15 week puppy high energy activity suggestions

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SueEllen

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Okay so after 2 puppy classes Bailey my 15 week old sheltie has demonstrated he has more energy than all the puppies in his class put together :lol: During free play time he zooms around and herds the puppies and their owners and runs through the tunnel with ease and has a blast.

At home I am only taking him on short 15 min walks on the sidewalk ( gets all his final shots tomorrow so can add more time soon) and he chases our cat and plays ball with me in the house. I am trying to keep our backyard to potty time only and not play time.

Any suggestion for fun activities for a high energy puppy. I am thinking the way he easily jumps over obstacles I may need to do agility with him:-o

He had the stairs mastered the second day he was home at 9 weeks :-o
 
Sounds like Shelby! At 4 she still has way more energy than the other dogs.

I found that mental stimulation seemd to work well at tiring her out. DH also made a small jump and bought a tunnel. We have that in the basement and use it on rainy or hot days when we can't get outside. I wouldn't let your pup jump too much at such a young age.

We had a lot of different food toys that we would use to feed her meals in, and would do training. Even now I do about 15-30 min of nose work with her and that seems to tire her out.

When all else failed and I really needed a break she would get time to herself in her crate or a much desired chew bone. I still give her a chew bone when I need a break.

Enjoy this time while it lasts! It is so much fun to see them grow and learn new things.
 
Thanks Shelby's mom. I know his joints are delicate so try to restrict hard surfaces and such however can't really stop him from jumping over things when he gets the zooms!

What kind of food toys do you use exactly. I bought some puppy dental bones/treats and that keep him happy for 15 min but can only do one a day max.
 
I bought Fletcher chew toys and a pull rope to play tug of war with him when he was 3 months old and let him run freely in the back yard for exercise. That, plus a 4 year old collie playmate helped tons!
 
Mignarda, cute videos of Dickens playing, how old is he now? His coat is looking great :smile2:

Bailey is the same with our cat. The cat gets jumped on and chased constantly but keeps coming back for more so I think she love it :eek2:
 
SueEllen said:
Mignarda, cute videos of Dickens playing, how old is he now? His coat is looking great :smile2:
Click to expand...

Dickens is nineteen months now. Considering how homely he was as a pup (at least in Sheltie terms) I think he's grown into a fairly handsome dog!

If I could deal with more than one dog I think I'd get him a full-time playmate, because there's just nothing he likes better than going full-tilt with his little friend; great exercise for both of them. Unfortunately they see each other only on the order of once per month, usually for a couple of days at a time. Then they wear each other completely out!
 
Shelby's mom said:
We had a lot of different food toys that we would use to feed her meals in, and would do training. Even now I do about 15-30 min of nose work with her and that seems to tire her out.
Click to expand...

I second the food toys. Mealtimes are a fantastic opportunity to get your dog working, and dogs love it - makes them feel like they are hunting their own food and it challenges their minds. It's also a good way to teach a puppy to eat slower.

If you are feeding him kibble there are a few options
- put the kibble in a treat dispenser. You can make an inexpensive one by cutting kibble sized holes in a plastic water bottle that they have to push around to get the kibble out.
- Treasure hunt. Hide the kibble around the house (mix some treats in if you like). My dogs love this game - when I say 'treasure time' they stand at the door ready to launch. Start off hiding the kibble in plain sight and then work up to hiding it so he has to sniff around.
- The 'find it' game. This is a great way to teach your dog to track things as well. Start by scattering some kibble on the ground nearby (with your dog on lead), say 'find it' and let your dog get it. As your dog gets the idea you can scatter it around more. If you have an enclosed yard (or a long lead) you can build up to scattering the kibble around the yard.

For moist food, stuff it in a Kong or something similar (I sometimes use deep plastic containers or cups) and let him lick it out.
 
Fillion loved to play tug and sometimes I just didn't have it in me to play tug for one more second. Thinking along the lines of how entertained my cat was with the birdie on an elastic string hanging from the doorway, I devised a cheap imitation with a flexable plant stake I got at Wal-mart, string and toys. The hard part was finding a place to put it when he got older. The stake is stuck in the metal frame of the futon :) He would tug and play by himself till he was tuckered out :lol:

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a509/mmansker/Fillion/tugtoy_zps49e41f0e.jpg

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a509/mmansker/Fillion/got-it_zps3f851b03.jpg
 
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