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Why do some Belgian Malinois need 2+ hours of daily exercise to function normally?

They never learned that calm behavior gets rewarded.

Here's how to calmly exercise your dog's brain, in under 30 minutes a day. 👇️

Weekly Bite

Have you ever come home to find your favorite shoe transformed into confetti?

I have. More than once.

That's when I learned the hard truth… Bored Malinois are gifted at using their mental energy creatively, in ways we may not appreciate.

So I created a system with three low-arousal activities to calmly stimulate Aki's mind in under 30 minutes a day.

Mental Workout System

By practicing these indoors, you can classically condition your dog to be calm indoors.

The opposite is true if you practice high-arousal physical activities indoors and can be the reason why your dog can't settle indoors.

1️⃣ Puzzle Games (10 minutes)

Goal: Make your dog problem solve for rewards.

Use Interactive Feeders: Replace their food bowl with puzzle feeders and stuffed frozen Kongs.

Use The Box: Replace their food bowl with the box.

If you've never heard of the box, check out Pat Stuart's free video course on his training portal, Serious Dog Business.

2️⃣ Scent Work (5-10 minutes)

Goal: Engage their natural hunting instincts.

Practice Nosework: Hide treats around the house or use snuffle mats to simulate hunting

3️⃣ Impulse Control Training (10-15 minutes)

Goal: Teach them that patience and self-control leads to rewards.

Basic

• Door Manners: Put them in a seated position while you open doors

• Food Bowl Manners: Have them lie down on their pace bed before you place food down

Advanced

• Relaxation Protocol: Gradual process to train your dog to maintain position in complex scenarios, like answering the door

The Secret Sauce = Variability

When outcomes are predictable, the mental challenge disappears.

That's why you need to:

• Alternate Interactive Feeders: Cycle weekly so they stay novel

• Vary Reward Delivery: String together 3-5 commands before rewarding

• Vary Reward Placement: Deliver them directly (from your hands) or indirectly (the floor, hidden on you)

• Vary Reward Duration: Deliver 1-5 treats individually

TL;DR: Mental stimulation beats physical exhaustion. 30 minutes of brain work = hours of calm behavior.

Tail End

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Until next Thursday, ✌️

Sam