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[quote=Anonymous]OP, we adopted a dog, got married a month later, then got pregnant after that. Talk about irresponsible! But, we have no regrets. Our dog is NUTS, he's never been a good walker, so this was part of what's so darn hard about things. WAlking him was a true chore to begin with, and then when pregnant, and he got heavier (about 50 lbs) it became almost impossible for me to walk him because he jerked us around so much. We do have a yard, which helped a good deal, because at least I didn't have to walk him for bathroom duty. We hired three different trainers to help us with his jumping and walking, and they all said they've never dealt with a nuttier dog. One even recommended prozac! But, you know what, we love our crazy dude.

The most important thing I had to do was take it easy on myself a bit. If you read all of the dog books, you'll feel like you are imprisoning your dog and keeping him an unhappy captive, and how grossly unfair it is not to give him long walks through the mountains, etc. Okay.... I do feel guilty but our dog doesn't get a walk every day. Yeah, that's right, I said it. We have a cat, and they play together, and a big yard, but he does not get a walk every day. I'm pregnant again and just can't do it! He would pull me into the street, and add in a three year old who I have to manage during the walks, it's not happening. (We've tried everything from the trainers to harnesses and gentle leaders, etc - he's just a bad walker, period). But, we have found ways to do things as a family that he can be part of. For example, while he's bad at walking on streets, he is good on hikes. So we try to do weekend trips and long hikes where he can come to make up for his boring weekdays.

As for the weekdays, we try to get him activity in the house. For example, we will throw a ball for him for a half an hour a day, or play tug of war, we've invested in some chew toys, and we do a lot of mental stuff with him (sit and stay activities). Sometimes my kid will have a "parade" with him, and walk through the house (dog will follow anyone around closely).

If you aim for "good" and forget about "perfect" you may find the demands of having a dog relax some. Yeah, our dog doesn't get a walk every day, but I still believe he's happy with our family, and although it's a lot of work to have him, I have no regrets and cannot imagine our family without him! [/quote]

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