Exercising my dog

Question
I have a Shitzu/Lasa puppy.  She will be 2 on September 1st.  I got her for a companion because on my 49th birthday I got very sick and have been on oxygen 24/7 since.  I didn't know when I got her how much energy they have and how much care and love they need.  She is the first dog I have ever had in my 50 years.  Anyway, I love her more than I have ever loved anything else in this world and I want her to be happy.  I don't get to exercise her like I should and she has only been walking 2 or 3 times in her life and she is almost 2.  I feel absolutely horrible that I am mistreating her and I beg people to take her for me because I don't have enough oxygen to go walking for any distance outside, but I do have a tube and a big backyard.  Do you know of any games I could go outside and play with her to get her the exercise that she needs.  She is starting to seem depressed and she lays around a lot, too much for a puppy of her age and she is a bit overweight.  I know it is because I do not exercise her enough.  I would be glad to pay a dog walker, but I don't know of anyone I could trust. I live in Memphis, Tennessee if anyone knows of any professional services I could contact about walking her and I have enough tube to reach outside into the yard and play with her myself, but I just don't know what to do with her.  I have thrown her the ball and frisbee and she seems to get board with that.  She takes it and hides it from me when she gets sick of going after it.  She loves to play with a stuffed gorilla that I gave her and she likes to play tug with it, but she gets very aggressive and will start biting me.  Sometimes after I let her play outside for a bit, she will come in acting crazy and start biting me and I can't hardly get her off of me.  I really have to keep very calm and talk to her softly and get her out of that mood.  I feel like this behavior is probably related to her lack of exercise as well.  Any suggestions that anyone has about toys I can buy, people I can hire, or things I can do with her myself would be wonderful and appreciated.

Answer
Hi Cathy,

I understand your concerns. Do you (or somebody you know) happen to belong to a church or synagogue that might be able to help you find a person who could walk your dog? It could even be a few different people who come at various times during the week to help you out to give your dog a good walk. Another option would be to contact a local boyscout or girl-scout troop to see if there's somebody in your area who might be able to help you out and walk your dog.

If you can afford it, you might contact your veterinarian or a local boarding kennel to see if they know of a "doggy day care" service that your dog could attend once or twice a week, so she has a chance to get out and have a bit of exercise (some even come to pick up your dog!). If you do a google search with the query: dog walking service Memphis TN, you will find there are several professional services you could contact.

If your dog isn't getting enough exercise, you need to watch her food intake. Changing to a "lite" diet, and limiting the number of treats she gets each day, and cutting out any table scraps you might be giving is a must.

Until you can find a dog walker, you can certainly play with your dog in your back yard. If you know somebody with a dog who can bring their dog over to your yard, that would be a great way of getting your dog to move around, and wouldn't require you to exert yourself. When you're out in the back yard with your dog, throwing a ball or Frisbee make sure you have a reward or treat waiting when she brings it back to you. This will help keep her interest level up, but make it a healthy non-fat treat, such as a tiny bit of apple or a tiny bit of carrot. Dogs usually love these as treats, but you don't want to over do it, as too much of these good things can cause loose stools.

Walks don't have to be long, if you can give your dog short walks, on a daily basis, even that would be helpful. Every outing you can allow your dog to enjoy is mental stimulation, even if it's just for 5 minutes!  

Aside from extra exercise, there are ways to introduce more mental stimulation into your dog's life. Teach your dog simple obedience commands, such as sit, down, stay, etc. Obedience training is great mental exercise for your dog. You can see a few short videos of how to teach your dog obedience commands here:

http://www.loveyourdog.com/teachyourdog.html

http://www.caninecrib.com/dog/training/obedience-training.asp

Fill a Kong toy, or BusterCube with some of your dog's regular food, and let her work to get it out. This is high-level mental entertainment for a dog!
If your back yard is pesticides or fertilizer free, measure out your dog's kibble in a bowl and go outdoors with her.  Throw the kibble into the grassy area, making sure to spread it as far as possible.  Sit down in a lawn chair and read a good book while your dog roots around to find each kibble.

You shouldn't ever tolerate aggression from your dog, but your dog might just be all "worked up" and excited when she comes inside after playing, and isn't really being aggressive, as much as she's just excited. It's hard for me to say, since I've never seen her behavior.  With the first nip, take your finger and tap on her nose and say "No Bite" in a stern voice. The tap is not meant to hurt her, its just to let her know this is not proper behavior. Your tone of voice is just as important as the tap on the nose. If you were her real mom it would be like a verbal growl! After a while all you will have to do is raise your finger and she will know to stop.

Don't play games with your dog that encourage aggression, such as games that include waving your hands, tug of war or asking her to jump up. Playing fetch and retrieve games is fine as long as your dog knows to drop the toy, that way she is not fighting over the toy with you. Most importantly, be consistent. Dogs don't understand the "sometimes" word. They do understand the word no! Stay consistent, don't confuse her.

Best of luck,

Patti