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as entertained as possible to make sure that its energy is channeled towards more productive activities rather than destructive activities. For example, a destructive activity would be running into walls and smashing vases, whereas a productive activity would be herding sheep. Okay, so chances are that you don't live on a farm and that you don't want your dog to chase sheep around all day, but you get the idea. Let your dog run with you, or even set a new pace. If you can think of any way to put your dog's energy to good use, such as racing or helping with some work (even if it means just following you around, possibly on a hunting expedition), then your dog will have a much better life than than if its energy had no use except to destroy your home.

Additionally, young and energetic dogs tend to enjoy playing. If you have any children, then this is a perfect situation; encourage your children to play with your newly rescued dog (Knowing little kids, I have a feeling it won't take too much convincing) so that it gets enough attention from the family and can put its abundant supply of energy towards playtime rather than destruction time. Plus, your kids will have fun with the dog as well, so this is another situation in which two birds can be killed with the same stone. Speaking of stones, you'll need to set some basic rules for playing with your children, such as no yanking on the dog's tail, no biting back at the dog, no attempting to ride the dog like a horse, no poking in the face, and yes, no throwing stones. If your children are comfortable and responsible enough to handle playing with a dog, then you've got yourself one more way to help out your rescue dog.

Logically, dogs like to play with other dogs. You should make an attempt to find other dog owners of similarly sized dogs in your neighborhood and possibly arrange a "play date" with them. Energetic little puppies love wrestling, playing tug-of-war, and chasing each other; plus they seem to have their own mysterious way of communicating with one another, so they can discern an attempted murder from a merely playful bite, unlike some humans. If you have another dog in addition to the rescued one, this situation is even better, as he or she will now have a friend to play with all day. However, you need to ask questions about the temperament of the dog after he or she is rescued to find out about any possible outbursts or incidents, and make sure you ask the owners of other dogs how well their dogs get

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