My dilema

I currently look after 2 Dogues de Bordeaux, one or two afternoons a week. The dogs live on the out skirts of Aberdeen and have a huge feild in front of the house to run around in but their owner never actually goes for a walk with them. He wanted me to give them a bit personal attention because he felt guilty, I guess, at how little they get. They have never been socialised with other dogs and tbh, I personally wouldnt want to be the one to take them out of their surroundings as they are very powerful animals.
My routine with them is that I walk around the field with them and let them be dogs, then we play for a while, if they get too boisterous, we stop the play and we walk, sometimes on lead and sometimes off. After this I give them both a groom.
Last week I had to cut it all short as they were just way too hyper and and were completely fixated on the play ball. Normally Suzey is very calm and Tali is excitable but this time both were jumping at me and running off etc. I began to get a little frustrated and decided that that wasnt benificial to any of us and cut the visit short.
On talking with the owner, he hasnt been excersising them properly, when he does take them into the feild, he takes a ball thrower, which is probably why they have now become fixated on the ball I take to play with them.
I worry that the dogs over heat etc , Suzey has hip displacia and what is the point of me trying to excersise them and keep them calm and relaxed.
They are seriously cracking dogs and i love them both, have spoken with the owner several times about these things as well as diet for Suzey, she is around 7 years old with hip problems.
Any tips on how I can make the owner understand the importance of him putting more effort into the dogs?

Sorry that was all a bit disjointed and ranty there
I'll ask the questions once I am less ranty and more articulated

What a situation for you to be in, it's awful when you see potentially great dogs being negatively affected by their owner.

Being pessimistic, it strikes me that if he's not already listening to your sensible advice, I can't see that anything is going to make him take note that he's not helping his dogs.

I suppose the only thing that would be really beneficial is if you and he are willing to increase the amount of time you spend with them - perhaps every weekday, but of course that may not be practical.

Is his lack of attention to them so bad that you think they would be better of being rehomed?

Thankyou Hali for your reply, in answer to your question, he does love the dogs etc its just that he is a lazy ass when it comes to excersising them and teaching them manners. He has done a bit but only when it suits him. I would like to put some extra time into the dogs but as you say, at the moment its not practicle for me to do so. He does ultimately want the dogs to be socialised and well behaved but doesnt seem to get it that he is the MAIN person in their lives and so HE must put the work and effort into them more so than me. I think he's looking for easy solutions i.e. get some one else to do the job for him which simply isnt going to work.
Anyway I had a chat with him again today because he is off to Norway for just over a week and I am looking after the dogs. I have told him that HE needs to atleast follow some simple instruction about being calm and not over exciting them and most of all to excersise them sensibly. He has agreed but we will have to wait and see.....

Well done for trying to get him to understand.

I think so many people just get dogs without understanding the level of commitment they need.