I'm sure we've had this recently, but what does your dog do all day?

[belindarose]

What age/ breed are your dogs and what do they actually do? I have no problems with mine, but worried his life is boring (how would I know if he was bored?)
He's a 6 month old springer. Walks an hour or so a day - sometimes more. Doesn't like the garden on his own, but will mooch about outside if he's got company. Apart from walking he sleeps, a lot, chews bones or chew toys, eats (from kongs), does bits of training throughout the day. And that's it.

Thinking of starting clicker training folllowing the recent thread, to add more interest. Obviously family life has to continue around him, so I'm glad he doesn't seem to require too much attention, but am I setting us up for problems later?

He has breakfast, many wees, a quick game of fetch, school run (so 30 minutes round trip), a huge sleep, lunch, training, bouncing about like a lunatic, school run again, another sleep, dinner, bouncing all over the DC and more training, and then bed

He's a cocker/springer cross, and 5 months old.

I think mine are just happy being part of all of us and what we do.

My younger dog this morning (18 months), woke up, had a drink, in the garden for a wee. Jumped in the car to accompany us on school run. Went for a walk. Followed me around a bit doing the washing etc. Chewed on her bone to try go get a bit more out of the middle (one of those meat filled ones). Found a toilet roll core in the bathroom and chewed it up. Had a bit of a go at older dog because she thought he was barking too much . Slept by the fire until we decided her fur was about to catch alight . Sat on the windowsill watching passers by. Is now on my legs asleep.

Older dog (10 years) pretty much slept apart from the walk. Engaged in a small spat with younger dog after barking at the postman.

They both seem happy and their life is much like this. Sometimes the walks are much longer and more exciting. Sometimes I take girls to ballet and younger dog comes in the car with me and sits in the car with me waiting or we go for a walk through the town or down to the beach. I guess their life is boring by our standards but I don't think they see it like that. In fact, our younger dog greets every small development as an enormous and very exciting adventure. I can drive 3 miles to the train station to pick DH up and you'd think she'd been taken out through doggie theme park!

Mine get let out at 7 for a wee and then its up to them if they stay out or come back into the utilty room where their beds are. They have a mooch about, sometimes a bundle but generally just sleep. They have the run of a huge garden and follow me about when i go out to feed the chooks etc but thats about all we do. They get worked at the weekends and we take them for a big walk at weekends ut other than that they pretty much exercise themselves. They are fit, healthy and happy.

Oh, they are a lab aged 7 and a 2 year old lurcher.

Well in this house I feel a bit like mary with her little lamb. Except in this case the lamb is mad 3 year old border collie. he follows me everywhere, sits outside the loo etc.

However his day goes like this. 7am - in garden for a wee. 7.45/8.oo am out for first walk of day 1 mile.
(this will change in dec when is tart childminding again
home then he mooches around following me and sitting at my feet what ever I'm doing. Then we got for a quick walk before lunch, and then he sleeps, then he sits on teh sofa looking out the window for a while before we have another walk 2-3 miles. Then he follows me around the hosue all evening till bedtime. Sometimes DH will take him out after tea.
on a weekend he gets really long walks and lots of running after ball etc.

So, they don't 'do' much then. This is normal, right?

Maybe its different with ours as we have 2 and they have alot of space but they really are fine. I dont get the way people think dogs need loads of walks everyday - wild dogs/wolves only travel so much to find food,not for recreation.

5yo staffy bitch, currently on sick child in my bed duty, usually spends her day eating, farting, sleeping and following the dd's around the house in th hope that they'll drop some food.

Mine sleeps most of the time, apart from his walks/toilet breaks. If I move from one room to another then he follows and curls up to sleep again. If DH and I are in different rooms then he is very fair with his affections and picks a spot halfway between us. And if the cats are being too noisy then he politely gets up and goes away.

Mine sleeps on my lap whenever possible, follows me around when I'm not sitting, and has a couple of enthusiastic walks! She likes company.

5 year old Beagle. She gets up at 6am and has breakfast then goes back to bed until everyone else in the house gets up (7ish) and depending on shift work either goes for a walk in the fields morning or afternoon. She doesn't really go into the garden unless needs be, at some point our elderly neighbour will come into our garden (we have an adjoining gate) and comes to the back door to call for her or let her out if we're at work, she then goes to his house as he potters around in his garage workshop. She sits on his driveway looking out the gates. Around 4pm she starts getting ready for dinner, she'll stare at you, scratch at the back door to make you get up thinking she wants to go into the garden but dinner is at 5:30pm! She has that and then hangs around in the kitchen as dinner is made and eaten. In the evening she'll snuggle on the sofa with whoever she fancies at the time. She thinks shes a lapdog

She also spends a lot of time on the living room windowsill looking out onto the street.