15 Tips to Tire Out Your Energetic Dog Child so You Can Chill Out

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jul 12, 2026 7:30 AM EDT

Having an energetic doggo in your home can be quite the tiring experience. An experience which happens ironically because your doggo is not tired. But today we hope to flip the script with these tips and tricks to tire out your energetic doggo so you can chill out.

Reddit's r/dogs subreddit is full of posts, questions and stories about darling doggos. And while many are on the pawsitive side of things, for some dog pawrents life is not easy and they turn to the canine pawrent community for pupport. In this case a strung out dog dad asked of the community to help him tire out his dog before he loses his mind. Put in a corner with a pupper whose battery never runs out, this pawrent desperately needed to know how to make the endless barking, whining and zoomies come to an end. Thankfully for this pawrent and for all of us the community came to his aid and delivered some pawfect pupper pawrent nuggets of advice that we hope will help you calm your doggo as well.

After all, all we want as pupper pawrents is to love our canine children. We do not wish to resent them, to live at odds with them, we want the harmony and happiness. But all too often we find ourselves stuck in a certain situation with no way out, that is why it is so important to share your story with others. So that we can all learn together. So prepaw yourself for puppers doing push ups, doggos partying with bubbles, four-legged frisbee and many more marvelous ways to keep your canine's energy levels in check.

 

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  • 01
    "Nothing beats a good run with play time breaks. Bring a ball and hit the road."
    via samjam110

    White dog playing wildly in garden

    Dog represented by model

  • 02
    dinos-and-coffee I've taught my dog hide and seek (also works on stay and come), rolled treats in a blanket and tied said blanket in a knot for her to undo, hidden treats in a box with newspaper, hid treats throughout the bottom of the house
    via samjam110
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    Cheezburger Image 10644852224
    via Harushii618
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    The jellyfish I've never met a shepherd that doesn't like to chase bubbles! Maybe that would be a good option when it's not freezing outside, or if you have extra space indoors.
    via samjam110

  • Erm, yes! How in the heck had we not heard about this enrichment idea before? It is such a genius concept, after all doggos love nothing more than chasing after little things like bubbles and the satisfaction of seeing a bubble burst, potentially even in their mouth is everything for them. So why would we not sit down, chill out, switch on the bubble machine (with dog safe bubble liquid in) and let them have a bubble party to tire themselves out? This is the kind of pawrenthood we expect to see being commonplace in 2050!
     

  • 05
    Ok_Log_2468 Tug of war or roughhousing are great ways to release some pent up energy. They can also be great ways to teach pulse control.
    via samjam110
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    Cheezburger Image 10644853504
    via Harushii618
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    dwarf bulborb My dad has a Malamute with a lot of energy and he trained him to pull a wagon of stuff around the yard with him!
    via samjam110
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    Cheezburger Image 10644854528
    via Harushii618
  • 09
    Talvana We do scavenger hunts. I grab smelly treats (molasses as an ingredient helps) and hide them all around the house or yard. In winter, I even bury them in the snow. It tires her out almost as much as going to the dog park.
    via samjam110
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    KIRKLAN
    via Harushii618
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    [deleted] Since nobody mentioned it, if your dog doesn't swallow cardboard but tears it, you can do boxes in boxes and allow them to destroy it with maybe a kibble or two for fun. Then wrap up toys, bones or kibble in there to make it extra fun.
    via samjam110
  • 12
    My graceful doggo
    via Harushii618
  • 13
    Ok-Poem-9699 Freeze Greek yogurt inside of a Kong and then give it to your dog. Will take time and work to get it out.
    via samjam110
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    Cheezburger Image 10644852480
    via Harushii618
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    1chicken2nuggets Nothing beats a good run with play time breaks. Bring a ball and hit the road. My 6month old pup just passes out everytime I get home.
    via samjam110
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    Cheezburger Image 10644854784
    via Harushii618
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    Fantastic_Sample pup pushups. have them sit, then go down, then sit, while keeping their but on the ground. Its not at all normal for them, so they find it quite challenging.
    via samjam110

  • Certainly this is not your typical approach to canine fitness, but it is one that overall makes a lot of sense and can be quite beneficial for your pupper. Much like a squat or indeed a pushup for a hooman, the pup pushup engages most of your pupper’s muscle groups and is a great way to ensure the longevity of joints all while making your doggo more tired than it has ever been before. Though we can imagine that this method would take quite a lot of training to get right and some doggos might not be so into the idea.
     

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    Cheezburger Image 10644853248
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    bushgoliath Chili | ACD My cattle dog gets in the ZONE when she's chewing. Yak chews, by sticks, and big ol' bones on repeat. Expensive, but very entertaining for days when we are stuck indoors.
    via samjam110
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    Mundane-Grape9985 Snuffle Mats, treat dispenser ball. When it's warm freeze treats in ice, even toys. Also lick mats. You can also hide treats around and they then lose.
    via samjam110
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    Cheezburger Image 10644852736
    via Harushii618
  • 22
    RandyAcorns Get a bike and go out with her. get a really long leash and go in the woods and let her sniff and chase rabbits
    via samjam110
  • 23
    JazzRider Frisbee! You can throw a Frisbee standing in one spot. I put my dog on a fifty foot lead, since I I don't have a fenced in yard.
    via samjam110
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    Cheezburger Image 10644853760
    via Harushii618
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    BrilliantInevitable0 Teach your dog new tricks. It's mentally stimulating as they want to learn and please you. Find odd tricks you wouldn't normally care about...it's still good for the dog!
    via samjam110
  • 26
    [deleted] rawhides. Shepherds and husky love to chew. Some may be calm afterwards, the chewing is like a stress ball. Some may just bounce right back if they have lots and lots of energy. But at least it will buy you some peace.
    via samjam110
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    Cheezburger Image 10644854016
    via Harushii618

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energetic dogs tips child tired dog photos chill out reddit thread
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