Before starting and after finishing a training session, you can really help your dog by taking her out for a brisk walk. Doing this a minimum of 30 minutes before a training class helps drain out excess energy so it’s easier for your dog to focus. Taking the dog for a brisk walk after class also helps them drain out pent-up energy so they aren’t all revved up with nowhere to release to. Even more importantly, walking your dog before and after training class facilitates an additional benefit of creating positive associations for your dog. If Fido knows he’s going to get a good walk before and after he works, he’s going to want to do whatever he has to do to get that reward.
There are other ways of draining out excess energy before and after working. How do you go about it?