Often, clients come in with complaints of behavioral issues such as barking, fighting or dominance issues with other dogs in the home, or chewing up things around the house. The first question I always ask is, “How many walks does he/she get per day?” And most of the time there is silence because the answer is none. Or the response is, "None...but we have a backyard."
Dogs still need to have their minds stimulated. They need to get out of the house and go for a walk, or a ride in the car, or have a pet play date.
When we as humans get home from work and are tired and ready to relax, the dogs are excited and happy to see us! They are ready to start their activities with us and be busy. Remember, they have likely been sleeping all day or just waiting for us to come home. Their whole world revolves around us. So as hard as it might seem to get up early for a morning walk, or to go for that evening walk after a long day, just commit to it for yourself and for your dog. It is good bonding time and frankly a necessity for the whole household!
It reminds me of a quote I recently saw, "To the world you may be just one person, but to one person (or dog in this case) you may be the world." -Bill Wilson
