Thanks for your comment, and for the opportunity to clarify.

I think that outdoor play/pushing allows you to stay one (or more) steps ahead of the curve. i.e. You can resolve the energy of the moment and then some (residual/stored stress).

However, in an indoor environment, it can go either way. At best, I think, you’d resolve the energy of the moment (as in the situation where you’re working on an ‘issue’ – like guests coming over). And maybe you’d get deeper than that.

The important point, though, is that the act of play/pushing itself creates energy that demands resolution. And because you’re indoors, THAT energy is also getting amplified. So it’s even more likely that your dog will offload some, not all, of that energy, resulting in a net “gain”. If you’re pushing/tugging (i.e. choosing activities that allow your dog to resolve stress), then the net gain is not as large as it would have been otherwise (like if, for instance, you were chasing your dog around the house – definitely something you don’t want to do, though there are many who do because ‘my dog likes to be chased’.) However, it’s still a net gain.

If someone has a rock solid dog, then it doesn’t matter much either way. Probably. However, if you’re not interested in the potential for more stress, even in a rock solid dog, then I’d maintain the indoor/outdoor structure that I suggest, at least as a general guideline.

If you’re dealing with overload behaviors in your dog AT ALL, then you can’t really say you’ve eliminated all sources of stress until you’ve given the structure a try for an extended period of time (say, 90 days at least). At that point you can at least discern the difference it makes for your dog over time.

Side note – I suggest this structure for children as well.