Some breeds of cats and dogs are naturally more high-energy than others. For example, it is said that Boxers “never grow up.” They are perpetually young and rambunctious, even in old age. And, without the owners managing their energy, they seem to always be getting into trouble. Many more breeds are the same way.

Sadly, too many of these high-energy pets end up in shelters, abandoned through no fault of their own, because the owners weren’t aware of this simple issue: high energy in pets, just like in kids, must be managed/burned off first in order for the pet to be able to focus, listen to you, and behave. Without this simple management tool, you fail your pet and put his life in jeopardy if you end up surrendering him to a shelter. Shelters typically classify high-energy pets as unadoptable and end up euthanizing them. So listen up – the fix is simple and immediate and makes everyone’s life better!

It’s so simple and easy to manage your pet’s high energy, if you understand the difference between “suppressing” your pet’s high energy and “burning it off.” Consider this — have you traveled on a really long flight, and well into the flight you find yourself getting antsy? Your legs begin to twitch, your feet tap, you constantly shift position in your seat? That’s built-up energy, an actual physical thing, not a made-up saying. Can you convince yourself to ignore the twitching and just sit still? Of course not. Built-up energy needs to be managed, not ignored or suppressed. You have to get up and move around, shake it off, literally burn it off, before you can go back to your seat and sit quietly, comfortably, and focused.

Look at young kids – without regular exercise and physical activity, they get antsy, wiggly, and what happens then? Well, if the parents just order them to “sit still” or “be quiet,” they can’t. The kids begin to act out and get into trouble. It’s not because they want to get into trouble; it’s because they are being controlled by pent-up, unmanaged energy. It’s actually not their fault. It’s the parents’ job to help manage/diffuse their kids’ pent-up energy. And, generally, drugs are not the answer. It’s a simple biological issue — just get them active and burn off the energy. Likewise, for pets, it’s the owners’ job to manage the pets’ level of energy to keep the pet in a better state of behavior, focus, and comfort.

The body’s energy cannot be just ignored; the body continues producing more and more energy, and the energy keeps piling up inside, energy on top of energy. The ONLY way to eliminate all this increasing energy is to physically work it off. It’s the same with animals; except animals can’t rationalize that, so it’s all on the owners to take charge of this issue.

Regular small bursts of exercise is the answer. One or two or more times a day, 20-30 minute bursts of activity are all that’s needed to diffuse excess built-up energy. With the excess high energy burned away, you and your pet can both relax and de-stress better. Your pet becomes more focused and trainable, and you become more at ease and patient.

Another benefit of managing your pet’s energy is that, once the built-up energy is diffused, your pet will be able to focus better on you and actually hear you and absorb training. You’ll have an infinitely better behaved pet if you make exercise a regular part of your routine. And not just a leisurely stroll down the driveway or a quick pottie break in the back yard, but an actual 20-30 minutes of vibrant activity – a run around the block, fetch with his favorite kong toy, swimming in the pool, etc.

Or, if weather prevents you from getting outside, you can still play inside – tag up and down the halls, wrestling on the bed, tug of war with a rope toy, climbing up and down the stairs, etc. Get creative – whatever gets his heart rate up and circulation going for 20-30 minutes will help burn off the energy. One, two, even three or more times a day depending on your pet’s energy level. No big marathon runs or workouts needed. You’ll find these daily little bursts of activity are lifesavers – you and your pet will both be so much happier and relaxed. Burning off energy also burns off tension, stress, and anxiety. Everyone wins!

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008.  Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.