If you have an energetic dog who needs a lot of exercise and attention, sometimes finding ways to keep him busy is difficult.  For my chocolate lab, finding activities that kept her attention and tired her out were nearly impossible. Daily walks around our small neighborhood quickly grew boring and didn't exercise her nearly enough.  If you are looking for fun activities that are safe to do with your dog, try one of these!

1. Frisbee:  Frisbee is fun for adults and dogs.  My dog will chase her frisbee for as long as someone will throw it.  Find a quality, durable toy that is made to last through countless hours of flying, whirling and chasing.  Train your dog to catch and do tricks to change it up a little.  There are even competitions for pets who are skilled at this game.
2. Hide a Toy:  This is a great exercise for both the mind and body. My dog enjoys when I hide a toy and she is asked to "find it."  This can be played indoors or outdoors.  It is interesting to watch her systematically search the yard until she spots her favorite toy. I do find that she grows bored with this activity more quickly than some other, more athletic activities.
3. Agility Training:  This is excellent exercise for both the dog and his owner.  It requires your pet to have a good basic obedience background and then additional training.  Enroll in a class to teach your dog how to scale obstacles, jump hurdles and zip through tunnels. Call a trainer or outdoor dog kennels to find a local competition and see how your dog races through a course.  This activity is a lot of fun and requires good teamwork between the pet and his owner.  I found that this activity definitely strengthened the bond between my dog and I.  In addition, it was an activity that allowed her to exercise, reinforce training principles and socialize the dog (and her owner!). 

These are just a few ideas for new ways to have fun exercising your pet.  Be sure to feed your pet a high quality food to supply enough energy for this activity. A food such as Canidae hypoallergenic dog food is an excellent choice that doesn't trigger dog allergies symptoms. They are surely more fun and better exercise than that same old daily walk.  And if you enjoy your daily walks there is no reason why they can't continue!  These activites can be worked into a daily routine or done every once in a while to change up the routine or settle a very active dog.