Bil-jac myth busting?

[Sophist]

Just curious what people thought of this:

http://www.biljac.com/clubcontent/mar07/tips.asp?co=3BmH0JORHlJu#myth


Really? Any dog will be happy in a small apartment with no yard as long as they get walks and some play-dates?


Maybe you should all tell your demanding border collies that :p .

And tell all your working breeds they don't really need a job to do daily, as long as they get walked and go to the doggie park on the weekends.

[wolfsoul]

I live in a very small house, and though I have a back yard, my dogs are only in it 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 minutes before bed. Belgians are a very high energy breed and very work-oriented dogs. But my dogs recieve alot of exercise away from home, so they are perfectly happy when they are at home and not spending time in the yard. I think I have more issues with the small house than they do lol.

[critter crazy]

A small house does not mean that a dog will be unhappy. It all dependson what you do with your dog outside of the home that counts! having a dog in a small home, and not doing anything, well that just spells disaster!

[Varga]

Actually I don't think that's untrue. It doesn't say that working dogs can do without a job and so on. It just says that dogs can do well in a small apartment if they get the exercise they need and that is true.

I live in a small, one bedroom, apartment and I have a Jack Russell and at the moment I'm fostering a Border Collie mix as well.. I also had a German Shepherd mix a couple of years ago (died at the age of 13). They do fine because they get their required amount of physical exercise and mental stimulation.

A dog will just as easy feel cramped up in a big house with a yard as he will in an apartment, especially if the yard is the only place he ever gets to go to experience the “outside world”.

-Varga

[Sophist]

Interesting.

Personally, I felt that this:



Walks, hikes and play dates will keep your dog fit and happy, even when living in tiny spaces

Was too simplistic and generalized not to be considered misleading. Maybe it is just because I don't think a lot of pet owners who would try to keep very driven, high-energy breeds in high-rises would be willing/able to walk or hike these dogs enough to keep them fit and happy.


I agree that the right owner generally CAN keep most dogs happy, but I just don't see some breeds really being happy and fit with mainly on-leash exercise. Maybe I've just been raised to over-emphasize my dog's physical activity needs, though.

[wolfsoul]

Personally I think too many people rely on their yard as an exercise tool. I think a yard is a good place for a dog to potty, play fetch, and perhaps a place for the dog to spend some time on a nice day when you are cleaning the house or something, but it isn't a yard that defines a person's ability to properly exercise their dog. There are plenty of good ways to keep a dog fit while making it more interesting (not the same old yard day in and day out). I think if I relied on my yard as my dogs' main way to burn off some energy, they would become bored. An onleash hike, in my opinion, is more stimulating to a dog than a game of fetch in it's own backyard.

I would rather adopt out to a sporting home without a backyard than to a pet home with a big backyard.

[finn's mom]

I pretty much agree with what is stated on the site. I know personally that I tend to exercise my dog more if I don't have a backyard. It's easier for me to get lazy and just open the back door if I have a yard.

[Boone37]

Really? Any dog will be happy in a small apartment with no yard as long as they get walks and some play-dates?


While I don't think that apartment (or in my case townhouse) living is ideal for every breed of dog, it works out great for me and my dog.

I have friends with fenced backyards that have GSD, huskies, border collies, terriers, etc. My dog gets more exercise than any of them. Aloso, b/c I have to walk Cassie 2-3 times a day, she has better manners than a lot of dogs that aren't.

[SunsetRose]

Well, a yard won't exercise a dog. Very rarely will you come across a dog who will just exercise itself by running around out there. Our house isn't that big and my dogs don't even use the yard that much. They have a doggie door and can go out anytime they please, but the only time they go out is if they have to potty or if I go out. If I go out, then they'll go out and chase each other and play and we'll play some fetch.

I know somebody who has a high energy dog in an apartment, a border collie. The dog gets alot of exercise every day through running along side a bike with her owner and the dog was involved in herding (for fun, not sport). This dog was a great dog in the small apartment with no yard and was quite happy.

Although I wouldn't recommend to anybody to get a border collie and try to keep it an apartment, but if you have the dedication to do that kind of stuff and your an active person, then it can be done sucessfully.

[IRescue452]

It didn't specify how much exercise they should get. Technically its right. If the dogs gets the exercise and stimulation that the particular dog needs, it will be fine in a small house. Give the border collie the stimulation it requires, and it will live fine in the small house. Its just a matter of each dog's individual requirements.
As for bil-jac, I never understood why people are so hell-bent on feeding corn to their dogs. I probably never will. What makes this such a great food?

[bckrazy]

My demanding Border Collie would do fine with an apartment. =D He just naps and maybe plays tug with Fozzie when he's inside, anyhoo. As long as there was an area for him to play off-leash everyday, and he got as many walks as he does now, it wouldn't be much different at all.

However, that is pretty generalized, and most people are NOT dedicated enough to own a high-energy dog with or without a yard.