We're still trying to play fetch
According to Jan Fennell, dogs don't need to go on a walk to exercise. In nature, given the choice, dogs will prefer to sleep to save their energy. 'Going on a walk' is therefore completely counter-intuitive unless you're looking for food. i.e. hunting. She argues that us humans actually go on a walk more for our own pleasure than for the dog's because we transpose our feelings and emotions onto it.
Rather, she suggests, play with them.
The idea that I don't really need to take my dogs on long walks is turning my world upside down and goes against everything I thought I knew about dogs. But what if she was right, what if walks could cause more harm than good. Your dog is suddenly in the open, in the unknown, coming across other dogs and having to worry about his safety and that of his pack. It is understandably all quite stressful. Maybe it is true and they prefer to play in the home (at least until they relinquish the role of pack leader).
It doesn't mean that I won't take them for a walk anymore but that I will play with them more. I must remember to play according to my rules, however. So if I throw the ball and the dog leaves with it I must stop the game straight away and leave. Palo and Cookie don't really do that but Leo certainly does. He disappears with the ball, or worse, circles around me with it but refuses to hand it over.
Tonight I tried playing with Cookie and Palo. I threw the ball a dozen times and only got two fetches. Does that count as success?
Rather, she suggests, play with them.
The idea that I don't really need to take my dogs on long walks is turning my world upside down and goes against everything I thought I knew about dogs. But what if she was right, what if walks could cause more harm than good. Your dog is suddenly in the open, in the unknown, coming across other dogs and having to worry about his safety and that of his pack. It is understandably all quite stressful. Maybe it is true and they prefer to play in the home (at least until they relinquish the role of pack leader).
It doesn't mean that I won't take them for a walk anymore but that I will play with them more. I must remember to play according to my rules, however. So if I throw the ball and the dog leaves with it I must stop the game straight away and leave. Palo and Cookie don't really do that but Leo certainly does. He disappears with the ball, or worse, circles around me with it but refuses to hand it over.
Tonight I tried playing with Cookie and Palo. I threw the ball a dozen times and only got two fetches. Does that count as success?
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