Sunday, June 12, 2011

How to Quiet a Hyper or Energetic Dog Using a Backpack

My little Rat Terrier now has his very own backpack!



I've been hearing about the benefits of doggie backpacks for some time now. If you listen to Cesar Millan - The Dog Whisperer - you'll hear him recommend dog backpacks at times.

This is a portion of the backpack page at Fun Stuff for Dogs:

How to Burn Off Pent-Up Energy in Small & Big Dogs with a Backpack


Pent-up energy can result in anxiety behaviors such as destructive chewing, barking, aggression toward animals or people, jumping or hurling themselves at doors or people, running in circles, and many other behaviors.

To manage high-energy dogs, put a backpack on the dog and fill it with something. For some dogs, the feeling of being "wrapped" in the backpack has a calming effect; these dogs do not require a breaking-in period to get used to it. However, if you feel your dog needs to get used to it, walk him or her first in the empty backpack.

Cesar Milan puts equal weights in each side of the backpack (a bottle of water, can of soda, jar of pickles, or whatever is appropriate to the dog's size). He lets the dog carry the load on a regular walk. For many dogs, this gives the dog a sense of purpose (Milan said in one episode of The Dog Whisperer, "That dog is going to take those pickles somewhere!"). It also helps them burn off pent-up energy in a constructive and physically active way.

I've seen this done successfully on The Dog Whisperer tv show. I have a wonderful little Rat Terrier named Cody. He's a high energy dog but thanks to Cesar he's a well trained walker. We walk nearly everyday in the park nearby and he is very good on the leash. He walks calmly beside me but he does tend to pull ahead or suddenly veer off for an interesting smell or tree. I correct him and he does great, but he always inches up ahead, wanting to take over the lead and always wanting me to go faster.

Adding weight gives a 15-minute walk the impact of a 45-minute walk. That's a really important bit of information if you have a high energy dog or if your time is limited and you still want to make sure your dog gets a good physical workout.

I finally ordered him a backpack - and here he is modeling:


Isn't he adorable? :)

I ordered this backpack through Amazon - The brand is Outward Hound (heehee) and the seller I bought from is PPE Pet Supplies. They shipped so fast it was amazing!

I chose this brand because of the quick release feature and the size and shape of the pack. This one seemed to be up higher and not hang down - important for a small dog - and it has nice pads for comfort. The harness attaches easily with 3 snap on buckles, then the pack attaches with velcro to the harness. You can leave them together all the time and treat the whole thing as one unit, or if you're out on a long hike you can easily pull off the pack and let the dog rest (leaving the harness on so you don't have to fool with taking it all the way off at each rest stop).

It arrived yesterday and I immediately put it on Cody. He slinked away at first but I kept telling him how cool this was and how important he would be as a Working Dog and he quickly stood still and patiently let me adjust the straps to fit him. He wore the pack around inside the house for 10 minutes or so and then we took it back off. He got a biscuit so the whole thing was positive and he was beaming from the attention.

Today was our Maiden Voyage - going out for a real walk. Cody happily ran up and stood to have the pack put on him (which thankfully goes on very easily. I'm sure if it was a difficult or laborious process to get it on, the dog will tire of standing still and it will not be a good experience). I decided that his main job would be to carry my water bottle for me on our walk, so I put a small 12 oz water bottle in the pouch on one side. I had poured out some water so it weighed 8 oz. Then I put another water bottle - same weight - on the other side to balance him out evenly. The pack itself weighs 10 ounces plus 16 ounces of water in the two bottles. Cody weighs 24 pounds (a bit overweight at the moment). I was guessing at the weight and what would be appropriate for him. He obviously wasn't weighed down, was anxious to go and I decided to watch him along the way for signs of fatigue. I also planned to use water for both of us to drink along the walk, which would lighten his load as he grew a bit tired.

The difference was immediate! Right out of the door he was a different dog. No matter how many times you would have told me, I would never have believed this unless I saw it for myself!

Cody stood still and waited for me to close the door and get going. He walked alongside me. We turned the corner on the sidewalk and he stayed ALONGSIDE ME. For the entire walk he was either alongside me (slightly back) or trailing me by 6 inches to a foot. The leash was slack in my hand for the entire walk. The park is less than a block away, so when we enter it he always makes mad dashes to the trees and it's a battle of wills much of the time as he insists on checking "peemail" on each and every tree that we pass. Not today! He steadily padded along beside me. Only about 50% through the walk did he pause one time to pee. And I believe it's actually because he needed to pee, not just the sniffing and socializing and exchanging peemail thing that he'll do on each tree if I let him.

He looked content, quiet, happy. He honestly held himself with more importance. With purpose! I never would have believed it. It was obvious that his mind was on his job and his job was carrying the water for me. Normally he motivates me to walk faster and faster. I slow him down when I become aware of it but sometimes I just enjoy the motivation and we have a fast workout. Today I was walking at least 30% SLOWER than ever. And he was keeping a good constant, never wavering pace. Normally we have a good fast walk that lasts 30 to 45 minutes. Today we had a slower paced walk that lasted 25 minutes. The last 10 minutes or so he was trailing me a bit and not as perky so I took that as the beginning of fatigue and we cut the trail short and headed for home.

Arriving at home he patiently waited to go inside. The minute I took off the backpack he went ZOOM all over the house with a burst of energy - then ran straight for a long drink of water! He was very happy and playful and then headed for his bed and totally crashed! I think he was motionless for an hour and a half! That lets me know it was a very good workout. I don't usually see him tired out unless we've been on an extra long walk.

I am sold - this is a great thing and is really working out for us. I plan to have him wear his pack each day on our walks, then just take him to the dog park across town once a week or so to run free with his buddies. Now I'm considering buying ankle weights for myself to intensify the walk! We could both stand to lose a few pounds so this may be the best way yet!

Just found some great additional info here -

(I'm laughing because I was right about the amount of weight so far, and I thought it was my great idea that if Cody carried chilled bottles of water in the summer, he'd stay cooler. :) Looks like that idea is already out there but good to know that I'm on the right track!)

* Put the backpack on without anything in the pockets at first. Let your dog get used to it. Go for 2-4 walks with the backpack empty.
* If your dog is ignoring the backpack after 2-4 walks (many dogs even become eager to put it on once they connect the backpack to a walk), begin adding weight a little at a time. Go by the size of your dog. For our Irish Setter, I started with a 12-ounce bottle of water on each side. For a Cocker Spaniel, I would start with an orange or something of similar weight.
* Be sure you have even weight on each side of the backpack.
* Go for 2-4 walks with each weight before adding more. Keep the first walk with the new heavier weight short; don’t try to do a two-mile hike if you’ve just added weight.
* Do not add more than 10% of your dog’s own weight to the backpacks. For a 25-lb dog, don’t add more than two and a half pounds total (a pound and a quarter on each side).
* In the summertime, larger dogs can haul chilled bottles of water. This can help cool the dog.
* Owners of small dogs sometimes use beans to add weight to their dogs’ packs. Beans conform to the dog’s body, making the load comfortable. Plus, you have good control over exactly how much weight you add, and can add more in small increments.


NOW, looking around at what else do I feed that isn't doing any work around here? Let's see, the worms are busy turning garbage into compost.... the little people are doing laundry... you know, that hamster doesn't do much except run in his wheel and look adorable. Hmmm, maybe he could carry my salt and pepper on the next hike...