05/21/2026
I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a wild statement — a tired dog does not necessarily equal a good dog. There. I said it. Go ahead and yell at me, throw things at me, whatever gets your initial gut reaction out into the open.
Now, what do I mean? Think for a moment about your attitude and how you act when you’re tired — a little cranky, maybe somewhat short tempered, less patient…our tired dogs can be exactly the same!!!
Instead of attempting to wear your dog out (where, instead, you’re probably conditioning a marathon dog), work on balancing your dog’s life. The best (and worst) part of this is that it looks different for every dog and every family, and can even look different every day.
At our house, some days we take walks, many days we do scentwork, other days we train tricks, and some days we just get through the day. Every day I use puzzle feeders, do some kind of conditioning or cooperative care, and we practice hanging out. Rarely are my dogs “tired” or “worn out,” but they are wonderful, chill dogs when we’re at home — because we’ve worked on it!!!
So, work on balance and training that works not only for your dogs, but also for you! If you need help, let me know and we can set up a session to figure it out.
(My Wingman, Blitz, sleeping upside down for tax. 😊)
