I just wanted to get up on my soapbox for a minute, and vent.

So many posters problems stem from simple lack of excercise.

If you don't want to get outside and be active every day (barring bad weather of course), then please don't get a dog! Get a fish or a parakeet, or a cat. But not a dog.

Dogs require excercise. Alot of excercise. Even a little 10 pound dog needs at least a hour of walking every day. Bigger and or more active breeds need even more.

My lab/catahoula mix (who looks like a grayhound, and runs like one too), runs beside my bike for an hour and a half every morning, and then I take her jogging for another hour in the afternoon. Weather permitting. The rest of the day she spends happily loafing on the couch, or lying in the back yard. No behavior problems there. But I knew when I got this particular dog, that she would require alot of running. I planned for it and was happy to have an excercise buddy, but I wouldn't have gotten her if I wasn't willing to go the extra mile, or 10, or however many we put in a day (alot).

So please consider before getting a dog of any size, if you are willing and able to take care of its needs. If you are a lazy couch potato, get a chia pet instead.

Thank you.

I would like to add that, sometimes walking the dog can be a stress relief. It gives your mind a chance to change gears. Not think about traffic, your bills or your work load.
Just watch your dog...no bills to pay, teenagers to raise the life of a spoiled and beloved friend.
Proper walking includes walking at the dog's pace Depending on the size of the dog this could mean a good exercise for people.

I call my dog my personal trainer because he won't let me take a day off, rain, hail, sleet, snow, etc. We do less in bad weather but we're still out there every day. Its great being outdoors so much, thats why I got a dog.

I just got back from a 2.5 mile jog with my dog and lunchtime we went for a 1.5 hour brisk hike off leash where he ran with another dog with similar energy for about half of it.

Exercise doesn't cure all a dog's problems but it makes most problems easier to cure, even those totally unrelated to boredom issues.

I have to agree. My Siberian Husky agrees whole heartedly as well!! She is only 6 months now and even though I can't walk her at her pace (sprinting for miles), we get out alot and people are noticing a weight loss on me. My clothes are looser and I feel great. I look forward to our walks. I am just sad that when it gets really hot this summer, we will have to find indoor activities for her so she doesn't get overheated. Thinking about training her on the treadmill.

Oh my goodness! Such proselytizing! Please try to understand that there are more sides to a story than just 'laziness'.
I have a fenced in yard. Whenever possible, I have had dogs of various sizes that have needed homes. When I bought my home 15 years ago, my house was broken into within a week. I found an ad for an older doberman that needed a home, and she was just a wonderful fit for me. When I had to put her to sleep due to inoperable tumor, I got a 6 mo. old rottie that needed a home. I couldn't have asked for a better dog. I got an older weimeraner that he was very happy keeping company with. I lost them within a month of each other and was devastated. Shortly before that, a stray was at our fence that I brought in to avoid being hit by a car. The owner came by, but didn't want the dog back, and he got along wonderfully with the other 2, so he stayed. I also make sure to spay and neuter my animals. Soon after my 2 big guys died, my son gave me a yorkie, my first ever "lap" dog (that was actually lap dog size)! Then my niece had adopted a lab mix, but was ready to return her to the pound because she found her to be far too frisky and it was too difficult for her to keep with 3 little ones. I took her instead of making her return to a pound til I found her a good home (duh). Of course, I have her now.
I was recently diagnosed with emphysema, and have difficulty walking any distance. I began a new series of medication and am trying to walk the littlest one. I am trying to push you off your soapbox to say to consider the many homeless and stray animals that are happy to be in my home, sans walks, rather than being in an unloving unstable life.

Sorry i disagree I know VERY little animals that are living truly happy lives without proper exercise unless they are old and disabled themselves.

The POINT was do NOT get an animal that requires LOTS of exercise if you can not provide them with the proper lifestyle. Watch It's me or the dog almost EVERY time what is the problem? The dogs aren't getting enough exercise.

My friend has no LEGS and still walks her dogs. You have emphysema, how many people posting that their dog is crazy has any sort of medical problem? Not a single one we have addressed so far.

If I could no longer exercise my dogs and no alternatives such as a dog walker I would find responsible homes to place them in. My dogs would be EXTREMELY unhappy in a home with no walks. And I would only consider active homes for placement for any dogs.

We here are tired of hearing my gsd/rotty/border collie is a terrible dog! And then when asked if it's taken on walks they say oh no we don't walk/play/obedience train. Gee wonder what the problem is?

All dogs should be getting a walk. Not all dogs MUST have a walk though. My father actually had a dog that hated walks and would trail behind him until she got back home. And she was fine without a walk. Both my dogs would go crazy without walks. The reason my Airedale was given up is because lack of exercise drove her insane and then drove her family insane. It was that lack of exercise which made her so miserable.

misDaisy,

it sounds like your dog is fine without a walk every day. You have a small dog and she can get exercise in a different way. But you could never get a husky or border collie. Exercise is the cure to just about every dog problem people are having. A tired dog is a happy dog.

and just because you can't walk the dog does not mean you can't exercise it. The OP stated specifically EXERCISE not just walking. They have tons and tons and tons of items out there for disabled people to exercise their dogs.

dog powered Treadmills
Long distance ball throwers
spring poles
flirt poles
motorised toys

Great Danes are known as lazy dogs, but you know what... if I didn't get my dogs out for at least an hour walk a day, they'd tear my apartment to bits. When I'm sick (or my 2 year old son is sick and my partner is at work and unable to watch him) and can't get them out for more than a game of fetch, you can see how antsy my beasts get.

A tired dog is a happy dog, and that's that.

I have re-read the post by TrainingMisDaisy.
First let me say I remember my grandmother having emphazema and I know it is not fun at all and life threatening. I do hope that the medications that you are taking gives you some relief. They did not have medications like that back in the 60's.
I would like to mention that in forums and e-mails that sometimes a post is a short answer lacking details.
Lastly, I would have to agree that younger dog need more exercise then the good older dogs. Why? Hey because older dogs are old.
I would also like to recommend that there are some exercises a dogs can do with just the watchful eye of the owner like swimming.
Also there is the dog chasing a remote-control rabbit. That technique is used for field training sight hounds.
What limits the dog's exercise is the owner's lack of imagination.
I think adopting an older dog because it does not need as much exercise as a young pup is an important consideration. It is a tough one because your soon to be best friend will only be with you for a short time.

I have a few things that keep the dogs physically and mentally stimulated when my family is under the weather or outside conditions make it impossible to get out without endangering ourselves or the dogs.

We have one of those sling-shots that shoot the scented dummy. I actually have four of them. They were on clearance at Wal-Mart for $2.50, from $25.99. We shoot the dummies, and when we're really feeling frisky... we'll thaw out some chicken and sling that. The dogs really chase it down, and the raw-meat is a nice snack.

Invest in a tennis ball or a frisby or a chuck-it. If you can't get out to walk, a game of fetch will at least get him running for a minute or two.

Buster Cubes and Egg Babies are great for being stuck inside. The dog has to figure out how to get the treats out of the cube (they roll it around with their paws/nose) or the babies out of the host (using their feet/mouth to take them out). If you can't physically tire a dog, mentally tiring a dog can calm them down a bit.

Training!!! We work with our dogs 15-20 minutes on basic commands, as well as introducing new tricks.

Working our 5 month old Great Dane pup on sit and lay down in the house will make her nap for a few hours... if we train her for half an hour.

I think it really depends on thpecific dog. I had a pit and she was real laid back so I never really took her on walks( plus it seemed like everytime I did someone tried to steal her) but I played with her alot, trained her for awhile everyday, and got her to chase me or someone around in the back. She was only 6 months when she died so she was still a young pup.

A lot really does depend on the dog. My cousin's greyhound sleeps all day. But he still goes for walks. It gives the dog a chance to get out, sniff things, meet some new people and dogs, and get exercise.

It's a bit like...Reading a book. I love to read books. I can sit down with a book I've read a billion times before and still enjoy it. But, what would really make me happy is a book I've never read before. See what I'm getting at? Your Pit might have done fine with no daily walks, but it would have made her happier.

And exercise doesn't always mean walks. A jigsaw puzzle tires me out as much mentally as weight lifting does physically.

well I took her swimming as well when it was warm and played tug of war. I tried to mentally stimulate her through training and searching for a scent