Treadmills for dogs...? Games?? Ideas? what am I doing wrong!? Or do I just need more wine...?

Hello,

I hope this is in the right place to post this kind of thing... I ended up hurting my back and I'm not really able to walk my dogs at the moment. It's going to be awhile before I will be up and able to do so unfortunately. Does anyone know of a good treadmill for dogs? or games to keep a young Stafford busy?

My wee man Ryker is bouncing off the walls... He's not getting enough exercise I think. 1 hour to an 1.5 hours a day is just not enough I guess (usually field time through out the day and then a walk at night) ... I've been paying someone to walk him 45 minutes every day and he gets to run in a field that's about an acre or so every day. We play fetch and he gets to run with my other dog Ruben but apparently that's not enough maybe?...  He's starting to act out. I'm sure a part of that, if not a big part of that, is because he's only 8 months old but he's driving me and everyone else in the house hold along with my other dog nuts lol

He doesn't want to listen and he's nipping more than normal. I've read on here that that's pretty normal for a young Stafford so I'm sure he will grow out of it. We work daily on training, about 15 to 20 minutes.

I'm not sure what else to do other than keep up on the training and get him more (?) exercise. Maybe some minds games? like the interactive toys?

Or is this how it is for staffords until they get to a certain age usually?

Any ideas? Has anyone used a treadmill for there dogs?

I'm out of ideas and so is my trainers lol  

According to the internet which may or may not be right... but for his age he's getting enough exercise...isn't it 5 minutes for each month? Or is that even true? He doesn't seem to have any pains so I don't think i'm working him to much. He's not running the whole time he's in the field either. Is 45 minutes (which would be, according to the internet, 5 minutes to long) ok or should I shorten that walk?

No idea about treadmills though I guess you could teach Ryker to run on yours, if you had one.
8 months is full of adventure but maybe Ryker might be “hyper active” due to his food ?

I do wish you a speedy recovery

I wouldn't recommend a treadmill for an 8 month old pup, you could end up damaging his tendons & bones - he could even tear a ligament.

The 5 minute rule is for on lead walking on hard surfaces, but he Dan run around on grass for longer as long as he's allowed to rest every so often. No high impact exercise.

Why not ture his brain? Seek exercises are good for that - hiding treats or favourite toys around the room & get him to find them. Or teach him some complicated obedience runs, like sit, stand, down, come, stay - all done rapidly & in different orders.

Well that's what I was also asking about. Games that would get him thinking or something that he could do on his own while I'm at work. We go through training every day. I mix it up and he is really great at all the basics. He is also learning tricks currently but it doesn't seem to get much energy out. I will give the hid and seek thing a try though. He sort of already does that with his balls out in the field. I will tell him to go find a ball and he will run around and bring one or two back to me. haha

I was concerned about him getting hurt on a treadmill as well which is why I wanted to see what others thought. I've seen some reviews about adult dogs getting hurt on treadmills so it is a concern of mine. I will hold off on the treadmill.

Kong's are great too especially in this heat. We use natural yoghurt and add mashed fruits like strawberries and bananas and freeze them for her. We give her one a day and they are mentally tiring plus they are a great way to keep her cool in the heat

You can also buy treat puzzle games. Treats are placed in compartments & the dog has to work out how to open the compartments.

Thank you all! I will give those a try. I actually found a dock diving place not far from where I live. I thought I could start him out with some swim lessons and when he's older I would get him into that if he seems to like it. I got a dog puzzle thing the other day, I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again!