Energy burning and settling tips

[drharps]

Sorry for the double question on this.

I have two (hopefully simple) questions. 

1) When you are with limited space (on a 15' leash), what is a good energy killer? My 1 year old when we go to a restaurant or beach or park will generally hang with me, but after a bit you see she's starting to get frustrated at the lack of activity and it seems the best bet is to 'take the edge off'. Any tips? Taking her for a quick walk is insufficient. My thought right now is to do a small game of fetch, but I'm curious if anyone else has had success.

2) And somewhat related, what have you found works for settling your dog? Right now, she generally treats it as a heavy 'lay-down' and will lay down, put her head down, and after a second or two, get up and nervously pace the house. I'm thinking of putting her on a leash indoors and forcing her to relax next to me. I don't think it's a lack of exercise/training as she gets between 1-2 hours of training and exercise a day. But in the evening she will pace the house panting. If we let her outside, she will lay on the doorstep and sleep. 

Full disclosure: I've grown up with dogs but have never had such a high energy, high drive breed so I'm working through the fun traits that come with such a dog. 

[Lawgirl]

If you have a limited space, I would recommend something that works her mind, such as trick training or nose work.

[urge to herd]

Do you know where she lived before she came to you? If she was an outside dog, she might simply be more relaxed outside.  I know it's getting to be fall/winter in Australia & you might be concerned about the cold weather. Maybe put an old towel down at her 'spot' on the doorstep. If she'll sleep on that outside, maybe giving it a few more nights and then bringing the towel with her scent on it inside might work.

Establishing a bed time routine might help, too. Some soothing petting, (think more massage like than petting) and a generally quiet atmosphere might also help. All my dogs have known that when I start turning off lights, it's close to bedtime.

I'm interested to hear what others suggest.

Ruth & Gibbs

[drharps]

Thanks Lawgirl and Urge to herd. 

I will try to do some training with her on leash.

For the settling, I got her when she was 7 weeks old so I'd be surprised if she simply likes it outside. Plus I live in Hawaii so it's more likely to be she doesn't like the heat of the house (we don't have A/C). The Towel idea is a good one, however. Maybe if I teach her to settle on that, then move it inside, that can be her 'settling pad.' Then again, any sort of towel I've left outside before becomes chew toy #1.