Time is the one thing we can never seem to get more of, with family and work demands stacking up, and no room left at the end of the day, we can sometimes think that our dogs are suffering from our busy lives. This article is designed to help you make the most of limited time for your dog.

First, dogs naturally spend up to 18 hours a day in some form of relaxation or sleep, so sleeping overnight while you do, and at home while you're at work should be no burden for all but the highest drive dogs.

Understand Drive and Energy Needs: Your pitbull, elderly poodle, or greyhound may find your schedule perfectly acceptable with only a morning and evening stroll to break up nap and cuddle time with you. High-drive dogs, however require more from us.

Here are 6 things you can do to maximize your time together and meet the needs of your higher drive dog.

1. Training - Training has many benefits, it builds on your relationship, requires muscle, and engages our dog's brain. By including such methods and skills as free-shaping, parkour (indoors or on walks), agility, trick training, Training for FIT Dog, we can, in a matter of minutes meet both our dog's physical and mental needs. Time required: 10 minutes before each meal.
   

2. Maximizing Walks - While walking can be enough fro many dogs, higher dogs often need more from their walks to feel fulfilled. Walks can be improved by: doingt them off-leash, or on a long line, adding weight pull (best for the bully breeds), adding parkour elements, adding sniffy walks (great for anxious dogs and dogs that like to sniff), hiding rewards along the walk and 'finding' them later for scentwork. Time Required: Normal walk length 30-90 minutes once or twice a day.

3. Scentwork - Dogs have an incredible sense of smell! Providing your dog the opportunity to use their nose creates a powerful tool that your dog will find fulfilling and mentally tiring. Scentwork is easy to do in the house, and can be set up quickly while you do other things. You can use food or a favorite toy start easy and increase difficulty over time. - Required time 5-10 minutes several times a day, but a good hide can engage your dog for many minutes. You can up the fun by teaching the dog to find local edibles (morel mushrooms), or deer antlers on your walks.

4. Puzzle games - I do not buy fancy puzzles for my dogs. Instead, designing puzzles can be done with easy to find household items like toilet paper rolls (put food inside and tape or fold the ends), Boxes (tape closed with food inside and allow the destruction begin!), towels (roll food inside and let dog unroll to solve. - Required time - 5-10 minutes to set up.

5. Stretch out Eating Time - This is my least favorite method, but I use it a lot when on the road and my dogs are stuck in crates for long strecthes of time with little time to run and play. Freeze water and food (kibble or canned) into the bottom of the bowl, and feed the rest of their food on top - I call it a food popsicle. Chews - never underestimate the joy most dogs gain from long lasting chews like rawhide (no, it won't kill your dog! though I make sure all things are sourced in North America), frozen marrow bones (the marrow can be very rich, introduce slowly and look for signs of GI upset), Nylabones, filled Kongs, etc... - Required Time - 1-2 minutes - all chews should be given under supervision.

6. Scatter Feeding - another slow feed method, but worth its weight in gold! I feed this way almost exclusively while camping as well as several times a week. You can scatter feed in the house, on rocks or gravel, or in grass (watch for ants!). This combines both stretching out feeding time with scentwork. It also allows dogs who may have been cooped up all day to use their bodies freely.

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