How To Tire Out Your Dog: Outdoor Dog Games for Active Dogs

We’ve all seen dogs that are so full of energy you just can’t tire them out. If you are one of those dog owners who is asking themselves how you can tire out your dog, have no fear, I’ll show you how. Assuming that you’re struggling to give them enough exercise to satisfy them these few dog games might help.

Most dog owners struggle with their dogs while they’re young. Even a long dog walk will not tire some dogs. If they don’t get enough exercise they might take on bad habits like chewing their beds and other household objects.

Experimentation is the key here, try out different exercises to find out which one will work. In due time, you’ll find one that works for your dog. The idea is to give your dog an intense physical exercise in just a short period of time.

Flirt Pole or Flirt Stick

This one is a great exercise. It involves a long pole with a lure that is connected to the end by rope. Whenever you move the pole, the lure also moves around. This entices your dog to make the chase. This tends to be a great physical exercise that is also mentally stimulating.

The exercise plays on the dog’s instinct to make the chase, it does this in a non-destructive manner. If you’ve had a hard time keeping up with your dog, then this is the way to go.

The dog will be running around like its crazy, all the while, you’ll be standing there moving the lure. If you engage the dog for a couple of minutes, you’ll have achieved a great deal of exercise and the dog will get tired.

As you get started, make sure that you start at a slow pace. You’ll then increase the pace so that you can avoid unnecessary injuries. Understand that this is a high impact activity. You don’t have to buy a flirt rope, you can always make one. You just need a PVC pipe, or even a broom handle, a bungee cord and a toy for the dog.

Since many veterinarians do not recommend allowing your dog to play with sticks because of the danger of injury, flirt poles mimic the activity of chasing a stick. When you use a lure that is chew friendly it makes a safe chew toy for your dog when captured.

Frisbee

Ah the Frisbee. The go to chase toy for dogs in the park. You can always toss a Frisbee further than a ball. If you increase the running distance, this becomes a very effective exercise. You just have to stand there and toss the Frisbee as the dog puts in the work.

You can always start with a soft disc if your dog does not know how to catch the Frisbee. If the dog sustains an injury while attempting to catch a Frisbee, it might resist it the next time.

Tug of War

This is my favorite game. Not only is it fun, but it’s also a great physical exercise for your dog (and you too if you have a big dog). It’s also a great way to teach your dog how to engage in good manners.

The important thing here is to follow the rules of the game. Make sure you stop if your dog’s teeth touch your skin and give him a “no bite” command. You can also work on commands like drop it. This game is physically demanding but it’s worthwhile.

Want More? Try These: Games to Play With Chihuahua and other Small Dogs

Chasing Bubbles

Understand that this is one of the easiest ways that you can tire your dog out. However, if your dog does not understand how to play the game, you can always illustrate by blowing several times.

Just point toward the bubble and encourage the dog to make the chase, with time, the dog will get an idea as to what is going on. You can even go the extra mile and catch some by yourself, for illustrative purposes. As soon as your dog catches on you can play for quite some time as he’ll love chasing the bubbles.

Tunnel Challenge

This can be a simple or elaborate obstacle course set up. But those kids play tunnels work great for this. You can entice your dog to run through the tunnel by throwing a ball through the tunnel and having him race through to get it.

You can expand on this further by setting up a more elaborate obstacle course as well. Set up things to run around, jump over and crawl through. Be creative. This challenges you active dog both mentally and physically which is a one two punch for tiring out an active dog.

If the weather outside is rainy or snowy there are plenty of indoor dog games you can play to tire out your dog too.

The important thing to remember is to make the games fun for your dog so he enjoys play time.