Exercising an on leash dog?

Edie

Do you think the reason there are SO many dogs with behavioral problems around is because there are so many with loads of pent up energy?

I think this is a chicken vs. egg kind of question. For me, in my situation, with my dog...no. The amount of exercise Cherokee gets doesn't change her behavior. I could let her run free for 8 hours a day, but if I didn't do anything else, she'd still be just as aggressive. 8 hours of exercise per day might make desensitizing her easier, but it wouldn't, alone, change her behavior.

I don't have the option of letting her off leash in public. She is simply too aggressive/reactive/scared/whatever, and even if I make her "better", she'll never be trustworthy enough to be allowed off leash in strange places. She gets leashed walks, and romps in my yard. Do I wish I could let her off leash in the park or hiking or whatever? YES! But I can't. And no amount of desensitizing/training/anything is going to change that.

So. Do so many dogs have behavioral problems because they don't get exercised "enough", or do they not get so much exercise because they have behavioral problems? I guess that's a case by case kind of question. For me, it's the latter, but I'm sure for a lot of people, it's the former...but it's totally a vicious cycle.

And anyway, here in the states, places it's legal to let dogs off leash are few and far between.

Well.. first, I think you're starting on the assumption that it's an either-or thing, and in my experience, it's usually not. Most people I know who have non-dog-park dogs that aren't safe of leash do both- walking them on leash (with plenty of sniffing, although mostly for elimination purposes), and then bike or something with them for aerobic exercise- but the dog's primary MENTAL stimulation usually comes from training or games of some sort.  

 On the second part? I don't know. I think it's not just about exercise, because honestly, that s NO the only way to tire out a dog (but it is, IMO, the part that takes the least effort on the part of the owner/handler.) I think it also really depends on the dog. Dogs have an AMAZING amount of diversity in their needs.
 

Dakota is never off leash (until recently when our dog park opened). I exercised her with roller blading, bike riding and long hikes in the woods on a long leash (this lets her sniff around as much as she wants as long as she kept up with my pace). She got plenty of exercise this way. Running is what huksies do so rollerblading and bike riding fit the bill.

I think that trick training takes care of mental exercise. 

well, go look at all the fat dogs waddling around on their 15-minute leash walks and yes, I'd say there can indeed be a big problem if the only "exercise" your dog gets is leash-walks.

What MP said.

However, on this forum, I see an awful lot of folks finding places to let their dogs run off lead, legally.  When we first moved to Michigan, and couldn't put a fence up because the ground was frozen, we would load everyone up and drive 15 miles to a place that they could run off lead.  Many people here do the same thing, or something similar.

 I have an almost 2 year old field lab.  There is no way I could exercise him on lead to an extent that would be sufficient in any way that wouldn't make me worried about his joints.  But then, I have the luxury of different laws here....walking to the park where I can let Ben off-lead actually takes less time than driving to it.

For me, and for MY dog (and I agree that dogs have so many different needs it's impossible to generalise) I don't view lead-walks as physical exercise.  He gets them, yes, because he has to know how to walk nicely on a lead and they are good training opportunities, but in my house a walk on-lead doesn't count towards Ben's daily exercise quota.   

My dog (who is a breed used for hunting) doesn't get off lead exersize, every day. She has a fenced yard, but that's mostly just used for pottying. Some days (like yesterday, when it poured rain all day and I didn't feel good), she spends the entire day inside. She does just fine. She does get off lead runs, fairly regularly, though, so that probably makes a difference. Right now, we're heading out to meet a friend at the beach. 

Mine get both on and off lead exersize. A 30-45 minute walk actually does seem to tire out my shelties, the border collie not so much, but they all seem to enjoy walking, whether it's giving them a workout or not. I have places I take them for off lead too, woods, fields, the lake in the summer, and, I confess, my own unfenced yard. I really don't know if it's legal these places or not, but we do it. My dogs need more than just leash walks, particularly lots of mental activity, but I would say that leash walks take the edge off a bit, and as long as they get excited and go get their leashes when I say W-A-L-K, we'll keep doing it.

The type and amount of exersize needed depends on the breed or individual dog imo. I could run mine five miles and it wouldn't give them what they need because so much of what my breeds need is mental.

Behavior problems...I don't think it's just exersize, but time spent with their families too. I don't really even want to get into this...but I think many people have unrealistic expectations of dogs, and really want toys, not companions, not living things that have needs.

Edie

Jogging alongside a bike etc doesnt allow them to sniff,pee etc which is just as important IMO as free running time. A trainer once told me that walking a dog and not letting him sniff/explore to his hearts content is akin to taking a tourist for a tour guide,but blindfolding them first.

Why can't the dog have some times for walking/sniffing, and others for running/exercising? Even the tourist has to sit quietly in a bus sometimes to get to where he's going, right?

IMO, if there's no safe/legal place to let your dog off lead, better it be a bit under-exercised than roaming unsafely off lead. Personally, I think the oft-maligned Flexi leash is a great compromise, so the dog can run and romp in large open spaces while still having the lead as a safe "backup." I use it with Rascal all the time in the park, for everything from squirrel chasing to running around to practicing recall.

Not everyone is so fortunate as to live in the country with acres upon acres of unpopulated open spaces, or to have a dog that is 100% no-matter-what reliable off lead (I'm thinking particularly hounds, or dogs with a high prey drive). Leashes are important and, IMO, necessary 99.5% of the time.

Cita

Personally, I think the oft-maligned Flexi leash is a great compromise, so the dog can run and romp in large open spaces while still having the lead as a safe "backup."

I use a flexi on all our walks now, not really sure why it's such an unpopular thing. It's easy enough to reign them in if we have to walk closely by other people/dogs that we can't say hi to.

Sampson gets an off lead walk everyday, but I live near a wooded area with trails and his recall is very good.  Maggie cannot be trusted off lead, so I put her on a 25 ft lead so she can sniff and trot and roam about, at her own pace.  I just started using the 25ft lead while training her recall and I see a dramatic difference.  On a 6ft leash she got bored, walked slow and the last half of our walk she fell behind and tried to lay down.  She was bored!  Now that I use the long lead she has way more energy.  She remains interested and has fun sniffing and roaming...she tries to keep up with Sampson as he darts from side to side sniffing and running.  She gets so much more exercise this way.  I love it. 

Cita

Why can't the dog have some times for walking/sniffing, and others for running/exercising? Even the tourist has to sit quietly in a bus sometimes to get to where he's going, right?

IMO, if there's no safe/legal place to let your dog off lead, better it be a bit under-exercised than roaming unsafely off lead. Personally, I think the oft-maligned Flexi leash is a great compromise, so the dog can run and romp in large open spaces while still having the lead as a safe "backup." I use it with Rascal all the time in the park, for everything from squirrel chasing to running around to practicing recall.

Not everyone is so fortunate as to live in the country with acres upon acres of unpopulated open spaces, or to have a dog that is 100% no-matter-what reliable off lead (I'm thinking particularly hounds, or dogs with a high prey drive). Leashes are important and, IMO, necessary 99.5% of the time.

I agree, Cita.  My dogs are really too small to be off leash when out in a public area - not because they don't have recall (they do - and really reliable) but because I can't trust other off leash dogs with them.  So we go to a leash required hiking park.  It's great and I allow my dogs to choose the pace - often they run but mostly they like to sniff around, swim, etc.  My walks are for them - not for me.  Of course, with my dogs being small it's relatively easy for me to keep pace with them - though you'd be surprised how fast they run.  But my dogs need a minimum of 1.5 hour walk every day or they are out of their minds with energy.

Luckily I also have the horse barn.  It's my mom's place and she has 7 very trustworthy and sweet dogs ranging from a Rottie to a Chinese Crested Powderpuff, so my dogs get the run of 12 safely fenced acres with 7 very trustworthy dogs.  It is a true blessing.  They run, sniff, eat horse poop, roll in the dirt, chase balls, etc.  Pure doggie bliss.

I think it all depends on the dog.  My dogs are NOT sufficiently exercised on-leash, that includes long walks AND a 3 mile run each day.  This is especially true for Kenya, a breed developed to gait and run ALL day long.  When Phil takes her on the 3 mile run, she comes back really hyper and worked up, like it's just a warm-up and now she is ready for some real work!  Typically, he hands her off to me and I turn her out in the yard where she will just run sprints around all of the patches of shrubs like she's gone batty or something. The problem is a human jogging at a good clip is still only a gait to a German Shepherd.  It's a good workout for the human, but not the dog.

I've found the best exercise for my dogs is off-leash play with each other and preferably a third dog added into the mix.  Coke cannot be truly off-lead in our yard yet, but he goes on a long line that simply restricts him within the boundary (and we have a HUGE yard).  If we can, we meet other dogs at a fenced in field on school property.  We have permission to run our dogs there off lead.  This off-lead play (which is mostly chasing and very hardcore wrestling) is sufficient for Coke. 

Kenya needs additional stimulation in the form of directed exercise, such as agility or training that involves a physical component.  She is never truly tired unless her mind has been worked as well.  Coke would rather just play.  Despite what many have told me about dogs playing, he does actually play with himself with toys, or he does "parallel play" where he and a few other dogs are all playing with their own toy at the same time.  That's very fun to watch!  My dogs also play with each other indoors each night (wrestling or playing tug-of-war with each other).  Our house is split-level, several levels so they get quite a few stair workouts since they are allowed all over the house and follow us around!

So in general, with regard to my dogs (and Kenya in particular) I AGREE that walking/jogging on leash is not sufficient exercise. 

 Ways to exercise on-leash dogs:

Find a fenced yard and let them run, play fetch, frisbee (my Aussie's favorite game), etc.
Play with other dogs (great point, Liesje - and I think it's the number one best exercise, provided the dogs are social - doesn't take but a few minutes for everyone's tongue to be lolling)
Run on the beach, in a field, or in an unused tennis court, with a knotted long line dragging (which the owner can step on, and then pick up to retrieve the dog)
Biking with a "springer"
Participating in dog sports - rally o, agility, freestyle, carting, tracking, etc. (many times, classes are held in a safe indoor facility with doors, or, as with tracking, outdoors on a harness and tracking line)
Clicker training (great mental exercise, which also tires the dog out)