PUPPY DOG ENERGY - Using Exercise to Keep Baxter Happy!

Hey everyone! How is your week going? Baxter and I have been doing a lot of snuggling after Garett and I were gone of vacation for a few days. I am so happy to be home with my puppy. 

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This week I wanted to talk about how we exercise Baxter! We think that making sure Baxter gets his exercise is key to making sure our puppy is happy and healthy! We want to take care of him the best that we can, and exercise is a great way to do that! 

Though we don't know exactly what breeds Baxter is made up of, we do know that he has Australian Cattle Dog somewhere in him, which is a very high energy breed! We live in a pretty small apartment, and so it is really important for us to be able to get him the exercise that he needs in order to keep him from tearing our house apart! He also is only 1 and a 1/2 years old, so he still has quite a bit of puppy energy! We have found that a combination of mental and physical exercise helps to get him energy out (and helps us to get those cute sleeping pictures of Baxter!). We have found 4 great ways to reduce Baxter's puppy energy, that we want to share with you today! 

1. Walking or Running

Getting Baxter out of the house for a walk or run is one of the easiest ways to reduce his energy. There are great sidewalks by our house, perfect to take the dog out of the house! We try to get Baxter out for at least a half a mile walk a day, but the best days are when we can get him out for a mile run! 

When we get home from a good run or walk, typically he is really excited from getting to run around, but after about 30 minutes, he is curled up on the bed fast asleep! It is a great and easy way to reduce some of his energy! Here he is out on a walk! 

2. The Dog Park

The dog park is so amazing! We have a lot of great dog parks in our area, and there is nothing Baxter loves more than when we click his leash off at the park! He sprints away as happy as can be. Baxter loves to run around free without a leash, and the dog park is a great place for him to do that without us worrying about him running off. He also really gets to socialize with other dogs and play with them, which is really great at taking out his energy.

Just make sure you take water if there isn't any provided at the dog park! It always leaves Baxter feeling especially thirsty. I think because he runs around so much! Here he is running through the snow at the dog park! 

3. Playing Fetch 

Playing fetch is a really great way to help Baxter not only reduce some of his physical energy, but some of his mental energy as well! We play fetch at the house and at the dog park, basically anywhere we can. He loves to play fetch more than any other game, and learned how to play it very fast. Like I said in our Dog Toy Review, Baxter's ball is his favorite toy, and that helps make fetch even more fun for him! Baxter honestly plays fetch until he falls asleep, and if he hears you pick up the ball again, he will wake up from a dead sleep and muster the energy to play. 

I'm not going to lie, fetch also is really great for days where I just don't have a lot of energy. I can throw the ball while sitting on the couch and watching TV if I want! And he is still as happy as can be. Here is a picture of him leaping through the air to catch his ball! He promptly returned it and was worn out by the time we got home! 

4. Hiking! 

By far, Baxter's favorite activity is hiking! Garett's dad is an avid hiker, and I love hiking as well. We try to get him out as often as possible, and really love taking him to off leash trails so he can bound around. It took some time and hard work to train him to be off leash while hiking, but he burns so much energy when he is hiking off leash. We never let him out of our sight, but let him run up and down the trail as much as he wants. After a nice hike, Baxter is not only really tired, but really happy. He usually curls up in the back seat and falls asleep on the ride home. 

We've been taking Bater hiking since the first week that we got him. Here is one of my favorite pictures of him ever after a short hike. He is certainly our little adventure dog! 

BONUS: I want to shout our @KatySavage, who saves our lives time and time again, and really helps us make sure that Baxter is getting the exercise she needs. Katy is a close personal friend of mine and Baxter's best friend. When I am busy with school and Garett is busy with work, she comes and takes Baxter for walks, runs, play time, and gives him lots of love. Having someone to help out when times are busy has been incredibly helpful to us! 

--> Also, @KatySavage has a really amazing steemit page and is an incredible bird photographer. She also introduced me to steemit! You should check out her page! 

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We hope you enjoyed learning about how we manage our puppy's energy! We love him, full of energy and all! 

Love Always, 

@Kass-and-Bax

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P.S. What do you do to reduce your dogs energy? Any tips or tricks to keep your dog exercised and happy? Let us know in the reply section below!