Home

>

Dog

>

Training & Behavior

>

how much play/amusement/stimulation does my 60lb male lab/shepherd mix need? I feel I should always be paying attention to him, although he gets a long walk daily and tons of love and pets

how much play/amusement/stimulation does my 60lb male lab/shepherd mix need? I feel I should always be paying attention to him, although he gets a long walk daily and tons of love and pets

Updated On April 1st, 2019

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 3 years and 9 months old | 60 lbs

Image profile

Answered By Bette Isacoff

Dog Trainer

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

Probably a lot less than you are giving him. By being Dexter's constant source of fun, you are keeping him from finding ways to amuse himself (with toys, balls, etc.) If for some reason (hospitalization, trip, new job) you are unable to keep this up, you may find a problem develop. By all means give him love and attention, but I'm afraid you've taken it too far. You are not his one-man entertainment committee. If you try to pull back a little (and by all means you should), you may find that he tries to insist on more. This is not because he "needs" it, but because you've created the expectation in him. Do not give in. Ignore any of his attempts to get you going again. Gradually lessen the time you pay attention to him, until you are down to about ten minutes/hour. This does not mean that you should play with him for ten minutes every hour; it is more like what your interactions should average out to be over the course of a day. Good luck with this!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

See More Answers

Related Questions

left image

My dog I heated uses tampon is it an emergency

Unfortunately I'm having a little trouble understand your question as I'm not sure what you mean by "My dog I heated uses tampons..." I'm wondering if Bella ate a tampon or if you wanted to use one on her while she is in heat. I will answer both to be safe. If she ate a tampon, then yes this is a medical emergency and she has to see a vet now. Tampons can easily cause obstructions in the GI tract, especially since they are absorbent and can get large in the stomach from liquid in there. if Bella ate a tampon, you need to take her into a vet immediately to get it removed. If she is on heat, no you cannot use a tampon to control her bleeding. It's not safe to use at all, and are not meant for dogs. You can put a diaper on her to catch any bloody discharge. There are dog specific diapers online and at pets stores, or you can use one made of a human child. Just cut a hole in it for her tail. Hopefully this answers your question. If it doesn't, I'm sorry and ask you post again in the forum for free to it can get answered!

Read More

My dog has an ear infection

Sorry to hear Marley isn't doing so well with his ears. It is not possible to tell from tge picture tve exact nature of the irritation but if it is indeed infected (typically red, hot, painful and smelly), he will need prescription medication from his regular vet. In the meantime I recommend gently cleaning tge outer war with cotton wool and a pet safe ear cleaner to reduce the build up of wax/discharge

Read More

My dog vomited a pinkish colour. Does this look like blood vomit? She doesn’t have diarrhoea or anything else. Yesterday i fed her plain chicken with rice.

That is very red vomit, however, this color could be linked to a number of things including blood in the vomit, inflammation of the GI tract, having chewed on a toy this color, eaten a food item this color, or gotten into a plant or other item this color. If the vomiting continues, worsens, or other symptoms appear such as a painful or bloated abdomen, diarrhea or blood in the stool, or severe distress, I would schedule a veterinary appointment right away to rule out more severe issues. In the meantime I would continue the bland diet for 24 hours, and monitor for any additional vomiting or illness symptoms.

Read More

My dog developed a red hairless bloody mass on her skull overnight. I don’t think she bumped her head on anything.

Poor Marley! Unfortunately there are a number of possible reasons for these raised nodules and a picture cannot diagnose the underlying cause. Itis not possible to distinguish between a wound from a bug bite, cyst, benign histiocytoma or even a tumour without a physical exam and possible testing by an aspirate taken by a needle during the exam or even removal and biopsy. I recommend you follow up with your regular vet, especially if it increases in size, is painful or persists.

Read More

Hi my 5 year old dog has this on her nose ( saw it 4 days ago) and getting bigger. What could it be and is there anything I can do? Thank you.

Ouch! Any new or suddenly growing growth like this should be checked out by your vet in person ASAP. Allergies, infections, skin irritation from rubbing it on things, and some growths and tumors can all cause spots like that on the nose, and can also cause rapid changes and discoloration like this. Until you can get to your vet, I would place an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Amber and keep the spot clean and dry to help reduce any further irritation. It is also a good idea to monitor the size and shape of it and how rapidly it is changing as this can help your vet figure out what may be going on. Your vet will likely take a full history as well as a potential sample of the spot to see what cells are present and provide treatment as needed.

Read More

My dogs are experiencing a bad flea outbreak. We used a generic for Frontline (fipronil) two weeks ago, with no results. I have purchased a generic for Advantix II (Imidacloprid, Permethrin, and Pyriproxyfen) and am wondering if I need to wait the full 4 weeks to use this, or if I can treat with the second medication now.

In severe outbreaks, 2 weeks between different drugs is ok. You will also need to use a household flea treatment in order to break the cycle, only 5% of the flea population are adults and actually present on pets, tge remaining 95% are eggs/large and will continue to hatch, develop and reinvest your pets. All in contact animals should be treated together and also given a tapeworm treatment because tapeworms are also transmitted by fleas

Read More

right image
image

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored