some opinions really.

I have a 10 month old Springer x Cocker who is an active worker. He was bred for working ability and energy. Parents registered,health tested, hip scored etc!

I feed him a dry complete worker kibble with Raw elements (minces/bones/fillet steak - I realise I'm crazy) 50/50. He isn't over fed in fact he has a tendancy to look a bit skinny at times. Up until about 6 months ago I was mixing his raw with beta puppy for its high protein content ... however stopped that when his stools became a little loose.

If I feed 100% raw, he tends to lose weight no matter how much I feed. He is fed in two sittings.

Just recently he has become very hyperactive in the house, bouncing around on the spot... Kangaroo-ing his way from room to room. He won't settle unless crated.

Currently he gets two walks a day about 50 minutes each in length - quite high energy. Lots of ball games, lots of tearing around with the other dogs and some swimming on top for that 50 minutes "running". He also spends about 60 minutes training - basic puppy stuff and work.

I am considering increasing his exercise to combat the excess energy he has been having in the house. That said, he currently gets more exercise for his age and weight (13.3kgs) than any other puppy I've bought on.

I am of the opinion if would be unsafe to start biking him.

What would you consider safe?

Do you intend to work him?

Whether you do or not, personally I would be looking at increasing his breed-specific training (gundog type stuff). I would also be working on teaching him to sit or lie quietly when you are not engaging with him.

Could you split his walks/exercise up a bit - so instead of two walks of 50 mins each, say four walks of 20 mins each, and incorporate some retrieving, searching type training into the walks?

What do you do when he is bouncing off the walls?

Personally I would only consider increasing his exercise if you were wanting to up his exercise anyways and were holding back cos he was young - if you are just doing it to tire him out then really you will just be teaching him to be super fit

Personally I teach my dogs that life is mainly very boring
They dont get to instigate a game with me in the house - I have been in too many friends houses with dogs constantly bringing balls to be chucked

If you dont want him more fit how about a class a couple of times a week? up the mental stimulation
I find a bit of nosework tires them out more than anything

How much mental stimulation do you do with him? I suspect he doesn't need more exercise, but a job

I'd invest in a few Kongs and the like so that he can learn to settle down and entertain himself. Frozen Kongs last well, as do cooled melted cheese and kibble Kongs. Or a nice big marrowbone.

I'd do a couple of training sessions through the day. Sometimes 15 mins of really hard thinking wears my dog our more than a three hour walk!

Puzzle work, hide and seek game, scent games. Hide treats in cardboard boxes with scrunched newspaper. Hang a plastic bottle from a tree, cut a small hole and fill with kibble so it falls out when hit.

Make him think and I bet he calms down

He is a Drug detection dog. He is worked both in this professional field and he takes a gundog class once a week - as an alternative to puppy socialisation mainly. He spends a lot of the day working.

As the behaviour is so fast I ignore, there is no time to correct. I will redirect him to a kong or bone in a quiet place with a "sit" but the energy does't allow him to sit any more than 15 minutes.

This is also a good point. You need to find a balance between walks and stimulation, and down time and learning to settle. When Cain was younger I would pander to him too much and the more I did to entertain him, the more he wanted! Over the last 6 months, other aspects of my lIDE took over and I simply couldn't give Cain the same level of attention. He was fed and walked every day still, but games were shorted and reining got cut to only a few times a week instead of every day. He stopped expecting things and he's far more settled around the house these days. It's about finding the balance.

Ha, well it's not boredom then sounds like a workaholic who needs to be trained to settle down by himself. Can you work on a settle command? Control Unleashed explains how to train a mat with associated calm behaviour using a clicker.

Sounds like he already has an interesting life. In what capacity is he a drug detection dog? If he is working most of the day, then I would be inclined to be teaching him how to settle at home and not upping his exercise or you may end up with an exercise junkie with no off switch.

Just a thought, does he have a kennel and run outdoors where he could be placed with a raw bone or stuffed kong and away from the stimulating activities going on in the house?

Yes that sounds logical. When he first came to live with me he would start searching the house. It took a long time to get him to work ONLY when on the harness.

The trouble I have with training right now (a downside to having this type of dog) is food and praise are not a reward...its all about BALLS. If he were a pet, I would remove the balls...but he works for balls. It is his job.

Seems I need to teach settle. I have been thinking about massage to help.