By not walking a dog the owner creates problems not only for the dog but for themselves. Dogs need to be out and about for mental as well as physical stimulation. If they don't get this the dog can become destructive or even aggressive.

IMO it is cruel not to walk a dog that is in good health.

In your opinion or do you have facts to back up the statement that "If they don't get this the dog can become destructive or even aggressive." ?

I have to say it is unfair to the dog.

One of my clients got a shi tzu pup about 9 months old. I posted on here at the time as thought it was so wrong for her to get it. They can't take it for walks at all. The grandchildren sometimes do, very rarely.

Their previous dog was a dachshund which was very overweight and elderly, so this was a replacement.

Guess what, this dog is now like a haggis on legs. They lady herself is overy obese and cannot manage her own diet/diabetes and says she cannot understand why her dog is overweight. Well the fact it doesn't go out and there are choc drops and bags of treats everywhere is a big clue! Same as she has bags of murray mints under her pillow!

It does have the run of their tiny garden, but as she spends most of the day in bed and her very ill hubby sits in the kitchen the dog is behind a baby gate in the lounge whenever I go.

He's a real sweetheart too and it does break my heart. If I could take him home with me I would.

My Mum always used to say 'On a walk, a good sniff for a dog is like us reading a good book' and they need that stimulation and exercise.

I would like to slightly rephrase it in that I do think it is cruel for a dog not to be exercised at all their entire life - or even for long periods.

I adore walking my dogs - it is one of the main reasons I choose to have dogs. My hubby works his dogs on sheep every day and exercises them on our land, but doesn't walk them as such.

Dogs adore exercise - mine live for their walks, their work, their praise and their food. To deprive them of any of these essentials is cruel IMO.

If someone buys a dog *knowing* they aren't going to be able to exercise it, they want their head banging against a brick wall!

On the other hand, if someone already has a dog and then their circumstances change so that they then cannot exercise their dog - they need to find ways of getting their dog exercised, rather than letting it languish within the same four walls for the rest of its life.

I think in the vast majority of cases yes it is cruel to not exercise a dog and i have no understanding of why anyone would buy a dog with no intention of walking it (especially a GSD!). BUT like it has been mentioned there are exceptional circumstances and like the rest of life one rule does not fit all.There are life changing accidents or circumstances and i am sure we have all had a day when the rain was tipping it down so we put the walk off for an hour and then got involved in an emergency so maybe the dogs went without a walk for one day. Plus different dogs enjoy walks on different levels and require different levels of exercise. Also, "walking" is not neccesarily the same as having exercise - my mother in law has a massive set of secure fields and the entire pack will quite happily spend the entire day romping around there and totally tire themselves out but personally i like to stimulate them with walking (and i like walking which is one of the reasons i have dogs!). BUT it never fails to amaze me how many rescues i have come across that are being rehomed because of "behavioural issues" that largely vanish as soon as the dog is actually getting some exercise and mental stimulation.

Every dog should be walked! If you can't do it yourself then i feel you should either employ a dog walker or find a volunteer to walk them for you if you cannot afford to pay someone.

Dogs get so much more from being taken out of the house apart from exercise, they get mental stimulation from all the interesting sights and sounds and get the chance to socialise.

The woman with the GSD can't be that much of an expert if she thinks it is acceptable not to walk that pup. What happens if she also becomes ill or dies and the pup has to look for a new home? Rescue centres will be lumbered with trying to find a home for a GSD that has not been properly socialised. Dogs cannot be socialised fully if they do not get to leave their home !

Owning a dog is a life time commitment and i think we should also prepare the dog for life as much as possible bearing in mind that this may mean rehoming them, not exercising/socializing a dog is irresponsible in my book.

Some dogs can't exercise much due to medical reasons but you still see people taking them out in pushchairs etc to give them some stimulation, the chance to see different sights and get some fresh air. Good for them i say!!

I think people are just kidding themselves when they say they dont walk their dog, and their dog isn't bothered. Running around in circles in the garden is no substitute for a proper walk. Ive never met a dog that doesn't enjoy going walkies!

I don't wish to be nasty about old people but if they want an animal for company maybe they should consider a cat? Or arrange for someone to walk their dog for them. Of course its not just old people - there are others that simply can't be bothered! Walking a dog is all part of owning a dog if you ask me.

Well I have a dog that isnt walked, hasnt been for the last 12mths or more. Almost 16, on meds for heart failure, perhaps I should drag her down the road! Depends on the Dog!

As many others are saying, there are plenty of cases where I wouldn't consider it cruel, but in the OP's example, I would say that the woman is being completely selfish and personally, yes, I think she is cruel to get a GSD pup and have no intention of taking it out, ever.

I suppose the real 'proof of the pudding' will be to see how the pup has turned out in 3 or 4 years time, maybe it will be happy and both mentally and pysically healthy, but I would be prepared to bet that it won't be (though for the dog's sake, I hope I'm wrong).

I really hope that the OP has in some way misunderstood the owner.

I think most of us with experience of badly-handled dogs could give first-hand evidence of that! Daisy became agggressive because she was unsocialised - e.g. never taken out.