Physical stimulation means getting out there and being more active so we're healthier and not so "blah" feeling. Exercise can make you feel a lot better than when you go without it, and not to mention all of the health benefits. (Perhaps I should practice what I preach...)
For dogs, a back yard doesn't count. When a dog is in a back yard and it is their only means of physical exercise, it is pretty much the equivalent of us going to the gym... getting on the elliptical for 30 seconds and then getting off of it....proceeding to get back on for one minute, to just get off again. Granted this IS something- however when it is the only means of physical exercise, after a while it will do little to nothing for you.
Now, on the flip side of this... let’s say we have a very enthusiastic pup- with a high drive and what seems to be an endless supply of energy: A “hyperactive” dog as some might say. Their owner realizes this and takes the dog running with them a LOT. At first it seemed to really curb that enthusiasm, but now... it hardly fazes them. They need to run further, faster, and more often to even get close to the effect that running once had on the dog. Now what we have is an athlete of a dog- a conditioned, toned running machine....with a hyperactive mind. What gives?!
Physical stimulation is just one piece of the puzzle... a good amount of exercise is still needed, but without the rest of the pieces we still have an unbalanced dog. Just think about what they recommend for humans—at least 30 minutes of exercise/activity is often all that is required to be beneficial. Take your dog on regular walks. Play fetch with your dog. Just take the time to give them a daily outlet for pent up energy. We don’t need to run marathons to see the benefits of physical exercise, and most of our dogs are not training to be canine athletes.
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