[quote1300453260=Tonedog] I honestly don't think exercise is even the issue with getting dogs out every day. I've come to understand dogs fairly well I feel and I really think the main reason they need to get out everyday is to stimulate their noses and smell some interesting things. My dogs get plenty of exercise running around my yard wrestling and chasing each other but I'll still get them out every day for a good hour and also make sure I'm taking them places with lots of interesting smells. Sometimes I see people walking their dogs with those nose-halter things and pulling them away from every smell, I really think that's just torture. Dogs are smell-focussed in the way we humans are sight-focussed. Think about how much we like to stimulate our eyes every day, watching tv, admiring a view or looking at forums on the internet or whatever. I see walking dogs as their chance to watch their favourite tv show or spend time on the internet, ofcourse if you can get them panting as well and exercising hard that just heightens the experience. But yeah I feel like people need to understand that exercise is only part of it. A treadmill is fine for burning off energy but it's no substitute for a walk. [/quote1300453260] I couldn't have said it better. There are dog owners who keep their dogs fat on the couch and then there are owners that run their dog on a mill and never get to see the world. When we walk Bernie we do a combination of fun stimulation for him and obedience work. Half the walk he gets to do whatever he wants we encourage pulling which he does very well and it gives him a great workout. The other half is collar walking. Here is an example of how he is trained, the second the collar is clipped he knows to walk properly. However, once the harness is clipped he goes nuts lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovFVuakXXic&sns=em