10 Signs Your Dog Needs More Exercise
What are the signs your dog needs more exercise? The big ones are chewing and wrecking stuff, digging or getting into the trash, restlessness and pacing, barking or whining, being hyper, jumping on people, pestering you for attention, putting on weight, getting stiff, and going quiet and withdrawn. Most of those are energy that never got used, and the last three are a body that isn’t moving enough. So before you decide your dog is stubborn or spiteful, I’d ask whether it’s getting enough of the right kind of work.
Where the list comes from: the signs below are the ones veterinarian Sandra C. Mitchell lists for PetMD, plus the boredom signs trainer Stephanie Gibeault lists for the AKC. What I add is how I’d read each one and what I’d do about it.
By Christopher Lee Moran, working dog trainer, about 10 years and around 400 client dogs, Controlled Freedom method. I’m a trainer, not a vet. I designed the Whimsy Stick. The dog exercise guide has the bigger picture.
Who this is for
You’ve got a dog that’s driving you a little nuts and you’re starting to wonder if it’s a training problem or a personality problem. A lot of the time it’s neither, it’s a dog with way more gas in the tank than its day lets it burn, and it’s finding its own ways to burn it.
- You’re not sure your dog is getting enough exercise
- You’ve been calling it stubborn or spiteful
- Your dog chews, digs, barks or can’t settle at night
- Your dog walks every day and is still wired
- Your dog is putting on weight or getting stiff
- You want to fix the cause, not just yell at the symptom
The 10 signs at a glance
The behavior signs
These first seven are the dog telling you something with its behavior. Energy has to go somewhere, and if you don’t give it a place, the dog picks one, and it’s usually your couch.
1. Chewing and wrecking stuff
This is the classic one. PetMD’s vet writes that “destructive behavior, are commonly a result of not getting enough exercise,” and the AKC article lists chewed furniture and shoes, shredded pillows and even unrolled toilet paper. If you come home to a mess, I’d look at what the dog did all day before I looked at the dog. For more on this one, see dog destroying things when bored.
2. Digging and getting into the trash
Same energy, different outlet. The AKC article calls out digging in the backyard and tipping over trash cans, and PetMD adds scratching or digging at doors and raiding the kitchen. A dog that digs holes all afternoon has a job it gave itself, so give it a better one. Here’s how to stop a dog from digging.
3. Restless, pacing, can’t settle
A PetMD guide reviewed by veterinarian Hanie Elfenbein puts it pretty simply: “you can tell your dog needs exercise if she is restless or pacing.” Watch your dog in the evening. If it’s getting up, lying down, getting up again and following you room to room, that dog probably hasn’t had enough. That’s usually the dog that’s hyper at night too.
4. Barking or whining a lot
PetMD calls this the vocal version of being hyper, a dog that feels like it should be doing something and is telling you about it in the only way it can. The AKC lists excessive barking as a boredom sign too. Yelling back doesn’t touch it, cause the bark isn’t the problem, the empty day is.
5. Hyper with no manners
PetMD says dogs that are hyperactive and show poor manners “are often exercise-deficient,” mostly young dogs and the high-energy breeds. These are the dogs with drive to spare, and if that drive doesn’t get used on something good it gets used on something bad. If your dog’s like this even after a walk, read why your dog is still hyper after walks.
6. Jumping on you and your guests
The AKC article lists jumping on you and your guests as a boredom sign. Sure you can train an off switch, and you should, but a dog that’s had a real outlet that day is a lot easier to teach manners to than one that’s been bouncing off the walls since breakfast.
7. Always after your attention
“If your dog is always looking for attention and acting restless, chances are they’re bored and want something to do,” is how the AKC puts it. Nudging your hand, dropping toys in your lap, staring at you from across the room. That’s not a needy dog, that’s a dog asking for a job.
Rule this out first. The AKC article says to rule out separation anxiety if you’re seeing destructive behavior plus a clingy attitude, cause sometimes it’s real distress about being left alone, not boredom. If the damage only happens when you leave and it’s around doors and windows, talk to a trainer or a behaviorist before you just add exercise.
The body signs
The last three show up in the dog’s body more than its behavior, and they’re the ones people miss, cause a quiet heavy dog doesn’t wreck anything. All three of these can be medical too, so a vet visit comes first.
8. Putting on weight
PetMD’s vet puts it as calories in minus calories out, and if your dog’s “getting a bit plump lately, it may be an indication that more exercise (calories out) is needed.” She also says most dogs lose weight best with diet and exercise together, so talk to your vet about the food while you add the activity. The full plan is in how to help an overweight dog lose weight.
9. Stiff and slow
According to PetMD, a sedentary life, “especially in older dogs,” leads to muscle loss and stiff, painful joints, and daily exercise helps keep muscle tone and keeps tendons and ligaments loose. If your dog’s struggling with stairs or jumping in the car, get it checked for arthritis first, and then build the movement up slow and easy.
10. Quiet and withdrawn
This one surprises people. PetMD says some dogs “will become very withdrawn and depressed” without enough mental and physical stimulation, and pull away from the family. But it also says this can be illness, and mentions thyroid problems can make a dog seem sluggish, so this is a vet-first sign every time.
Vet first. If any of these show up suddenly, or the dog is in pain, limping, not eating or just not acting like itself, see your vet before you change the exercise. I’d rule out pain and illness before you call it a lack of exercise.
What to do about it
None of these signs proves the dog is short on exercise by itself, cause the same behavior can come from fear, anxiety, pain or training that just hasn’t happened yet. But when it is missing exercise, correcting the dog won’t fix it, you’d be punishing the symptom and leaving the cause alone. What helps then is giving the dog the work it’s missing, every day, and for a lot of dogs that means harder work, not just more miles.
A walk usually isn’t enough
The AKC article says “a 10-minute stroll around the block is unlikely to tire any dog,” and recommends adding vigorous exercise like chasing a ball or a flying disc, or a safe place to run free. PetMD makes the same point about the yard: just turning a dog out in a yard, no matter how big, isn’t really exercise. Walks are still worth it for the sniffing, but a high-drive dog needs a hard burst on top.
Match the outlet to the sign
| What you’re seeing | What I’d add |
|---|---|
| Chewing, digging, trash | A hard chase session plus a chew or puzzle when you leave |
| Restless, pacing, hyper at night | Short chase rounds in the evening, then a settle |
| Barking, jumping, pestering | A daily chase session plus a few minutes of training |
| Weight gain | Vet-set diet first, then easy chase intervals |
| Stiff or withdrawn | Vet check, then slow walks, swimming, gentle play |
That table is my take as a trainer, not a rule. Every dog’s different, and the AKC says exercise needs depend a lot on age, health and breed, so a Chihuahua and a Border Collie aren’t going to need the same thing. The AKC exercise guide goes through puppies, adults and seniors.
Don’t forget the brain
The AKC article says giving your dog’s brain a workout is as important as the body work, and that it’s just as tiring. Hide and seek, scent games with hidden treats, puzzle toys and trick training all count. I pair one physical thing and one mental thing every day, and the full list is in enrichment and mental stimulation for high-energy dogs.
Every day beats a big weekend
That same vet-reviewed PetMD exercise guide says dogs should be active every day, “and not just on the weekends.” A short real session every day does more than one long hike on Saturday, cause the energy builds back up every single day whether you planned for it or not.
Why I use a flirt pole for this
Most of these signs come back to drive that never got used, and the flirt pole is the fastest way I know to use it without needing a big field. The dog sprints, turns, catches the lure and resets, then you rest it and go again. A few minutes of that is real work, and unlike fetch the dog gets to actually catch the thing and finish the chase, the whole predatory motor pattern, so it comes out of it satisfied instead of wound up.
What clients tell me in general is their dogs are a lot more relaxed and calmer and seem more satisfied. Start with a few short rounds, keep the lure low so the dog isn’t jumping and twisting, and stop before the dog’s wiped out. You can get the first sessions step by step in the flirt pole training guide.
The pole I built for it
I bought the flirt poles I could find, handed them out to clients and watched what broke, then designed my own and tested it on high-drive client dogs for years before I sold one. The Rugged XL is one 46-inch piece of reinforced fiberglass with no joints and an 800-lb Dyneema line, for dogs 30 lbs and up. Under 30 lbs? That’s the Standard, with a 450-lb Kevlar line.
Rugged XL
- Dogs 30 lbs and up · 1 lure
- 800-lb Dyneema line · free US shipping
Rugged XL + 3 Lures
- Same pole and line, 3 lures to rotate
- Dogs 30 lbs and up · free US shipping
Rugged XL Pro Kit
- The XL with 5 lures and a spare line
- For dogs that shred lures · free US shipping
The Standard
- Dogs under 30 lbs · 450-lb Kevlar line
- $20 flat US shipping, cause it goes in a longer box
Every order has a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you pay return shipping unless the pole failed.
Want more of this in your Google results? Add Whimsy Stick as a preferred source.
Signs your dog needs more exercise, FAQ
How do I know if my dog is getting enough exercise?
A dog that’s getting enough mostly settles at home in the evening, holds a healthy weight and moves easy. If yours is pacing, chewing or barking at nothing by dinner time, it’s probably short.
Can lack of exercise cause behavior problems?
It sure can. The PetMD vet says destructive behavior is commonly from not enough exercise, and that hyper dogs with poor manners are often short on it too. Fix the outlet and a lot of the behavior goes with it.
How much exercise does a dog need a day?
It depends on the dog. The AKC says age, health and breed all change it, and PetMD’s vet says some breeds need several hours a day. Ask your vet for your dog’s number and go by how the dog acts.
Is my dog bored or badly behaved?
A lot of times it’s boredom, but not always, it can also be fear, anxiety, pain or manners nobody’s taught yet. Give it a real job every day for a week and see how much of the bad behavior was boredom all along.
Does mental exercise count?
Yes. The AKC article says a brain workout is as important as the physical stuff and just as tiring. Scent games, puzzle toys and short training sessions all count, and I’d do one with the physical work every day.
Can a dog get stiff from too little exercise?
PetMD says a sedentary life, mostly in older dogs, leads to muscle loss and stiff joints. Get arthritis ruled out with your vet, then add gentle daily movement like slow walks or swimming.
Why does my dog seem depressed?
It can be a dog that’s understimulated, but it can also be sickness, and PetMD mentions thyroid problems specifically. So that one’s a vet visit before anything else.
Is a big backyard enough exercise?
Not by itself. PetMD’s vet says just turning a dog out in a yard, no matter how big, isn’t really exercise. Most dogs just stand around out there unless you’re out there doing something with them.
Not a bad dog. A dog with no job.
Pick the sign you’re seeing, give the dog the outlet it’s missing, and do it every day. The Rugged XL is made for dogs 30 lbs and up, it ships free in the US, and you’ve got 30 days to send it back.
Add the Rugged XL, $75Under 30 lbs? See the Standard, $56
Based on my own experience training dogs. Not veterinary advice; see your vet about any sudden change. Exercise disclaimer.
