Exercise Recommendations for my new puppy

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

Can you recommend things I can do to exercise her? She has a bundle of energy at times, like this very moment. She wants to jump all over me which I'm discouraging, she is a tad nippy but gentle, and she is very vocal like she's testing her lungs. It's been less than 48 hrs since I brought her home.

I can't take her for walks because she hasn't had all her shots. I have a small backyard but she hasn't learned to fetch just yet. It's just me at home as well and no other pets.

She has lots of chew toys she plays with for about 2 minutes at a time. 

BTW, the first 12 hrs were a little rough at times, but we've worked out our arrangements and she is a VERY good girl. I'm so impressed about how smart an 8 week old pup is at learning things, testing the waters, and letting me know what she wants.

It's just she has an on and off switch and very little in between. Normal puppy in other words.

And as I finish typing this she went into her crate on her own and is now asleep.

[Sheryl & Safiy]

My pup Safiy is 10 weeks old with so much energy in the mornings! He likes to play Tug A War- which I do play with him with his toys- (sometimes he'll grab what I have a start a war with me. I throw his toys and tell him to "bring it" and he has caught on. He likes to bring his toys right up to me and play "mine". This is what I've done with Safiy to keep him entertained . We have a. "Tunnel" which is a vinyl tube for kids to crawl through and I throw his toys in it and he LOVES to go in and bring them back to me. We also run around my small backyard. This is what I've done and it helps with the puppy energy. Good luck !

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Sounds all so very typical. If I only had a nickel for everytime I rolled a ball down our hallway! It was one of the ways she burned off energy. I found a bunch of smaller tennis balls that she just loved and could actually carry.

[Sheryl & Safiy]

I was wondering if Tug A War was a good game for a pup... Couldn't think of a reason not to - but I am definitely open to reasons why it's not. Do you think it's encouraging aggressiveness?

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

LOL...not sure if you saw my first post or not. I actually typed in that I would not encourage tug of war games for a young pup. I edited my comment. Personally, I wouldn't. I think it does encourage some agreesiveness and at this point, they don't understand or can control how mouthy they can be. That being said, as an adult, my Therapy dog was taught tug of war to help humans do physical therapy .

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Here is something I've just found that re-enforces my thoughts on it:

Disadvantages in teaching puppies to play tug of war games:
In some cases, playing tug-of-war with your puppy can accidentally reinforce aggressive behaviors, especially if he's predisposed to having a high prey drive or tends to be dominant, according to "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others." Dog trainer Cesar Millan recommends against playing tug-of-war with a puppy, especially if your pup is a large, powerful breed, according to "How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond." According to Milllan, tug-of-war can encourage inappropriate obsessive behaviors, making him a hard-to-control adult. Dr. John Stump of Purdue University also warns that puppies who play tug-of-war may end up learning that it's OK to bite objects around the home or even people, reports the New York Times.

[Sheryl & Safiy]

This is great information! Thank you! I will discontinue our Tug of Wars-LOL!
I want and need Safiy to be gentle with our daughter who is ID. Thanks again Rosemary! I hope I didn't lead Nancy in the wrong direction with her new doodle pup.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

You are very welcome!

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

No worries. I already knew that.

[Rachel Murfit]

Hi Nancy- Marlow was (and still is at 6 months!) a very energetic pup!  Before he was fully vaccinated, we would take him to "puppy socials" at several doggy daycares in our area.  It's an hour of playtime with other young puppies who are all current on their vaccinations.  We would stand back and watch him play / socialize!  After the social he would nap for the remainder of the day!  It was great for exercise and socializing.  Our vet also suggested taking him to the outdoor shopping center in our area (very low risk).  Everyone who saw him couldn't help but stop and say hi.  This definitely wore him out as well!

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

Thanks for all the replies. We are working on fetch, but she hasn't caught on. 

I will see if I can find an outdoor shopping center to take her to.

I do plan on puppy socials once a week and we are starting puppy school next week but looking for daily activities.

[Kelly & Zoe]

The Tail Chaser is the best toy I ever bought: http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Games-Tail-Teaser-Refill/dp/B0042I5G2I/re.... 10 minutes of playing with the tail chaser will wear her out!

Another thing I discovered - I take empty cleaned yogurt cups (or Solo cups, something with a conical shape), stack them and place a few bits of kibble in some of them.  Zoe scatters the cups, eats the kibble, then plays with the cups for quite some time.  Works great on a tiled floor or short carpet.  Fun to watch!

Congrats on the new pup!

[KLN]

I used to run around the backyard with Finn like a crazy person in the mornings, at lunch, and in the evenings just to try and wear him out...he'd run after me. It is SUCH a hard time bc what you really want to do is walk them right outside (a huge land of exercise, ha!) and get them pooped out! But you can't bc they haven't had their shots. It's a hard time, I feel ya! I would recommend running after him and chasing him (others might disagree bc it might be a future training issue...I just don't know...it worked for us) and then training. Training actually stimulates their brain and makes them tired...and they become better dogs. ;9). It might be a tad early but you might could at least start with some of the basics. And then just toys and tug of war....it's just a constant state of play for a few weeks. Good luck!