How to tire out my Lab

[BaconAndAvocado]

Our 15mo Lab has recently had Elbow Dysplasia surgery on both front elbows.
He is absolutely fine and behaves as if nothing has happened!
The orthopaedic vet recommended we limit his walks to 3 times a day on-lead starting with 20 minutes and building up 5 minutes each week.
Lab used to daily beach walks and bounding about, playing with other dogs, going in and out of the sea.
He seems bored and obviously isn’t getting as tired as he used to with all the pent up energy.
Can anyone recommend any games or toys (nothing involving food as we’re mindful of him not putting on weight now he’s not as active) that might tire him mentally?
He’s taken to lots of destroying things.....he’s currently chewing on something from the garden on the kitchen rug so I’d better go and clear it up!
tia

Scentwork

Plenty of structured classes about and lots to practice at home

Thanks Wereongunoil
Yes, we do play a few scentwork games. We see if I can find some more.

Use all his daily food allowance for tiring him out.

You can hide food on his walk and get him to sniff it out.

Hide it in the house and get him to sniff it out

Put it in puzzle toys -home made ones are fine

Do some training with him and use his food allowance for this.

Is he seeing a physio? As you can make his physio exercises into a game and encourage him to strengthen other parts of his body if he is not able to do much with front lets. eg paws up, down stretch on straight front legs so no pressure on elbows but do check with physio first!

There is a book called No walks no worries that has other ideas.

There's a scentwork UK Facebook group that's worth joining.

It definitely wears them out. Especially if you may need something for the future too

Whereabouts are you and I may be able to recommend a trainer

Love your user name

I have drug dogs my username would be illegal

Have a look at kirbydogtraining on instagram. Look for the ‘dogsanity’ story highlights. They were great for keeping our lab busy and using their brain during lockdowns.

We haven't usually gone for dog toys in the past but our lab is suffering along-term injury and yet is still all too keen to bounce with other dogs. He enjoys:

• ripping-up cardboard boxes. The bigger the better.

-crunching on a plastic bottle

-a pinapple kong-type toy that lets treats out very slowly and only when bounced in the right way (when I say treats - I mean some of his own dinner-kibble) . We have another toy that is a bit more generous but lets treats out differently and foxes him for a bit. He also likes snuffling for some of his dinner in a snuffle-mat

-Hunt the ball game. He sits in a room while he knows we are hiding a toy in another room or in the garden. He finds the ball. Absolute doggy bliss. He was trained to do this slowly - first in the room where he was sitting and then further and further away.

-Swimming in the river or in the sea (when beach quiet). He loves 'fetch the stick' if we are too feeble to go in with him :) We have got a life-jacket thing for him as he remains a confident (webbed-footed) swimmer but we are afraid that the injury might affect him. Labs are mostly excellent swimmers but heavy with muscle and perhaps not great free-floaters.

@OneFootInFrontOfAnother
I can imagine😂

We just do it for fun but someone we train with has a tobacco dog and a drugs dog.

Once you start the possibilities are endless.
Very addictive too