Exercising Your Dog
Exercise is an essential part of keeping your dog healthy and mentally and physically stimulated. Dogs need exercise every day although the amount of exercise necessary varies from dog to dog and is often dependent on the breed type, age and health. Providing enough exercise will improve your dog's health and prevent household destruction and other behaviour problems common in under exercised dogs. Taking your dog for regular and frequent walks is an excellent way to bond with your dog and meet both the dog's and your exercise needs.
A dog should ideally have somewhere to play around the house like a fenced in garden where it can run around without a lead. However, your dog should never be left outside alone for extended periods of time. Even if your dog has the run of the garden he will also need a regular walk for social interaction and stimulation.
When taking your dog for a walk it should always be under control, leashed and, if necessary, muzzled unless in a designated unleashed area. A well trained dog should always come back to you when called, even when out playing in large open spaces. A great way to get your dog to run around is to play fetch with balls or Frisbees. You can play on land or in the water.
A new puppy will take some time to get used to a leash. Let him drag it around for a few days. Then, pick up the end of it and walk with him slowly so he gets the idea. If your dog continues to pull on the lead you could go to obedience training together or you could teach the dog to learn how to "heel," which would allow you to make him walk at a steady pace on your left-hand side while you take your walk.
When taking your dog out always ensure your dog has a collar on with identification if he is not micro chipped. To find the correct size collar for your dog, add two inches to his neck measurement. When fitting the collar on your dog you should be able to slide two fingers under it to ensure that it is not too tight. If you have a puppy make sure that as he grows, you lengthen the collar.