A thought about bored dogs...

OK, so Bongo's been on enforced-rest for a week now, and she's driving me bonkers. We can't walk her, can't play her usual games and can't let her out in the garden off the lead. So she's finding the naughtiest things to do around the house, and spends an awful lot of the time barking or whining. Surely nobody would put themselves through this voluntarily?

So how come there are people who don't take their dogs out for regular walks, don't play with them, and keep them day-in, day-out in poky little houses? Quite apart from it being downright cruel, has nobody pointed out to them that they're making their own lives a misery too?

I found that when Star was housebound after her op on her leg after the first 10 days or so she adapted to just being allowed out on a lead for the toilet. She seemed quite happy just to laze around inside. Maybe it was because she was older

Dogs must adapt to whatever their lives are

I don't think it is so much that they adapt, rather that they give up trying and go into a kind of doggy depression.
Those that keep up with the distruction are generally cast out to the back yard to live out their lives there.

I just don't get why peole have an animal and let it rot away never going out walks or playing.

it can depend on the breed as well ...mine are real lazy bones at times the choice of a nice walk or a warm sofa the latter wins every time .....its me who loves the long evening walks more than they do to be honest
but then i don't live in a pokey little house mine are playing and bounding around all day

I have never understood people that get a dog and then never want to play with it, train it or walk it. What is the point?

Our next door neighbour has 2 dogs, both terriers. His garden is the same as ours, about 150 foot long and yet his dogs are only allowed down the side of the house and in a small patio area. I don't think they are ever walked and it shows, they bark at everything and everyone. Bin days are the worse (particularly on red box day). It is persistent barking whether they are in the house or the garden. It is a nightmare when we are in the garden. The noise drives me mad, how my neighbour can stand it I don't know. But what a simple solution - walk them, play with them - stimulate their poor little minds .

Duboing - you would usually provide her with lots of physical and mental stimulation - so she's missing it. The people who don't bother have never provided their dogs with this and so their dogs don't miss it as much as Bongo is.

I suppose it's like taking a tv off a teenager - if they've always had one and spend their lives watching it, they'd hate to be without it, a teenager brought up in a household with no tv wouldn't miss it as much but would probably think about what they were missing out on.
possibly not the best comparison - but along those lines

My poor dogs have been walked by other people for the last week and a half because of my foot and they've had to wait longer until the friends/family who are walking them for me can take them. At first, they were very unimpressed, now the poor sods are just about getting used to it. I'm trying to train them as much as possible from the sofa to keep them occupied!!

I don't think there is an answer to that question. It is a sad fact that the 80:20 theory applies here. 80% of all humans are stupid, 20% are not of the 80% many will be dog owners unfortunately.