I need ideas for getting a 1yo dobe worn out faster when we can't let him
off the leash.

Normally, I take him out off-leash to play fetch for about a half-hour
each morning, and another family member will take him out in the
afternoon (time permitting) for about the same amount of time.
Unfortunately, the coyotes are in heat, and after a long, miserable chase
the other day, we have decided not to allow him off-leash until they are
all done for the season. (Which should take about 2 more weeks.)

My folks are older, and can't keep up with him on-leash well enough to
get him worn out. I can somewhat, but it takes over an hour to get him
worn down enough to not act pent-up and psycho. I just can't take that
much time out of my day twice a day every day.

Putting a dog on a treadmill here is illegal. (Dumb, dumb, people think
treadmill == dog fights.) Not that any of us are in a hurry to shell out
for an expensive piece of equipment to keep the dog worked out for two
weeks, then find a place to store it in the off season. I tried a longer
leash with him, but so far instead of running around on it, he just gets
himself all tangled up.

So, does anyone have suggestions for getting him more worn out? He's not
getting enough exercise, but I'm out of ideas.

Thanks in advance,

Susan

In article ,
Susan wrote:


So, does anyone have suggestions for getting him more worn out? He's not
getting enough exercise, but I'm out of ideas.


You need to find a safely enclosed (fenced) area for him. Do you train
with him? Mental exercise is important as well as physical. Can you
drive to someplace safer than your immediate area? Look into school
sports areas (but be aware of any no-dog rules), and of course, don't
destroy grounds and clean up after him. Fenced fields exist if you look
hard enough.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

Susan wrote:
I need ideas for getting a 1yo dobe worn out faster when we can't let him
off the leash.

Normally, I take him out off-leash to play fetch for about a half-hour
each morning, and another family member will take him out in the
afternoon (time permitting) for about the same amount of time.
Unfortunately, the coyotes are in heat, and after a long, miserable chase
the other day, we have decided not to allow him off-leash until they are
all done for the season. (Which should take about 2 more weeks.)

My folks are older, and can't keep up with him on-leash well enough to
get him worn out. I can somewhat, but it takes over an hour to get him
worn down enough to not act pent-up and psycho. I just can't take that
much time out of my day twice a day every day.

Putting a dog on a treadmill here is illegal. (Dumb, dumb, people think
treadmill == dog fights.) Not that any of us are in a hurry to shell out
for an expensive piece of equipment to keep the dog worked out for two
weeks, then find a place to store it in the off season. I tried a longer
leash with him, but so far instead of running around on it, he just gets
himself all tangled up.

So, does anyone have suggestions for getting him more worn out? He's not
getting enough exercise, but I'm out of ideas.

Any rollerbladers or skate boarders in the family? Assuming, of course,
that he doesn't have a wheel fetish.

Put a harness on him and attach two leads - one to the harness, one to
the collar, for better control. Until you're confident, stick to
hiking, biking, walking paths. You don't want to be dragged into
vehicular traffic.

Also, swimming. Take him out to local streams, ponds and lakes.
Swimming is, hands down, the fastest way to take the steam out of an
energetic dog's sails. If you have access to a private pool, this will
work as well.

In article ,
Kathleen wrote:
Any rollerbladers or skate boarders in the family? Assuming, of course,
that he doesn't have a wheel fetish.

Oh, heck, you don't need to do that. A bicycle or scooter
will do the trick and needs less skill.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

On Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:11:04 -0500, Kathleen wrote:
snip
Any rollerbladers or skate boarders in the family? Assuming, of course,
that he doesn't have a wheel fetish.

Put a harness on him and attach two leads - one to the harness, one to
the collar, for better control. Until you're confident, stick to
hiking, biking, walking paths. You don't want to be dragged into
vehicular traffic.

That's an interesting idea... it's very rural out here, so there isn't
any pavement to take him on (ruling out skates, skateboards, and
blades). I might try a bicycle as another poster suggested, though I'm
not sure how he'd react to it, or how hard it would be for him to pull
over the grass.

Thanks for the idea!

Also, swimming. Take him out to local streams, ponds and lakes.
Swimming is, hands down, the fastest way to take the steam out of an
energetic dog's sails. If you have access to a private pool, this will
work as well.

He's *terrified* of water. Every dobe we've had, save one, has been.
Our black lab was a great swimmer, though, and you are right about it
burning off energy at a record pace!

--Susan

On Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:35:35 -0400, Janet Boss wrote:
snip
You need to find a safely enclosed (fenced) area for him. Do you train
with him? Mental exercise is important as well as physical. Can you
drive to someplace safer than your immediate area? Look into school
sports areas (but be aware of any no-dog rules), and of course, don't
destroy grounds and clean up after him. Fenced fields exist if you look
hard enough.

We live in a rural area -- if something is fenced, that's because it's
full of livestock, and not the place for the dog to play.

He gets some training with me in the mornings, but since we haven't been
able to exercise him sufficiently, he's been completely unable to focus.


-- Susan

Melinda Shore wrote:
In article ,
Kathleen wrote:

Any rollerbladers or skate boarders in the family? Assuming, of course,
that he doesn't have a wheel fetish.


Oh, heck, you don't need to do that. A bicycle or scooter
will do the trick and needs less skill.

Depends on the dog. Zane or Scully will lope unleashed alongside a
mountain bike on a rural trail and not make a nuisance of themselves to
the rider or anybody else. Cooper would be a menace. He'd have to be
leashed and I'd either end up running over him or killing myself trying
to avoid it.

Zane's wheel fetish doesn't seem to extend to bicycles (or wheel
chairs). It's just little wheels. Shopping carts, wheel barrows,
rollerblades and scooters, most especially those items being pushed or
used by his handler. He was so obnoxious last week at Home Depot that I
made him ride *in* the cart, which made him weep and mourn most sorrowfully.

It was very sad but Errand Dogs get held to a higher standard of behavior.

"Thou Shalt Not Bite The Wheels"

In article ,
Kathleen wrote:
Depends on the dog. Zane or Scully will lope unleashed alongside a
mountain bike on a rural trail and not make a nuisance of themselves to
the rider or anybody else. Cooper would be a menace. He'd have to be
leashed and I'd either end up running over him or killing myself trying
to avoid it.

Yeah. There are several ways to do it. One is loose
running, another is running leashed or Springered alongside
and the third is running out front and pulling. I've done
most with most of my dogs and it's worked out okay.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

Melinda Shore wrote:

In article ,
Kathleen wrote:

Depends on the dog. Zane or Scully will lope unleashed alongside a
mountain bike on a rural trail and not make a nuisance of themselves to
the rider or anybody else. Cooper would be a menace. He'd have to be
leashed and I'd either end up running over him or killing myself trying
to avoid it.


Yeah. There are several ways to do it. One is loose
running, another is running leashed or Springered alongside
and the third is running out front and pulling. I've done
most with most of my dogs and it's worked out okay.

What would you recommend for a moronic JRT running in conjunction with a
pair of reliable BCs?

In article ,
Kathleen wrote:
What would you recommend for a moronic JRT running in conjunction with a
pair of reliable BCs?

1:1 training. But not everything is appropriate for every
situation, and if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community