That is a quote from a very wise client and friend. People say that dogs are a lot of work and I've never understood what that meant. You need to love them, pay attention to them, feed them a couple of times a day, make sure they have water and walk them every day. What is hard about that? Oh, it's the walking part.
ALL DOGS NEED WALKS. Yes, even little dogs. They need the stimulation from new sights, sounds and smells. Fifteen minutes does not constitute a walk, that's a sniff around. In my opinion, a walk should be a bare minimum of 30 minutes and at least one walk a day should be 45 minutes. Your dog should come home tired and settled. This is not only their entertainment time, but their bonding time with you and hopefully you're not on your cell phone the whole time. And as in a previous post, running around in the backyard or being at dog day care (unless a walk is included) is not a substitute.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with paying someone to walk your dog for you if you're not a walker. The important thing to remember is that daily, long walks are as necessary for a dog as food and water is. Remember, a tired dog is good.
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