I find it totally amazing in this so called enlightened day and age, that a large percentage of dog-owners do not fully understand the importance of regular daily exercise for their pet.
You hear about all manner of misdemeanors, from soiling in the house to chewing up the kitchen cupboards, manic and unruly behaviour, obsessive behaviour, difficulty with feeding, unwillingness to listen, jumping around the furniture etc etc; I think you get the picture! And many of these unwanted behaviours can be down to the dog not getting enough exercise, total boredom and frustration because he/she are not given the opportunity to let off steam, ergo, badly behaved mutt is the result and it's not even his fault! In addition to this, there are also a great many dog owners who go out to work full time, meaning good old Bonzo has to be cooped up in the house by himself all day long, and hey, what do you know he did? Ripped up the sofa, peed and poo-ed all over the best sitting room rug, even ran around all the bedrooms dragging the bedding off the beds, chewing a corner of the plastc bath, eating the toilet paper, he was probably sick somewhere too but hey! what a terrible dog! Please please people, if this article does nothing else but at least raise your awareness a little, then I will die a happy woman! Dogs, all dogs, large or small, need exercise every day, twice if you can manage it, a good lead walk of half an hour or so, but ultimately if you can let him run freely off lead is even better! He has to have an outlet for all that lovely energy inside him to keep him fit and healthy, but also for mental stimulation, they need to sniff around lamp-posts and undergrowth to smell what went there before, to a dog it's like reading a newspaper, endlessly fascinating information for him to digest, and then take home with him and dream about when he's curled up in his basket having a lovely doggie-dream! Bottom line, if your dog does not get out enough, then he will not be at his best and you cannot expect him to function as a normal healthy animal should, therefore you and your house will have to bear the consequences.
Get him nice and tired and full of fresh air, and he won't even think about bad behaviour, honestly! The same goes for small dogs, they don't need to be carried everywhere, they should be treated exactly the same as their bigger brothers and sisters and go for nice long walks and play in the park, in fact a lot of tiny dogs have boundless energy and it's great fun watching them chase a ball! Oh and just on the side, I don't want to cover training in this article as there is already information about that on another page, but if you are getting your dog enough exercise, you will find him much easier to train! The reason being that as you go out and about together you will be helping to form a stronger bond with your pet, so he will be much more inclined to listen to you, but also when his brain is nicely relaxed and without pent-up anxieties he will be in a much better frame of mind to follow your instructions, especially if you keep it fun and up-beat! And after that, he will look to you for direction and leadership, which you must give him! Above all, enjoy your Man's Best Friend, when it's done correctly it will be one of the most truly genuine and rewarding friendships you will ever have.
You hear about all manner of misdemeanors, from soiling in the house to chewing up the kitchen cupboards, manic and unruly behaviour, obsessive behaviour, difficulty with feeding, unwillingness to listen, jumping around the furniture etc etc; I think you get the picture! And many of these unwanted behaviours can be down to the dog not getting enough exercise, total boredom and frustration because he/she are not given the opportunity to let off steam, ergo, badly behaved mutt is the result and it's not even his fault! In addition to this, there are also a great many dog owners who go out to work full time, meaning good old Bonzo has to be cooped up in the house by himself all day long, and hey, what do you know he did? Ripped up the sofa, peed and poo-ed all over the best sitting room rug, even ran around all the bedrooms dragging the bedding off the beds, chewing a corner of the plastc bath, eating the toilet paper, he was probably sick somewhere too but hey! what a terrible dog! Please please people, if this article does nothing else but at least raise your awareness a little, then I will die a happy woman! Dogs, all dogs, large or small, need exercise every day, twice if you can manage it, a good lead walk of half an hour or so, but ultimately if you can let him run freely off lead is even better! He has to have an outlet for all that lovely energy inside him to keep him fit and healthy, but also for mental stimulation, they need to sniff around lamp-posts and undergrowth to smell what went there before, to a dog it's like reading a newspaper, endlessly fascinating information for him to digest, and then take home with him and dream about when he's curled up in his basket having a lovely doggie-dream! Bottom line, if your dog does not get out enough, then he will not be at his best and you cannot expect him to function as a normal healthy animal should, therefore you and your house will have to bear the consequences.
Get him nice and tired and full of fresh air, and he won't even think about bad behaviour, honestly! The same goes for small dogs, they don't need to be carried everywhere, they should be treated exactly the same as their bigger brothers and sisters and go for nice long walks and play in the park, in fact a lot of tiny dogs have boundless energy and it's great fun watching them chase a ball! Oh and just on the side, I don't want to cover training in this article as there is already information about that on another page, but if you are getting your dog enough exercise, you will find him much easier to train! The reason being that as you go out and about together you will be helping to form a stronger bond with your pet, so he will be much more inclined to listen to you, but also when his brain is nicely relaxed and without pent-up anxieties he will be in a much better frame of mind to follow your instructions, especially if you keep it fun and up-beat! And after that, he will look to you for direction and leadership, which you must give him! Above all, enjoy your Man's Best Friend, when it's done correctly it will be one of the most truly genuine and rewarding friendships you will ever have.
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