It never ceases to amaze me why people want a dog and then sentence it to a lifetime of social isolation, banished to the backyard without little or no human attention for the rest of its life. I often receive telephone calls from clients wanting advice on what to do with their dog that is:
a) Barking all day and night b) Escaping regularly c) Destroying the yard d) Threatening people at the fence e) Digging etc. When I question these people about the dog's living conditions I often find that they have a high energy breed (Border Collie, Beagle, Staffy, German Shepherd etc) and that it spends its entire life relegated to the backyard with little or no human company on a daily basis. Further questioning reveals that the dog gets a 20 minute walk two or three times a week (because the owners ‘Don't have time') - which equates to NO exercise.