Help ease the energy

Hi and welcome!
 
The thing about walks is, we humans never walk fast enough for dogs. So walks are great because they get out, get some exercise, and see the world.... but they don't necessarily drain the dog of his energy. After walking my dog, she is usually full of energy too.
 
To keep Scout happy and me sane, I take her to an off-leash area to rip around a few times. Throw a tennis ball, or jog around (that really gets her running), and let her get the heart rate really going.
 
There are a few options - your backyard if it's large; an off-leash dog park; personally I sort of bend the rules... I take Scout to a nearby ball diamond that is totally fenced. The only openings are at the 2 dugouts, and I block those with garbage cans. Of course I only do this during off-season times and when there aren't a lot of people at the park. It's the perfect size fenced area for her to run around. If your dog isn't panting at least a bit, they probably aren't going to be tired out. 

Hi Welcome!
I also have a very high energy dog so I know where you are coming from.  If your guy is still energetic after your walk then the only thing I would recommend is a longer walk [] Also if you have a place where he can run off lead safely that would be good.  Will he play catch?  Throwing a ball is a good way to expell some of that extra energy.  You may also try mental stimulation to tire him out.  I have those treat balls, where you put kibble or some other type of yummy treat inside the ball and the dog has to roll the ball around to get the treats out.  Some people will feed their dogs this way in order to mentally stimulate them. 

As far as teaching your dog a job there are several routes you can pursue.  If you want to learn about dog games, such as flyball, agility, rally, obedience, you can research dog clubs in your area.  Take a class or two, see how you and your dog like it.  If there are no classes in your area you can seek out a private trainer or read, read read up on whatever subject tickles your fancy. []

Good luck!

Thank-you for your comments!! He is wearing me out! He responds well to the dog parks, but lately even after we leave those he will come home and run around for like an hour then sleep. I heard dogs generally sleep alot, well not my dog (euclid) He will stay awake for hours on end. from 7 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, is this normal. Do you think this connected with his energy?

Take him to basic training classes, so he learns to bond and listen to you - then maybe try tracking (the hound part of him might like this a lot) or agility.  

There is different ways to walk your dog, walking to drain energy is not only "you, me and a leash" []
 
How you walk your dog? do you let him sniff everything he wants and stop in every tree? because if it is that way then your dog will get more stimulated than anything else and maybe because of that he comes back home with even more energy
 
Lets think about a kid that goes to chucky cheese for only 45 minutes, when he comes back home he will coming back wanting more of the excitement, now if instead of that you take him to soccer practice then after 45 minutes he will be tired
 
So whats the difference? you have to re direct your dog's attention to you to avoid him be excited to sniff or stop everytime he wants, that way he will be focused on the walk and not the surroundings and see which other dog's smell he can get
 
Also it would help if you buy a doggy back pack, you can put water inside (or sand or rocks) so it will weight more, making him more tired sooner and he will feel he is having a job to do []

Did you think about making the first walk on bike? It's a fantastic draining for the dog and even better cardio. It requires of course a bit of training before doing it but it work marvelously well.

Bugsy is just a little younger than your dog and 95lbs of pure energy.  No walk is long enough to tire him out (unless its summer time).  We walk 2 - 6 miles a day, probably 5-6 days a week he either plays with his girlfriend (13 mo old golden) for 30 + minutes at the turnaround of his walk (he wears her out completely) or he plays with his 120lb golden buddy who lives across the cul de sac after his walk.  He plays tug with the 120lber and wears him out to the point where Bugsy drags him around the yard by a rope.  He will then run full out in our yard (1 acre) for a while, or play fetch.

Additionally he is outside first thing 'working' for over an hour.  by working I mean hunting, inspecting, chasing, etc.  He does not sit and chill out.

In the evening we go out for  at least another hour or so do ing some training or playing  and he is still at full speed.

We keep waiting for his energy  needs to decrease and in fairness they are better now than they were when he was 6 mos old []

so I don't really have answers for you - we practice tracking with him, he has a backpack, he gets the newspaper and mail, we are really working on wait and stay when we play which is REALLY  hard for him.  All of these work but he is just HIGH energy.  The best part is that when he crashes at night (usually pretty early) he is GONE - out cold.
I feel that the best we can do is give him daily walks (all business, no wandering and sniffing only when allowed), time outside to 'work' and mental challenges.  Some days he gets bonuses like the other day when his girlfriend invited him to the lake and he got 2+ hours of swimming and playing with her on top of his 4 mile walk.
I wish I could bike with him but that would be one for hte marmaduke comic.  Even when I jog him he just wants to take off.

good luck from the owner of one high energy dog to another

1. All treats and food in the context of a puzzle toy.
2. Recreational bones and other good things to chew. Chew toys = magazines for dogs.
3. Regular obedience training and NILIF are mentally stimulating, especially when you work up to stimulating environments (walks with obedience are exhausting for learning dogs, learning impulse control is exhausting! freeshaping is exhausting!)
4. Running at least 30min every day

...and once all these things are done, teach your dog how to settle down by ignoring any pestering for more play! You are only *so* responsible for your dog's good times...

What's going on when you walk? Is he pulling? Lagging behind? Walking nicely? I have a female that is a BC mixed with what we suspect is Beagle. I used to take her on walks for miles and miles, and when we'd get back she'd be MORE wound up than when we left. However, I allowed her to pull on the leash. I found that when I started NOT allowing her to pull (ie, penalty steps) suddenly she was more relaxed after our walk. I suspect it was because suddenly she had to use her brain.

I taught her to retrieve socks from between the washer and dryer, and started her in obedience and agility. Worked WONDERS for her. Then again, turning 3 years old worked wonders too!

ORIGINAL: fisher6000

1. All treats and food in the context of a puzzle toy.
2. Recreational bones and other good things to chew. Chew toys = magazines for dogs.
3. Regular obedience training and NILIF are mentally stimulating, especially when you work up to stimulating environments (walks with obedience are exhausting for learning dogs, learning impulse control is exhausting! freeshaping is exhausting!)
4. Running at least 30min every day

...and once all these things are done, teach your dog how to settle down by ignoring any pestering for more play! You are only *so* responsible for your dog's good times...

Right on the money - great post.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! I will take blame for the walks, I do let him sniff, frolic, and pull!!! I thought that would help wear him out! I guess I was wrong.  [] I will try walking him tomorrow. We need to work on heeling anyways! Any ideas on how to start? We did pet smart training when he was a puppy but that was a waste of money [X(].  So I guess I let him pull, sniff, and run a muck because he I never learned how to take him for a walk properly. 

Another thing, you mentioned he's still a puppy.  When you do walk him, make sure to change your pace quite often.  Carry a few high value treats with you and get his attention on you as much as possible. 

Loose lead walking and/or modified heel works the dog alot harder because the dog has to maintain position and has to read you as well as the terrain.

As far as walks not tiring a dog out...I have gone one 5 mile walks with my two and at the end we'll go for a a 20 or 30 minute run and they've still got energy when we get home.  But when they crash...how sweet it is.

I found these articles on loose leash walking really helpful:
 
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