Aussie energy

Question
Hello, we have a 14 mo. old male aussie.  We got him when he was 9 weeks old.  Our boy was diagnosed with HD in his left hip when he was 5 mo. old, he has now blown out his right knee, so he is pretty lame.  He is very intense and very high energy.  He can only go for short walks a day, too long and he starts to limp.  Our question is what can we do to help him get rid of some of his energy without coming up lame?  With all his energy he can become destructive in the yard and house and nips at us.

Answer
The Aussie can be a candidate for aggression and because you say he "nips at us" I'm assuming he is demonstrating aggression.  Any demonstration of aggression toward humans requires an in person evaluation by a certified applied animal behaviorist.  Your dog may be experiencing pain and the resultant 'nipping' may be a result of that pain while interacting with you; it may be a fear response.  This is not something I can determine in this venue.  I suggest you find an expert by calling the veterinary college in your geographical area.

Meanwhile, physical exercise is not the only way to engage energy.  Dogs can be taught to problem solve, to think, to plan (yes, dogs plan ahead).  Positive reinforcement training is an excellent way to engage the dog's mind (read Patricia McConnell Ph.D. and Karen Pryor).  Beginning with simple behaviors as an introduction (like "sit", but ONLY if this behavior does not exacerbate his orthopedic problem -- determine this first; use a behavior that will not cause him pain), the dog will learn that cooperation earns reward. Once the dog has acquired this information, you can use this methodology to play games with your dog: find it...bring it...control it (using a large ball indoors without precipitating running)..hide and seek (with you indoors), etc.  Dogs are capable of acquiring vocabularies of at least 150 words.  Engaging the dog's ability to think and problem solve is an enormous plus in that dog's life experience and can turn the "lemon" of his orthopedic dysfunction into a fine "lemonade."

Additionally, if you have not already found one you need a veterinarian with orthopedic specialization.  There are food additives and supplements, as well as medications, that can help to alleviate his pain.