Daily leash walks

Question
QUESTION: Dear Labman,

    How important is it (really) to take a dog out for daily leash walks throughout the neighborhood? (I don't mean for potty purposes.) The reason I'm asking is because I am getting totally disgusted with the whole affair. Let me explain.
    I regularly walked my dog - every day, rain or shine, since puppyhood, (he's 2 1/2 years old) even though I have a large fenced yard. In that time, we have had to pick our way through the disgusting poop left behind by irresponsible dog owners who are above the law and refuse to clean up after their pets. We have had to pick our way around the discarded hypodermic needles thrown on the road by heroin users. We have had to pick our way past used "personal items - use your imagination here," discarded by selfish, careless people. We have picked our way past dead wild animals that stay squished on the roads until they rotted away naturally - really. We have had close encounters with loose, aggressive dogs - including but not limited to, two pitbulls and a great dane. We have had to pick out way through spilled blacktop sealant, and some other chemical that I didn't notice in time, which caused me to have to give my (longhaired) dog an emergency bath to get the chemical off his feet and long, belly hair!
    The straw that finally broke my back was two days ago when I tried to take my dog for a walk and discovered that the entrance of my block (I live on a dead end) was littered with dog feces that had been stepped on or run over and literally smeared across the opening of the street. In other words, I couldn't get off the block without my dog stepping in it!  No way! I turned around and went home and we haven't walked since.
    I want to add that my dog has never been keen on walking. He always hesitated at every intersection and needed a little tug to get him jumpstarted and moving along, but then he was fine. However, on the return route heading home, he was like a doggie on a mission - like Lassie in the movie going home!
    My yard is large and it is fenced. I trained him to fetch a ball and we do have some agility equipment set up back there (pole jumps and broad jump) that he will sail over on command.  So, how important is it that a dog get regular leash walks?  
    Thank you for your input,and by the way, thank you for being a voice of reason regarding the "common dog foods."  There is so much misinformation on the web about dog foods and it's great to have someone like you set the
"starbucks crowd" straight.  Thank you.  Catherine
    


ANSWER: A vigorous leash walk is a great way to burn off a puppy's energy.  Being trained to walk on a leash nicely is a key part of obedience training and providing the dog the leadership it needs.  However, it isn't the only way.  One advantage of a fenced yard over the wireless ones is that it keeps other dogs and many people out.  You should be able to enjoy your fetch and agility activities in your own yard with no problem.  I think part of push for leash walking are professionals and others that think they must have all the answers.  Nobody does.  I don't and sometimes refuse questions I don't have a good answer to.  Others without an answer will suggest a daily 3 hour walk.  Nobody that works for a living has that sort of time.  Thus by giving an answer people won't follow, it lets others off the hook.  

I get a new puppy every fall.  As I have advanced on the learning curve, I have quit walking them in the neighborhood.  I don't have near the negatives you report, but still don't want to risk parvo and other diseases.  I find other places with fewer dogs to take my puppies.  

Thank you for the kind words on dog food.  The internet reflects the growing retreat from rationality and honesty in our society.  Some people will believe anything that fits their world view.  Others will say anything that advances their interests including the small part time reps that distribute the premium dog foods.  Much of research on dog food isn't available for free on the internet.  You need a membership number to read the JAVMA on line.  As for setting people straight, many of them are quite fact resistant.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:  Thank you for your very excellent, prompt and courteous answer. However, I have another question that I hope you can shed some light on.
When I was walking my dog daily, he was defecating two to three times a day - in the morning. When I stopped walking him the other day, and for the days I didn't walk him, he would defecate in my yard only one time. I know he was getting sufficient exercise because he was running top speed - much more strenuous than walking on leash with a human at "human speed."  So, today, after he did his "one poop," I broke down and took him for a leash walk - two miles. (We had to carefully pick our way past the mess at the entrance to my block.)
The dog, almost immediately (about 600 feet from my house,) defecated - alot. Then, as we continued to walk, he went another two times! I came home with three bags worth.
My question(s:) Was he "holding" it in on the non-walking days because he is so used to going on walks rather than in the yard? Or, is there something magical about the act of walking that makes dogs go? If I had not "broken down and given in," would he eventually be going the same amount in the backyard that he does when walking the neighborhood? Does any of this make any sense to you? Why would a dog poop so much more when walking than when in the yard?
I would hate to think of a dog holding all that waste in -that can't be healthy.  
Thank you for any light you can shed on this. I would like to keep my dog away from those filthy and dangerous streets, but I don't like the idea that he is not getting rid of his waste. I want him to be healthy. Catherine

P.S. - walking him up and down in the backyard doesn't produce the same results for some reason that walking him in the streets does.


Answer
It would seem like a leash squeezing on the neck forces it out the back.  I hate to say how many times I woke my puppy up from a nap, made a short drive in town and the puppy had a bowel movement as soon as I walked into a store with it.  I have learned to walk around the parking lot before taking the puppy in anywhere.  

It may be the walking a dog does, the more often it has to go.  You could be seeing fewer, larger bowel movements without the walking.  I have especially noticed with our current puppy that the movements she has when walking are smaller than the ones I clean up when she goes on her own when left out in the yard.  

There is also the matter of marking.  Years ago, the one dog we had would patrol the fence as soon as we let him out.  He would sniff every inch of it.  He would find a spot and urinate.  He would then turn around, sniff it, and if not satisfactory, turn around again and let go with the heavy artillery.  Your dog may feel he needs to leave stools for the other dogs.  Won't he carefully sniff other dogs' stools if you let him?  It is also possible he hoards some ammunition hoping for a chance to leave it for the other dogs.  

Your question isn't one I remember before or reading anything about it.  I can only speculate based on my own observations.  Nobody can have enough experience in a lifetime to give good answers based solely on their own experience even though many think they can.  I would think that if delaying bowel movements was going to be a problem, I would have heard about it some time.  The amount of exercise my puppies get varies mostly with my activity.  Raven did get a chance to play with some other dogs yesterday in a fenced area while I sat and talked.  Some days I stay home and she lays around most of the day with breaks outside by her self.