shes not off her nut, she's just a bit gobby, misunderstood by others, and a tad ott,,, shes a whimy what can I say,, lol

This topic really does annoy me Whenever I go to stay with my cousin in Canada I'm always introduced to yet someone else whos dog has a therapist for its behaviour. It always turns out that they get no excercise or perhaps a daily trip round the block ,suggesting that their dogs are excercised usually falls on deaf ears. I know someone in Canada who's Lab hasnt been out of the garden for months(its not a big garden either) apparently it pulls on the lead needless to say it has a very expensive therapist as it has "too much energy"!!!!!!!!!!!!

My dogs would be a complete nightmare if they didn't get thier walks.
Shady is difficult to walk as in put on a lead and walk the streets or parks because she suffers with fear aggression towards dogs, children and traffic and she is a big powerful strong dog. But I find popping her in the car twice a day and taking her to a field where I can see anyone coming and giving her 15 mins constant frisbee throwing, she is worn out at the end of it. The constant running flat out for 15mins has her huffing and puffing and is probably equal to a couple of hours pacing the streets on lead. It soon burns off all that energy and she loves it.
Weekends when its quieter I do take her after the field over to the local buisness park and give her a 20 min walk round the roads over there as well.
Milo I take over the fields or round pathways on his extending lead. He can't go offlead as he suffers selective deafness, but he is out much longer than Shady to get some of his excess energy burnt off.
I also most days give them a game of ball in the garden as well.

Well said Shona, last Saturday I went down to our local pet shop, the guy who owns it knows us ( I wonder why ) well he was talking to me about our three, and suddenly said 'Do you have probelms with em biting up' I asked what he meant and he said ' you know all the house, destructive' I said 'no' then he said, well in the last 3 weeks 4 BC owners have come to me saying that they are ...getting rid..... as every time they come home from work the house is destoyed. Turns out that the average age is around 4 - 6 months and the owners only walk them in the evening around the block...............I said 'well there's thier answer

I don't think it's a simple matter of just exercise either, it is mental and physical stimulation. A dog could get enough exercise in it's own garden but the mental stimulation would reduce to zero after a relatively sort while. When I can take my dogs on an hours walk then that's what I do. If I don't have enough time then I play ball with them so they get different walks and different types of stimulation.
For me I believe that most 'behavioural' problems could be resolved, or radically reduced, with adequate exercise and stimulation and a decent well balanced diet.
Becky

I was watching dog borstal the other day and had to switch off before I threw the Tv out of the window - two teachers, working full time, get a young GR. Then wondered why it wrecked their house. I know teachers - they work all the hours god sends. Why don`t these people get a cat - or a goldfish?

Whatever the weather, i'm out with the dogs on a normal 1 1/2 -2 hour walk. I havent had time this morning because i've got the hairdressers and they arent settling at all but they will get out when I come home.

Being high energy dogs, mine need off lead exercise and we are constantly off in the car to various places so they can get a good run and they arent stuck with the same walk day in, day out. I think it's important to have variety in a walk just as much as it is for them to have a walk in the first place.

I just find it incomprehensible when people have a dog and dont exercise it correctly, surely thats part of the fun of dog ownership? Mine do agility, obedience and gundog training for mental stimulation as well as physical.

That Jack to a tee. His brain needs as much of a work out as his body.

That's so annoying! How can she expect him to have recall if she never practices it?

My mum's neighbour has a staffy that they never walk. They say she is scared of the traffic - that's because she isn't used to it! Just an excuse IMO.

There's a woman opposite us who has a GSD which also never gets walked. It's hardly ever outside, I dread to think what the inside of their house is like because it must poop in there. It escapes every so often and they run down the street after it screaming. It's really soft though, wouldn't hurt a fly. It's such a shame that the 'authorities' can't so anything about this type of situation.