The Fetch × The Dog Who Asked for More
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Expert contributor Emily Breslin Dog trainer, Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist (CPCN), retired veterinary technician, and host and creator of The Dog Who Asked for More . |
You've already taken your dog for a walk. You played for a while, squeezed in a little training, maybe gave them something to work on while you made dinner. By the end of the day, you feel like you've checked every box.
And yet they're still pacing around the living room, bringing you toys, or looking at you as if the day's activities have barely begun.
It's easy to conclude that they need more exercise. But dog trainer Emily Breslin says a dog who still looks “full of energy” isn't necessarily asking for more of the same. They may need a different kind of activity, they may already be overstimulated, or they may simply not have had much practice settling.
What does “enough activity” actually mean?
One of the first things Emily looks at is what “plenty of activity” actually meant for that particular dog.
A long walk, daycare, fetch, training, or a busy outing may look like a full day to us, but that doesn't necessarily mean the activity met that dog's needs. Emily looks at the whole picture: how intense it was, how much choice the dog had, whether they could sniff and explore, whether there were opportunities to rest, and—most importantly—what the dog looked like afterward.
There's a difference between a dog who still seems calmly ready for appropriate activity and one who looks as though they physically can't switch off.
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“Asking for more doesn't always mean a dog needs more.” Emily Breslin |
Ready for more, or struggling to come down?
An overstimulated dog doesn't necessarily look tired. Emily says some dogs may become increasingly frantic rather than purposeful: more barking or mouthing, zooming around, greater reactivity, or suddenly struggling with cues they normally know.
They may also keep seeking another activity without ever seeming particularly satisfied by it. The useful clue is escalation: behavior that keeps intensifying instead of resolving.
These aren't necessarily separate categories. A genuinely high-energy dog can also become overstimulated or need help learning how to settle.
Why “tire them out” can backfire
The logic sounds reasonable: the dog is wired, so you throw the ball. They're still wired, so you go for a walk. They come home bouncing off the walls, so you pull out enrichment. They finish that and immediately ask for something else.
Eventually, Emily says, we can accidentally create a day that moves from one stimulating activity to the next.
There's also endurance to consider. If the answer to a high-energy dog is always more physical exercise, you may simply end up with a very fit high-energy dog who now needs even more activity to reach the same level of physical fatigue.
That's why the kind of activity matters too. Sniffing, searching, problem-solving, learning, chewing, licking, exploring, and making choices engage a dog differently from simply running harder or longer.
For some dogs, time spent sniffing around the yard, searching for scattered food, or doing a short training session may meet a need better than another round of frantic fetch. More intense isn't automatically better.
Settling is a skill, too
Some dogs simply haven't had much opportunity to practice doing nothing. If every look, paw, toy delivery, or moment of boredom immediately leads to interaction or entertainment, downtime never really gets a chance to happen.
Emily says we can make coming down easier by reducing stimulation, ending an activity before the dog is completely over the top, using predictable routines, providing a quieter space, or transitioning into lower-intensity activities such as appropriate chewing or licking.
She also notices and supports calm when it happens naturally: a dog choosing to lie down, disengaging from something exciting, checking in, or settling nearby. Relaxation doesn't always need to become another formal training session.
An important distinction: this isn't about expecting a dog with unmet needs to lie quietly all day. It's about helping a dog whose needs have been met learn that rest is also part of the day.
Emily's own dog Fitz is a good example. He's genuinely high-energy and would happily participate if she spent the whole day trying to exhaust him. As Emily puts it, “Fitz would vote for more almost every time.”
Her goal isn't to make him tired enough that he has no choice but to stop. It's to give him appropriate outlets while also helping him learn that he doesn't have to be doing something all the time. Sometimes that means ending a game even though he would happily keep going.
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Before you add one more thing Look at what your dog is telling you after the activity you already did. 1. Did the activity seem satisfying, or did your dog's behavior escalate afterward? 2. Has the day included different kinds of activity, as well as opportunities to recover? 3. Has your dog actually had a chance to practice downtime? |
Need and want aren't always the same thing
When your dog brings the toy back yet again, it's easy to feel as though you haven't done enough. Emily says dog parents can carry real guilt around that: if my dog still wants to play, maybe I haven't met their needs today.
But wanting more doesn't always mean needing more. Knowing your dog means gradually learning the difference between “I need something” and “I would like something.”
The goal isn't to produce an exhausted dog at the end of every day. It's to build a life where that individual dog gets appropriate opportunities for movement, mental stimulation, play, enrichment, exploration, connection, and rest.
That balance will look different for every dog.
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