Jackie Murphy
G. Dip AAB / A. Dip AAB (Canine) / MISAP (Beh) / MEST (QTLS)
Specialist Dog Training
Does your dog seem to have endless energy, even after a long walk? Do they come home and immediately start pacing, barking, bringing you toys or looking for the next thing to do?
It is easy to assume the answer is more exercise.
Another walk. A longer walk. A trip to the park. Half an hour throwing the ball.
As a dog trainer and behaviour practitioner working with dogs and their owners across Kent, I regularly see dogs who receive plenty of physical exercise but still struggle to settle.
Sometimes the answer isn’t more exercise.
Sometimes your dog needs more rest, calmer activities and help learning how to switch off.
Does My Dog Need More Exercise?
Exercise is an important part of a dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing. Dogs need opportunities to walk, explore, sniff, play and engage in natural behaviours.
But there is a difference between meeting your dog’s individual exercise needs and continually trying to tire your dog out.
You may have heard the saying, “A tired dog is a happy dog.”
Unfortunately, it isn’t quite that simple.
If every time your dog appears restless you increase their physical exercise, you may simply end up with a very fit dog who needs increasing amounts of activity before they feel tired.
Think about what happens when we exercise regularly. The activity becomes easier because we become fitter.
Our dogs are no different.
Rather than asking “How can I tire my dog out?”, it can be more helpful to ask:
“Does my dog have the right balance of exercise, mental stimulation and rest?”
Can Too Much Exercise Make a Dog More Hyper?
For some dogs, lots of exciting, high-energy activity can contribute to over-arousal.
A dog who appears to have endless energy isn’t necessarily a dog who needs another walk. They may actually be struggling to regulate their arousal levels and settle.
Signs your dog may be becoming over-aroused can include:
- Pacing around the house
- Difficulty settling or sleeping
- Constantly bringing you toys
- Demand barking
- Jumping up
- Mouthing or grabbing clothes
- Becoming easily frustrated
- Reacting more strongly to dogs, people or noises
- Becoming increasingly excitable on walks
- Difficulty concentrating during training
- Following you constantly
- Struggling when nothing is happening
It is understandable to see these behaviours and think your dog needs to “burn off some energy”.
But adding another highly stimulating activity isn’t always the answer.
Is Ball Chasing Making My Dog More Excited?
Ball throwing is a favourite activity for many dogs – and their owners.
Some dogs absolutely love it.
The problem can arise when we repeatedly throw the ball for long periods because we believe we are tiring the dog out.
Chasing a ball can involve intense anticipation, sprinting, chasing, grabbing, sudden stopping and turning before immediately repeating the sequence.
For some dogs, this can be an incredibly stimulating activity.
They may become so focused on the ball that they struggle to disengage from the game. Rather than returning home relaxed, they remain highly aroused and immediately look for something else to do.
This doesn’t mean you should never throw a ball for your dog.
Instead, look at your individual dog’s behaviour.
Ask yourself:
What is my dog like after we finish playing?
Are they relaxed and able to settle?
Or are they pacing, pestering you to continue, searching for the ball and struggling to switch off?
Your dog’s behaviour after an activity can tell you a lot about whether that activity is helping them.
Try a Sniffing Walk Instead
Not every dog walk needs to be about how far you travel.
Sometimes slowing things down can be far more beneficial.
Dogs experience a huge amount of their world through scent, yet we can unintentionally rush them through their walks.
We have a destination in mind.
The dog stops to sniff.
“Come on!”
They stop again.
“Come on, we’re walking!”
But from your dog’s perspective, the sniffing is part of the walk.
Give your dog opportunities to investigate the grass, explore a hedgerow, follow an interesting scent or simply stop and take in their surroundings.
A slower walk with plenty of opportunities for sniffing and exploration provides a very different experience from a fast-paced walk or repetitive ball chasing.
So instead of concentrating purely on the number of miles you have walked, think about the quality of your dog’s walk.
Sometimes getting home quickly isn’t the goal.
Mental Stimulation Is Important Too
Physical exercise is only one part of meeting a dog’s needs.
Mental enrichment gives dogs opportunities to use their brains and engage in natural behaviours such as sniffing, searching, chewing, licking and problem-solving.
There are lots of simple ways to introduce enrichment into everyday life.
You could try:
- Scatter feeding in the garden
- “Find it” games
- Snuffle mats
- Food puzzles
- Appropriate chews
- Stuffed food toys
- Scent games
- Short training sessions
- Hide-and-seek
- Exploring a new environment at your dog’s pace
Enrichment doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.
Something as simple as scattering part of your dog’s normal meal around the garden and encouraging them to search for it can turn feeding time into an enjoyable activity.
But there is another important point.
We don’t need to entertain our dogs every minute they are awake.
Does My Dog Need More Sleep?
Rest and sleep are important for a dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing.
Some dogs are naturally very good at settling themselves.
Others need a little more help.
This can be particularly noticeable with puppies and adolescent dogs.
An overtired puppy doesn’t necessarily curl up and quietly go to sleep.
Instead, you may suddenly have a puppy racing around the house, biting your hands, grabbing your clothes, barking, jumping and generally behaving as though someone has pressed the chaos button.
Owners understandably look at this behaviour and think:
“How can they possibly be tired? Look at all that energy!”
But sometimes that burst of frantic behaviour is a sign that the puppy needs some downtime.
Providing a comfortable, quiet area away from constant household activity can help your dog learn to relax.
Depending on the individual dog, this could be their bed, a crate or pen they have been positively introduced to, or simply a quieter room in the house.
Does Your Dog Expect You to Entertain Them All Day?
Without realising it, we can sometimes teach our dogs that whenever they are awake, something exciting should happen.
Your dog brings you a toy.
You throw it.
They nudge your hand.
You interact with them.
They pace around.
You take them for a walk.
They bark at you.
You find them something to do.
Over time, the dog can become very good at recruiting you into providing constant entertainment.
Playing, walking, training and spending time together are all important parts of living with a dog.
But so is learning that sometimes nothing happens – and that’s okay.
Being able to settle calmly while you work, watch television, eat dinner or get on with everyday life is an important skill.
Calmness is something we can encourage too.
Why Won’t My Dog Settle After a Walk?
If your dog has had a good walk but comes home and still cannot settle, simply making tomorrow’s walk longer may not solve the problem.
Think about what happened during the walk.
Was your dog constantly pulling?
Did they encounter lots of other dogs?
Were they barking or lunging?
Was the environment particularly busy?
Did you spend a long time throwing a ball?
Were they continually excited?
Or did they have time to calmly sniff, explore and process their surroundings?
A physically tired dog can still be mentally and emotionally aroused.
This is particularly relevant for dogs who find walks difficult because they are worried about other dogs, people, traffic or their environment.
For these dogs, a long walk isn’t necessarily a relaxing walk.
Exercise Isn’t the Answer to Every Behaviour Problem
When a dog is barking, chewing, destroying things, reacting on walks or generally struggling to settle, owners are frequently advised:
“They just need more exercise.”
Sometimes increasing appropriate exercise and enrichment does help.
But behaviour is rarely that simple.
Restlessness, hyperactivity and changes in behaviour can also be influenced by:
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Frustration
- Pain or discomfort
- Changes within the home
- Lack of quality sleep
- Overstimulation
- Adolescence
- Previous learning
- Changes in routine
- Medical conditions
If your dog’s behaviour has suddenly changed, or they appear unusually restless, uncomfortable or unable to settle, it is important not to automatically assume they need more exercise. A veterinary check may be appropriate to rule out pain or an underlying medical problem.
How Much Exercise Does My Dog Actually Need?
There isn’t one answer that applies to every dog.
Age, breed, health, temperament, fitness, lifestyle and individual personality all matter.
A young working breed may have very different needs from an older dog with arthritis. A confident dog who enjoys busy environments may cope very differently from a dog who finds walks stressful.
Even two dogs of the same breed and age can have very different needs.
This is why I prefer to look at the individual dog in front of me, rather than simply prescribing a certain number of minutes or miles each day.
And remember that your dog’s needs can change.
There may be days for longer walks and adventures and other days when a shorter sniffing walk, some enrichment and a quiet afternoon are exactly what they need.
Finding the Right Balance for Your Dog
Exercise is important.
So is play.
So is training.
So is enrichment.
And so is rest.
Instead of continually trying to create an exhausted dog, aim to help your dog achieve a healthy balance between physical activity, mental stimulation and quality downtime.
If your dog seems to have endless energy, becomes over-excited easily or struggles to settle despite having plenty of exercise, adding another walk may not be the answer.
Sometimes doing a little less – and helping your dog learn how to switch off – can make a surprisingly big difference.
Dog Behaviour and Training Support in Kent
If your dog struggles to settle, becomes easily over-aroused or you are experiencing other training or behavioural difficulties, it is important to look at the whole picture, rather than focusing on one behaviour in isolation.
Exercise, sleep, enrichment, health, routine, environment, previous experiences and learning can all influence how a dog behaves.
Through Specialist Dog Training, I work with dogs and their owners across Kent, providing individual training and behaviour support tailored to the dog and the family they live with.
Because sometimes improving behaviour isn’t about doing more.
It’s about understanding what your dog actually needs.