Today’s post was inspired by my friend Donna over at Donna and the Dogs.
I opened my google reader this morning and was greeted by this, When Did We All Become BAD Dog Owners?
It seems Donna’s been noticing a trend of people (including yours truly) who feel guilty about the amount of exercise their dogs have been (or not been) getting.
I feel like it’s important to know your dog and know what your dog requires for exercise AND to try different things to find the perfect fit. Not every dog needs the same kind or amount of exercise.
When we got Sampson at eight weeks old, he didn’t get a lot of exercise. I started taking him for walks after work but as he got bigger he became more and more of a punk, so I stopped walking him.
We tried to play fetch with him, but it wasn’t his thing. He would chase the ball once or twice and then lay on it as if to say, I’m done.
He did like puppy play group which took place one day per week, and of course we did the standard obedience training. That was it. We had a really laid back, low-key lifestyle and Sampson adjusted to it.
When he was a bit older we started hiking on the weekends and quickly realized this was something he loved. The hiking stopped for a while when Delilah joined our pack but I’ve recently taken it up again.
What I’ve discovered from Delilah’s addition to our pack is that in terms of quality and quantity of exercise, I have two vastly different dogs.
Sampson really, really loves his walk. If he never got another lick of exercise in his life as long as he had an off-leash walk he’s quite content.
Delilah LOVES to play fetch in the water and can do it for hours, Sampson hates it.
Delilah is also very happy to take a walk, but she has a different level of energy and she also needs some mental stimulation, which is why I started taking her to agility class.
Sampson HATES agility.
Delilah, I’m not so sure, but I’m working on finding different things to try with her.
I’m always amazed at the dogs participating in our Thursday night agility class. Last week we had an Alaskan Malamute, an Akita, two Labs, an Australian Shepard, a Pittie mix and two other breeds I’m unsure of.
Two weeks ago, I watched the Pittie’s mom struggle through the course using bits of food for motivation, it seems Brisco only wanted to play with the squeaky ball. Sara suggested instead of treats that the mom use the ball as a reward. Brisco had a much better run.
This past week I happened to be next to her in class and I observed the two of them together, she was still struggling. This guy has a LOT of energy, he’s actually quite a hoot to watch. I wondered as I stood there, if maybe agility just wasn’t his thing.
But how do you say that to someone?
When we had each completed our runs I asked her if she had considered fly ball for Brisco or Treibball. She had never heard of either so I quickly pulled up a Treibball video on youtube and let her check it out and explained as best I could what flyball was.
I don’t ever want to discourage anyone from interacting with their dogs, but I also believe that not all dogs are cut out for all things. If you find something that your dog loves to do, then you should do it.
It shouldn’t matter if your neighbor next door takes their dog running every morning, it might not be YOUR dog’s thing.
Find something you and your dog both like and do it, don’t worry what anyone else is doing, the important thing is that you are BOTH enjoying it.
Just Be The Dog.
Agreed… so many clients ask me “well how much do I need to walk them?? Or run them?” And there is no magic formula, you just gotta get out there and try a bit of everything till you find a good combination. And even then when you think you have it figured out they might change their needs either up or down, and you are sent back to square one. This is especially true for younger dogs.
Luna and Wyatt differ quite a bit, he naturally is a HUGE retriever and prefers that above all else, and if you combine it with water he is even HAPPIER. When we are walking sure he enjoys it, but he doesn’t love it… off leash he is much the same. He will take cues from Luna being interested in things and follow her around, but he checks back with me a lot and sometimes falls into the heel position at my side on his own. So off leash for him is not as important. Fetch with him and that is when you really see him happy.
Luna on the other hand likes to hunt, and that plays a part in anything she seems to enjoy… whether it is swimming and patrolling the shores for minnows and bugs, riding in the kayak where she has a good scouting vantage point…. or running crazy in the woods tracking down scents and critters… She likes to hunt the best I think. She is up for most anything, and I have done some agility with her, but even there she is distracted by things that could possibly be hunted like clock hands, fuzz balls or treats on the floor. One day maybe I will finally get my act together and do some agility on a regular basis as her having to focus on a task like that really wears her out. But I also want to get her into nose work once I am done with hunt training, and I think she will totally excel at that as she already likes similar things.
Keep up the good work
Anna
http://www.akginspiration.com
It’s like your dogs got together and figured out what each of them would like and the other one would dislike it. Maybe they thought it would challenge you and add mental stimulation to your life.
Yup!! I know I have mentioned it before but that is how Cheyenne and I came to do field stuff…she hates to show in conformation!
Nice post 🙂
Definitely! Not only do different dogs enjoy different types of exercise. Sometimes they like different things at different times.
Georgia is a fine example of it. She has some friends she loves playing with, others are just for sniffing and chilling with. Some days she wants to play and wrestle, other days she’s happy with a walk or jog. Different routes of course. She’s not a great ball player but if she finds one in the park she likes, she’ll bring it home and have a ball with it (haha) for a few days until it becomes ho hum. I wish she could be more of a mud wrestler like Sage or a snorkeller like Bert. But alas… she exercises as she pleases 😉
Don’t forget to add that a well exercised dog is a good dog. You haven’t posted about Delilah raiding the trash for a while. 🙂
I do think it is important that the human enjoy the activity too. If not, eventually it will fall by the way side.
Thanks for the shout back Jodi. Great post, and a topic that is so close to my heart. I tried to teach Toby to be a therapy dog for ages before I realized it was “my thing” and not his. We tried Rally too, and he did do well with that, but he also sometimes stressed (as did I). When the cyst on his wrist helped cinch the decision to move on, we ended up in Nose Work – and now THAT is something Toby loves. 🙂 Great that you suggested flyball and treiball to a ball obsessed dog. Hope it works out for that pittie!
Doggy for instance loves the early run, I was afraid he wouldn’t enjoy it when I first got it, but the minute I started running with him he changes, looks more balanced and obedient, now whenever we take the path down the river (I only use that to run not walk or play) he gets alert and excited, I consider myself a lucky guy cuz he likes what I love to do, doesn’t willingly as if he was born to do that.
Well said. 🙂 I always thought about taking Flo to agility when she was old enough, but given her shoulder I don’t think it’s a good idea any more. 🙁
You’re absolutely right–dogs have personalities and different requirements. All of mine love their walkies and when they get to go for hikes they’re happy as clams. I think Fozzie would love agility too, if I ever found a class that would accept him!
Confession: I don’t walk all 3 of my dogs every single day. At least once a week, no one gets a walk. Hurley gets more walks than anyone because he’s the rambunctious youngster. They play every day in the backyard and we do training sessions several times per week. It works for us and that’s what’s important. My dogs aren’t perfect but they’re healthy, happy, and fit.
Great post. And I really enjoyed Donna’s original post too.
I think people worship walks and don’t think about what they mean to their dogs. Most humans can’t walk a high-energy dog far enough to physically tire him. But walks can also provide mental stimulation or bonding time.
Walks are really important to Honey because she likes visiting the neighborhood and sniffing all the scents left behind.
But they aren’t the best option for every dog.
We have to remember that dogs used to roam freely and had to work to find their food. Now that we take care of them, we need to figure out what activities will stimulate them to feel happy and healthy. Just like we need to stimulate ourselves to be happy and healthy.
Great post and great point!
there are so many ways to interact with your dog, and to fulfil their exercise/mental stimulation requirements. I’m sure that Gwynn would love jogging, but frankly, he still gets enough exercise doing things that I actually enjoy too, and the only way something is going to happen is if it’s enjoyed by all. He deals with regular-walking-paced walks, and I deal with him not being happy in a canoe… and his enjoyment of rolling in dead things 🙂
I have to admit this question runs through my mind quite constantly in regards to agility. Sophie gets it and does it but I often wonder if she does it because I ask her to. In agility class, she rarely has the drive, speed or focus that I see in obedience or flyball. My training partner came to a flyball tournament to watch her compete and said “Wow that is a completely different dog.” The drive and energy is a whole different ball game.
When we trial in agility, I see more of the flyball energetic dog. Almost as if the atmosphere of a trial perks her up. But in class…she just goes through the motions. I go back and forth about continuing classes but that spark I see in trial keeps me going for now.
Queenie has taken to fetching a ball in the bay with great relish. Dogs are allowed on the beach before 9:00 AM and after 6:00 PM. She knows those times better than we do. It’s getting her great low impact exercise and she looks better than ever. We used to walk a lot, now hardly at all. She sleeps through the night with no problem now.
Hi Jodi,
Loved this post – I’m one of the running Dogs – I get all excited when I know Mum or Dad are putting on their running gear 🙂 But Mum is always also thinking about other things I may like to do – she knows I’m super sociable, so I’ve been loving being a Therapy Dog, but she’s also been thinking we may try agility as I love jumping. She just wants me to try things, just like the kids do, to see what I enjoy 🙂
Yay 🙂
I hope you’re having a fun day,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
They are so different 🙂 I’m lucky because there is only one of me.
I could not agree more with the point of this post and great placement/use of the “Just Be the Dog” mantra! This post really resonates with me because at least once a week someone will stop me and Mazzie on the street and comment that such a big dog shouldn’t live in the city and how miserable she must be as a result.
I always respond that since Mazzie has someone who understands and takes care of her needs, she can live in the city and has a pretty sweet life (multiple long walks per day, tons of friends in the neighborhood, daily squirrel stalking, tons of time with her mother, daycare, weekly training sessions and home cooked meals).
Just because some big dogs flourish in the country and suburbs doesn’t mean that no big dogs can flourish in an urban setting. As you say, every dog is different and every owner has the responsibility to determine what’s in the best interests of his/her dog and do what he/she can to make sure his/her dog is happy and content.