Do you need to calm your dog after a workout? My sisters and I work out a lot with Mom. We run and/or walk early mornings, we practice tracking and nose work homework, we walk later in the afternoon, we all love it. Lately we’ve heard pet parents questioning working out with their dogs because the dogs become over stimulated and crazy. We don’t have such a problem and find working out wears us out.
Not sure what the problem for this over stimulation could be, I did what any sensible dog would do, I asked my mom about it. Here is what she had to say:
Well Emma, you know when I get up in the morning I’m usually still tired and wonder how I will get through the day with all the things I need to do. I go for a long run or walk with you girls, and suddenly, I become all wound up. My mind is super charged! I have so many ideas of things I want to do after our workout, I barely have time to eat my breakfast, but then I settle in at my desk and slowly relax. I guess I would consider myself over stimulated from a good workout, but my routine brings me back down. Actually, you girls all have after workout routines to bring you down too, you just haven’t noticed it.
I found Mom’s take on this subject quite interesting and she is right. We all have an after workout routine which winds us back down. Below are my 3 tips to calm your dog down after a workout.
1. Give your dog something to do
Bailie has been staying home alone for an hour after a long run with no problems because after the run, she gets a Kong which gives her something to do and helps her relax. When Mom started leaving Bailie home alone after a run to walk Katie and I, things at home were a disaster as Bailie had too much energy, but with the Kong, no more trouble. She finishes it off and takes a nap.
If you are home with your dog, try a chew article such as a hoof, antler, or bully stick. The chewing really does give us focus and calms us down. Be careful to always supervise your dog with these items in case they break or get stuck in their throat.
2. Work off the stimulation
Most of the time after a run or walk, we go right in the yard when we get home. If you are fortunate enough to have a yard this is an option. We run around sniffing for wabbits, playing a bit of chase, and after ten minutes or so we head up the stairs to be let in. Somehow it is much better than just going right in the house and not knowing what to do. We find a spot, lie down, and often fall asleep.
3. Establish a routine and stick with it
Ever since we were tiny, we have had a routine, especially in the morning which is when we do out biggest workouts. We get up, workout, eat, and nap. Napping for a good hour or more after eating is so important to prevent bloat. This routine of ours teaches us we need to workout to earn our food. Even though we may be all wound up, we mellow down while eating and then habit kicks in and we find our favorite napping spots and take a snooze.
I realize no two dogs are the same and some dogs are more wound up than others, but it has worked for all of Mom’s dogs so far and it always works for our friends when they come and stay with us. Maybe these tips can help you calm your dog down after a good workout too! At our house, a tired dog is truly a good dog!
I’m co hosting the FitDog Friday Blog Hop with SlimDoggy, and To Dog With Love! Please join us on Fridays to share your fitness stories with others, find new ways to have fun, and new fitness ideas too! Tell your friends to stop by as well – fit dogs are healthier, happier dogs!
After the girls’ first potty break of the day, Ducky is usually wound up and runs around the house for about 2-3 minutes. So, this morning I put her on the treadmill for a few minutes. She’s still new to it, so the little panic attacks wore her out. When she was done, she took a nap before breakfast while I had my first cup of coffee. 🙂
We’ve had Bailie on a treadmill. She did alright, but she was worn out from nerves as well.
It’s scary having the “earth” move under your feet, especially when you don’t understand why it’s moving.
We get up at 7:30 for a potty break and to chase any squirrels, frogs or lizards that might be in the yard. Our walks take place in the evening when the sidewalks cool down. There is too much traffic in the mornings.
You guys lead the life of leisure…we are up at 5am and already done with our workout and breakfast when you get up, but it is the routine that works for us. Most humans don’t like to get up so early but at our house early is the name of the game.
These are really great tips. I find Cricket to be the most energized after exercising. It always amazed me that we would get back from a jog and she would run to find her ball so we could play fetch! So we toss the ball for just a few minutes and that satisfies her and then she’s ready for nap.
We always go wild after a workout, but then we mellow out and fall asleep. It has only been since Bailie arrived and we workout in shifts that we started seeing how wound up we are and had to end that.
Great post Emma! Mom is on vacation right now (without us!?!?) but I am going to make sure she reads this. It’s one of her biggest gripes about me. I always want to do something after we walk. SOMETHING! Now she will have ideas. Thanks! Your doodle friend Dash
First of all, if she left on vacation without you, be wild for hours when she gets back no matter what. That is really a lot of nerve! Then next time you workout, try my tips and I bet you will mellow down.
She gets back this weekend. My sister and I have plans!!! You bet we do!
If I hear an extra loud bang I will know it is you guys and not fireworks!
Love the top picture! What a precious picture!
Thank you.
Y’all are very wise! Hey, I got that nap thing covered!
My cats have the napping thing down pretty well too!
thanks for the info on your message – it was the first thing I did when we moved here…was look for a vet or chiropractor who could work on dogs – Reilly use to see one in Nebraska and it really helped. Sadly we have not found one here. He gets laser therapy though and that makes him feel so much better. We also tried the rejuvenate we used it for 2 months and it had no affect what so ever on Reilly – it did give Denny the runs though – not quite what we wanted. Reilly also takes supplements that do help a little. Enjoy your 4th of July girls
Did you try Rejenease??? There are so many with similar names. I left another comment on your blog with a bit more info so I’m sure you get it.
Excellent points Emma. Exercising does energize you, but then you need to channel that energy. Routines are very helpful.
Channeling the energy is a great way to put it, wish I had thought of that earlier.
These are great tips. Ruby usually gets an extra long walk in the morning before we leave for work. It seems to relax her and then when we leave she’s usually already half asleep.
That’s awesome. We all sleep most of the morning after our early workouts.
Excellent tips.
Honey relaxes after a run or play session. But when she was a puppy, she’d get overtired and hyper. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. When I did, I’d put her in her crate where she’d fall asleep instantly.
But if I didn’t give her an off switch, she’d spin around like a crazy dog.
Exactly the point, and I think younger dogs really need more help winding down than older dogs. Bailie is still nuts until she gets her Kong or breakfast to calm her down, and then she pretty much falls over and sleeps for a few hours.
What about a nap? Love Dolly
First you have to mellow down, get off the wild and crazy fitness high using a routine, Kong, chew, etc, then you will fall asleep.
The boys are pretty mellow after any exercise. It’s with NO routine of exercise that the wild and crazies kick in.
We are usually wound up after a run or real long walk, but our calming techniques mellow us down pretty quickly.
Great tips. Pups are creatures of habit so a familiar routine is a great way to help them stay relaxed and out of trouble. A good Kong toy certainly helps that cause too.
Bailie alone after a run without a Kong means lots of dead pillows and beds, so we opt for the Kong for her.
Interesting! Great tips.
sumskersandearlskers13.blogspot.com
Dogs with routines and ones that are truly out of the puppy stages usually mellow down on their own much easier too.
Great tips Emma. I love to give Kilo a cold treat in his kong to help calm him down.
Mom often just uses peanut butter with banana or yogurt not frozen too. It just depends on the weather and Mom’s mood.
Great tips! Thanks I try and walk our dogs around our property as a cool down for them and myself. It works really well.
With our age spread, it means two workout shifts in the morning, so when Bailie runs, Katie and I walk after or if Bailie and I do a long walk, Katie goes alone with Mom which means some of us are stuck home to cool down on our own which is where the Kong or yard come in. It was much easier when Katie and I did everything together and were the only two dogs, but life changes things.
Hi Y’all!
I’ve always had a strict routine. With horses routine is essential and as a result my Human treats me like a horse!
Have a fun, cool and safe 4th!
Hawk aka BrownDog
Oh my, I hope you get more than grass to eat, LOL! We are all routine oriented here. Mom loves basic set schedules.
Fabulous tips!!!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thank you.
Exercise is important. We start trying to herd anything that moves if we don’t get our exercise. We usually go out and run in the feedlot with the horses and cows.
Since you have that option it makes sense, but for us suburban dogs or even worse, city dogs, exercise is a bit more complicated.
Mr. N will toss his toys around to play by himself or go chew on a bully stick after a walk.
See, he is old enough to know how to handle himself. Mature dogs tend to “get it”, but young ones like Bailie go wild and don’t know what to do with all their sudden energy so they have to learn. The same is true for dogs who never really got exercise and then start working out as it is all a new feeling!
Excellent tips. I think calmness comes with maturity but also it is nice to have a dog with an on/off switch in their dna. We were hoping for that with Freighter and for the most part he has that. When he is done with his turn at training he will wait quietly in his crate for his next turn which is nice. I have seen some crazy dogs that spin in their crate. Thank goodness he isn’t one of those.
Some breeds are just naturally easily wound up I think, but otherwise it is a maturity thing. Bailie is a wild one but she settles quickly if we give her something else to focus on. With Katie and I it was easier as Mom was always with us after working out, but now we have to do things in shifts which leaves Bailie alone so she needs some help.
During the week we go for a walk in the late morning (it’s a run for Bruin, and a drag for me) then we come home and he eats his breakfast then takes a long nap. But on the weekends there are other people here, sometimes one and sometimes more than one, and they’re all very exciting to have around. Bruin does not calm down at all on the weekends. Not at all. Never.
We think telling people to go away on the weekends would be a good idea, but it might hurt our friends’ feelings.
Puppies are easily excited, and it takes a lot of work and patience to teach them to quiet down. You have to really work at it, be consistent, when people arrive give him a frozen stuffed Kong, or an antler, something to redirect his attention so he learns people arriving means something wonderful, not time to get wild. You have to do it every time, though so he learns. Once he is quiet, people can give him attention, but if he gets wild, he has to be ignored and you have to be consistent.
Interesting. Somehow the way our routine evolved is that it does include a stuffed kong after every time we come from a walk/outing.
It really works to settle us down! Most of our routines really happened by accident. The Kong is the only new thing we had to come up with for our wild child, Bailie.
What great ideas…Arty is always wound up after working out, a Kong might be just the thing!
Smileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
If it works on Bailie, our master of disaster, I bet it would work well for him too!
These are all very good tips! And that last pic of you sleeping. Sigh. So precious.
That is pretty much my standard position/pose after breakfast 😉
Great tips! It’s funny that Rocco always wants to go out in the backyard after we go for a walk. I think the time off leash in the backyard helps to relax him after a stimulating walk. Or, he just wants to make sure the squirrels haven’t taken over since we left!
I would guess it is both. We love to hit the yard after a good walk too for chasing and sniffing and then in the house for breakfast and a nap.
Mostly my guys are quite content to settle in after a walk, but there are some days when Sampson comes in and is really feeling his oats. He will grab a toy and we play a little bit of keep-away or fetch, or sometimes he and Delilah play a little, which usually starts her with the zoomies. 🙂 BUT this usually lasts only a few minutes and then they settle right down. Your mom is super wise Emma.
It is partly maturity I think. Katie and I are pretty mellow.
This is so amazingly timely for us right now. I don’t know what it is lately – the warm weather, extended sunlight, or something in the water but Laika’s been driving me nuts. She’s always wanting to go-go-go and it’s tough because if we do exercise like crazy her arthritis will act up so it’s a balancing act. Thank you for these tips – I’ve been trying them for the last week and I’ve seen a huge improvement 🙂
It is always a great feeling when we can help someone out with things we have learned!
some great tips!