This High Energy Dog Needs to Practice Chilling the Fuck Out

If you’ve got a high energy pet dog, chances are you’re very familiar with your dogs ability to go and go and go. It’s what you apparently signed up for when you brought that working type pet dog into your home, and if you jump on any of the breed specific facebook groups to share the latest stressful thing your dog has done chances are you’ll get feedback along the lines of “oh that’s just what (kelpies/spaniels/border collies/insert working breed of choice here) are like. They just need to be kept busy. Here’s 500 million ways with a cherry on top to keep them occupied 24/7.”

To an extent that’s true. They’re born to do stuff, they need suitable work and lifestyles to fulfil their needs and keep them happy. They’re not going to be happy with a 30 minute walk around the block once a day, and it’s not fair to expect that of them. We should be making sure their days involve a reasonable amount of work and enrichment or we will suffer the consequences.

There’s a flip side to the coin though. Even for the highest drive working dogs actively employed in what they’re bred for, having the ability to sit down and chill the out is a crucial part of their work and life in general.

Whether that’s a farm dog needing to shut up and be quiet while their owners are drafting at the yards, a gun dog needing to sit down and wait for their release cue to go retrieve the duck, or a sport dog needing to behave themselves while they wait for their turn. Well educated working dogs are taught to chill out and wait between work.

Having a nutty pet working dog 24/7 isn’t something you just need to accept because it’s xyz breed and “that’s just how this breed is until they are too old to move”.

Yes, your working breed dog probably will go all day and won’t bloody stop, if that’s what you allow them to practice and expect. They are bred to find doing *the thing* inherently rewarding after all.

But we can and should change that picture by adding structure to their day, and practicing chill time too. Practicing being okay without constant stimulation is so important to supporting our dogs mental wellbeing, as well as preserving your sanity living in the same household.

So what does this look like in practice?

🌟 Dedicated rest time. Working dogs are typically kennelled, crated or tethered when not working for a reason. Not only does it force them to stop running and physically rest, it becomes a conditioned place to relax and mentally rest between work too. My guys get put in the crate or kennel when I head out or they’re just needing some chill time. Often with a Kong or similar for their breakfast (licking and chewing are inherently calming activities), but they don’t need that all the time. It’s okay and actually good for your dog to be bored sometimes, provided their needs are being met throughout the day/week.

🌟Mat or “place”. Similar to the crate or kennel, teaching a dog to go lie on a clear spot which becomes a place of conditioned relaxation which can also be taken out and about. This space is specifically for chilling out - think meditation for dogs.

🌟Down stays. On a walk, around the house, in the backyard - down stays are wonderful ways of teaching dogs the art of doing nothing. Their job in that moment isn’t to be herding things or running flat out. Their job is to lie there and chill out until released. Again, meditation for dogs!

So yes - go forth and work your dog. Make sure they are getting enough stimulation to be fulfilled.

But don’t forget to teach them to chill the fuck out too. That’s a skill that needs to be practiced like anything else, and is so important to creating a well balanced dog that is enjoyable to be around.