Board and train for high-energy dogs

The AKC's guide to exercise says high-energy breeds often need significantly more physical activity and mental stimulation, and that mental stimulation is not a replacement for physical exercise but an important complement. A long run takes the edge off for an afternoon. It does not teach the dog to wait at a door, settle while dinner is cooked or come away from a squirrel, and a dog that runs more each week mostly gets fitter at running.

The AVSAB's 2021 position statement puts the training side simply: common issues such as jumping and barking can be managed by arranging the environment and reinforcing the responses you want. In a stay that means planning the day so exercise arrives as a reward for calm, not as a release valve for chaos. The dog learns that the fun starts when it sits, waits or lies down, which is the skill most busy households are missing.

A supervised treadmill session, a $10 add-on, gives steady, low-impact exercise on days when weather or a busy yard rules out other options. A handler stays with the dog throughout, and learning to step on and off calmly is itself impulse control. It is never a substitute for walks and play, and a dog with joint, heart or breathing issues needs your vet's clearance first; our answer page on treadmill safety covers the details.

The sniff room, $7, runs find-it games and scent work in a quiet room, and there is evidence behind it. In a 2019 study in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, pet dogs that practiced nosework daily for two weeks approached an ambiguous cue faster afterward, a sign of a more optimistic outlook, while dogs that practiced heelwork showed no change. For a dog that lives at full speed, sniffing is a way to work hard and come down at the same time.

The daily updates during the stay will show how long your dog could settle on a cot between bursts of play, and that number is your starting point. The go-home lesson, or Advanced's two coaching lessons, hands you on-off play and the Premack routines for your own door and yard. Keep exercise at set times rather than whenever the dog demands it, and reward the dog for lying down while nothing is happening. Both stays are described side by side on our board and train page.

Cape Ann's calendar shapes the routine. Gloucester closes Good Harbor to dogs from April 1 and Wingaersheek from May 1 through September, so summer exercise moves to early mornings, shade and the indoor floors on the hottest days. From October 1 both beaches reopen to dogs on alternate days. The Pup Van brings dogs to Academy days for $10 each way from Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea.