# Hyperactivity or just plain nuts? At wits end!



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

I love Shellie to death, but at 3 years old she is still very very hyperactive, and naughty. Today she peed/pooped in her crate while I was at work (this is the 2nd time this week), I let her out at 6:30am for about 30 min before I left for work, put her in her crate, hubby let her out about 1pm, for a good hour, then she went back in her crate until I got home at 6pm during which time she had peed/pooped in her crate at some point (hubby wasn't feeling well so was upstairs asleep for most of that time). She is usually EXTREMELY good about barking or 'touching' us to let us know she has to go outside. She is constantly searching for all types of naughtiness she can get into. We had a bag of leaves out in our backyard (granted partially my fault for leaving them out there, but they were in an exercise pen so I thought they'd be protected as I wasn't finished picking up the leaves) so she pushed the pen and destroyed the bag through the bars. So tonight when I let her outside, she IMMEDIATELY went to the expen and started eating the plastic....that was her focus, not focused on pottying at all. I went out with her and was out there with her having to keep pushing her away from the ex-pen for 30 minutes before I gave up and brought her back inside.

My dad watched her for a week a couple of weeks ago when I had my surgery as I was afraid the little monster would rip out my stitches as she's all feet and stomps on my feet daily and asked "Does she ever calm down?" I said nope, only when she's sleeping. She's go go go 24/7. If she doesn't have something constructive to do or something constructive to chew on she's destructive. 

She usually gets 45min to 1 hour of a walk every day, in addition to whatever playtime she gets when we let her out of her crate (she is only in her crate when we are at work, and at bedtime as she CAN'T be trusted without someone supervising her). I have a dog sitter/walker who comes at lunch time when I am at work and walks/lets her out for 30 min to 45 min. 

She has hypothyroidism, and is one of the RARE dogs whom it actually makes MORE active and MORE hyper, her only 'true' symptom is sparse hair coat. She also has Diabetes Insipidus (can't concentrate her urine without Desmopressin injections twice daily). But that doesn't affect her house training unless she doesn't get her injections (which hasn't happened). She eats raw, is non vacc for 1 year and 1/2 now, was treated for vaccinosis homeopathically, but she is still as my hubby puts it 'bat crap crazy'. I'm about at my wits end, I can't trust her to be out (never have been able to she shreds/eats EVERYTHING---she thinks Bitter Apple is dessert!). I've thought about trying to give her a job to do (I'm looking for a service dog for myself for anxiety/depression/panic attacks) and would LOVE to be able to train Shellie to do it, but again....she's super duper nuts and goes bezerk if she sees another person (something we've never been able to train her out of). I've tried calming touches etc, but that just seems to make her go more reactive and more obnoxious and hyper. I am going to have her checked for a bladder infection just in case. And have started going outside with her so I know she's not just 'messing' outside. I wonder if she has ADHD/OCD and literally FORGETS to go potty when she's outside, because she's so focused on everything else. Is that a possibility?

She has been through puppy and basic obedience training, and is a dog that will literally wait 5 minutes to eat her food if I tell her too. I think that I need to go back to NILF and make her work for things, and give her more tasks to do. What other ideas that I can do to help? My husband has about had it with her  (he is NOT a big fan of big dogs....much to my dismay....I'm all about the Rotties, Danes, Standard Poodles....)


----------



## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

Honestly, I would say she needs a lot more exercise. 45min-1 hour of walking is nothing for a young retriever. Deeks is the same age as Shellie, what I would consider low energy, and gets at least twice that daily. If you can't walk more, can you bike her/run her? Get her running and really working. I would also try to engage her brain. I track with Deeks and that tires him out more than any physical exercise. You could try that or agility or rally or something to get her thinking.


----------



## Hadley (Jan 6, 2011)

It sounds like she needs more exercise to me as well. Maybe you could train her to run on a treadmill? That way if you have issues with mobility or if weather is a problem, you can just run her inside. Also, I would REALLY get into training with her. Like hardcore. Maybe get some agility equipment or join a class and get her training in that? Even rally-obedience will get her mind going. The more they think, the more tired they will be! 

I think training her to be a service dog might be a good idea if she has the temperament. Have you ever had her evaluated by a behaviourist? Might be a good step in coming up with a management program, especially if you are at your wits end with her. It could give you an entirely new perspective. 

For the reactivity, have you ever heard of Control Unleashed? If not I'd look into getting the book and trying the techniques. If she isn't an aggressive dog and is just reacting out of frustration..then she definitely has potential, she just needs to learn how to control her nerves. 

But yeah, if at all possible I'd start with more exercise. Have you ever heard of a flirt pole? Could be an easy and quick way to add more exercise to her daily routine as well!

ETA: With a dog like this, I probably would never stop NILIF. At the very least it's just another way to exercise her brain more by getting her to perform more tasks.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Honestly she could go for about 3-4 hours before tiring, even then she is still hyper and active once she has like a 15 minute break, and there is just NO physical way for me to do that, and she has hip dysplasia so I can't push her too much. I have arthritis in my knees, so about an hour is my limit on what I can do. She can't do agility as she has hip dysplasia, so I do have to limit her exercise. Which makes things hard. I may consider a treadmill. There are no behaviourists in my state, so she hasn't been evaluated by one. She has gone through training and I do try to keep up on things. I do have puzzle toys, and she has kongs etc, she just eats them LOL literally. It's like she has an OCD about chewing/eating things. She thinks Bitter Apple is dessert, she eats the bottles lol. I have never seen anything like it, I've owned retrievers (labs) in the past and none were as energetic as Shellie, I've had trainers tell me she's too hyperactive for the breed, and she's stumped a lot of people with how she never settles down. Even had a golden retriever breeder tell me she was wacky and not norm for the breed.

My husband thinks I am being too lax with her and she thinks she's the pack leader as she will push me right out of the way to get to her crate (at dinner time) and pushes past me when coming in the house. I will work on refreshing some things. I mainly needed to vent frustrations.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

She isn't aggressive, although did attack Ziva this week over something in the backyard, and put a hole in her ear.  Which concerns me as she's never had a problem unless food was involved. She just 'over reacts' to people/situations basically everything. I can't even begin to fathom taking her somewhere public like Petco/Petsmart, as she totally wigs out, doesn't remember a thing I've taught her. She was 'removed' from a group training class because she literally was freaking out too much (not aggressively) but more so hyper and trying to get to all the other dogs, jumping around, barking. She wants to play all the time.

ETA: I guess she does 'settle' down as long as she has something to do, like a kong/bone etc, but keeping her busy is a task in and of itself as she chews through things so quickly.


----------



## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

At work we always joke that goldens are puppies until about 8 or 9 years of age. It sounds to me like she needs more exercise.
Quinn is very high energy. I also have limitations such as severe asthma and bad knees. I play games wiht Quinn that allow him to burn of energy while I can stay somewhat in one place. We sort of play fetch. I have two toys. I throw one, he runs around like a maniac then trades it for the next.The flirt pole is also an excellent tool. He gets about 45 minutes to an hour of hard exercise twice a day. We go on walks and on my good days we go hiking. He also needs mental stimulation. We are in an obedience class and a tracking class and do lots of training at home.


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Not to sound like a broken record, but it sounds like she needs more exercise and more companionship. I know this time of year can be totally nuts, my dogs are lucky they can come to work with me or I would be in the same boat. 
Essentially, she is crated from 6am-6pm with two potty breaks, and then whatever time you're asleep, which pretty much puts her in a crate for 18 hours a day, assuming you only sleep 6 hours. Dogs, but Goldens particularly, are companion animals, and even if you can't be focused on her and exercising her, she should be spending less time isolated in a crate all day. I think this contributes to a lot of the overreacting: she is not stimulated on a regular basis, which makes the normal small stuff a really big deal. 
I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend looking into doggy daycare, even if it's only a couple hours a day, so she has an outlet for that energy, is getting more companionship, less isolation, and is therefore less demanding when you come home from a hard day's work.


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Ha, not making light of it as I can totally understand your frustration, but I'd love a dog like her. I love that type of energy. 
You don't know anyone with a heated pool? Swimmings excellent for dogs with hip problems. How about something like scent training, just an idea, not too much physical exercise, but very taxing on the brain. Lola the one year old pug had a hip replacement 5 months ago, but she is getting 3 miles (at least) walk a day without any problems, plus swimming, otherwise she is hell on wheels.


----------



## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

I second the exercise and doggy daycare recommendation. I dogsit a Lab who is just shy over one year old and honestly, my 30 minute walks do nothing for him. It just gets him out of the house for a stretch during the day. For a while, she started bringing him to doggy daycare (but had to take a break, the guy who ran the place moved out of state, etc) and she said it was amazing. He would come home and just pass out, LOL. I will say even though he's not been in daycare every day (I've been there for about a month now) he's such a better dog because of the daycare. He's sooo much better behaved! I think he learned a lot of dog manners, I still take him to the dog park twice a week and that really wears him out. But yeah, even an hour walk won't do much for him. He needs to really just RUN and wrestle to get worn out.


----------



## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

I'm with Molly. Sounds like my kind of dog.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Well unfortunately the only doggie daycare near my work is Petsmart....and not too fond of their methods/supervision etc.....in January (hopefully) my vet is actually moving to about 9800 south and opening a doggie daycare so then she would be able to go to work with me.
I should say my normal schedule I only work long days on Tuesday 8am-7pm (hubby is home until 10am, and dog sitter gives her at least an hour of exercise that day) and Fridays 8-5, again with hubby home until 10am, other than that I am home at the latest by 3-4pm and she is out running around/playing getting into trouble ha ha, until bedtime at about 11pm. My husband goes to work at 10am, so he lets her out when he gets up and then puts her away about 9:30am. So she isn't 'always' in her crate. I would LOVE to have a doggie daycare reasonably close to me/work etc so it's not a total waste of gas as I LOVED being able to take her to work with me when I worked for my dad and he had his doggie daycare, she was still nutty but not near as much. She seems to obsess about chewing on things, even when she was getting 8 hours of doggie daycare a day....she would come home and try to find things to shred. I will do some searching to see if I can find a closer daycare that's not the opposite direction of my work/house, and maybe have dog sitter walk her longer on my 'long days' so she's not in her crate for so long. 

FWIW when she was going to doggie daycare every day for 8 hours a day, she was still overreacting to everything and everyone, she's always been like that, and did go to doggie daycare every day for 2+ years up until May of this year. I would also LOVE to be able to leave her out at night, but so far, I can't trust her no matter how much I work with her. She eats things in the bedroom....walls, dressers, beds....blankets.....yeah this list could go on and on. 

Here is some of her handiwork (this was done in about 10 minutes of no supervision) and has bitter apple sprayed on it lol


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

This is a dog that NEEDS an outlet. 
There are quite a few daycares in the area. Even so, you might need to drive a little.
Otherwise you will NEED to find a way to get her the stimulation and exercise she needs. Hire a walker (I can recommend one that covers salt lake to provo) that CAN take her for a 4 hour run if that's what she needs. 

One thing is for sure, she is not getting something she needs. It might be physical activity. It might be mental stimulation. It might be companionship. It might be a combination of all of them.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

My concern is if she gets more than about an hour at a time she starts hobbling on her hips, so I have to be careful with how much exercise she gets at a time. Maybe I need to check into pain meds for her hips. She's on Glucosamine/Chondroitin for them right now. I will have my dog walker increase her time to an hour each time, instead of just the 30-45 mintues and then I will give her an hour when I get home and see how that goes....I will look into more mental stimulation. I don't think companionship is a problem, unless she needs another big dog as I just have the other 2 little dogs (don't think my hubby would go for that UNLESS I can get Shellie calmed down some)....as she has been this way even when she was going to work with me and seeing me pretty much all day long. She has always been like this, I've had several trainers evaluate her and tell me she's way too hyper. We had a 3 year old golden into the vet today and OMG he was so mellow and so relaxed, his owner said he's always been like that. I will check the daycares in somewhat near my area, and see if I can't find one that I could take her to maybe on my longer days.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Did some search and found The Dog Lodge that is open early enough for me to get there right when they open (at 7:30) it's 17 minutes away from my work and still make it to work (with 12 min to spare hopefully). So that might be an option to take her on maybe Tuesdays and Fridays on my long days so she can get some excess energy out, and play with other dogs. I drive right by the Petsmart on my way to work, but I've heard some not so good things about the location, & I don't like that they leave the dogs totally unattended half the time and I don't like how it's all indoors with no where for the dogs to potty but in an indoor potty room.


----------



## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

While I do think she needs more exercise I also think she just needs to learn to settle down. Tucker was like that, if he wasn't being played with or pet and he was awake it meant he would start pacing around looking for something to steal. He has since learned that when he gets bored he needs to use his toys. When it's not play time, outside time, food time, or any "pay attention to Shellie time" then leash her and put some toys she can use herself in her vicinity so that she must find a way to entertain herself appropriately. She can't wander off and find something fun to do that involves destroying the house. Buy her some toys she can use to occupy her time like antlers, bully sticks, hooves, etc. If she likes chewing rubber toys those are good too, or those toys you can put an empty water bottle inside. Tucker likes destroying things so if he has toys like baseballs available he will use those independently by trying to rip them apart. Anything she can use independently. ROTATE them so she has maybe 3-4 options at a time, the others in a closet to be brought out when the current ones stop holding her interest. But she has to learn that those are her options, no matter how much she wants to go find some part of the house to chew on she can't because she's leashed so she'll have to figure something else out, and that's where her toys will come in. Eventually habits will form where she knows toys satisfy her needs and will not think about eating the house first, she'll think about grabbing a toy first. I suggest keeping them in a toy box so she always knows where to get them. It is of the utmost importance that she is not able to get into trouble so that new habits can form, so LOTS of supervision, just like a brand new puppy.


Also, not sure if you mentioned how much training she gets, but I would try to do at least one training session every day for mental stimulation. Then of course practice using those commands throughout the day for rewards (treats you have in your pocket, a game of tug or fetch, getting to go out, go on a walk, etc.). Training sessions should not be long, 5-10 minutes. You could always try to train her FOR something, maybe teach her everything she needs to know for rally-o or something, even if you don't plan on doing it, having an idea of what things you are going to teach can motivate you. Or just make a list of behaviors you want her to learn, whatever motivates you.

And just for the record, I do not consider goldens mellow dogs at all, not until they are older, they were bred for hunting after all. but some people are starting to breed them to be more calm, there is a HUGE variation in golden temperament.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I had a lab who could run for literally hours. He had an incredible amount of energy. He wasn't my fastest dog, but he had the most stamina. And shoot, I don't remember him slowing down much until he died. 

Honestly, I don't know how someone would ever give a dog like that enough exercise, living in town and going for walks only. Not that you aren't doing what you can, but hip dysplasia and your having to crate etc. is going to make it very difficult.

Maybe you should get into that dock diving stuff. That seems to be very energetic.


----------



## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I can't imagine having one that was larger like Shellie with that kind of energy. My Min Pin Bailey has no off button either other than when she's sleeping. AKA "recharging" here at my house. She is 11 yrs old and I don't know what it would take to really wear her out. I'm in the process of trying to find enough things to fill up her day so she'll relax once in a while. With the weather getting colder soon I'm not much into walking but we go almost daily when it's not freezing. And I'm in Ga so that's most of the time. I think I could give her 6 or 7 hours of activity a day and she'd still be happy to have more. 
And I have decided to keep Nyla, now renamed Natalia. I have said on many occasions, "As much as I love my girls, I'll NEVER have another Min Pin." What the hell is wrong with me??? 
I wish you all the best in finding a perfect solution for Shellie!


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Maxy24 said:


> While I do think she needs more exercise I also think she just needs to learn to settle down. Tucker was like that, if he wasn't being played with or pet and he was awake it meant he would start pacing around looking for something to steal. He has since learned that when he gets bored he needs to use his toys. When it's not play time, outside time, food time, or any "pay attention to Shellie time" then leash her and put some toys she can use herself in her vicinity so that she must find a way to entertain herself appropriately. She can't wander off and find something fun to do that involves destroying the house. Buy her some toys she can use to occupy her time like antlers, bully sticks, hooves, etc. If she likes chewing rubber toys those are good too, or those toys you can put an empty water bottle inside. Tucker likes destroying things so if he has toys like baseballs available he will use those independently by trying to rip them apart. Anything she can use independently. ROTATE them so she has maybe 3-4 options at a time, the others in a closet to be brought out when the current ones stop holding her interest. But she has to learn that those are her options, no matter how much she wants to go find some part of the house to chew on she can't because she's leashed so she'll have to figure something else out, and that's where her toys will come in. Eventually habits will form where she knows toys satisfy her needs and will not think about eating the house first, she'll think about grabbing a toy first. I suggest keeping them in a toy box so she always knows where to get them. It is of the utmost importance that she is not able to get into trouble so that new habits can form, so LOTS of supervision, just like a brand new puppy.
> 
> 
> Also, not sure if you mentioned how much training she gets, but I would try to do at least one training session every day for mental stimulation. Then of course practice using those commands throughout the day for rewards (treats you have in your pocket, a game of tug or fetch, getting to go out, go on a walk, etc.). Training sessions should not be long, 5-10 minutes. You could always try to train her FOR something, maybe teach her everything she needs to know for rally-o or something, even if you don't plan on doing it, having an idea of what things you are going to teach can motivate you. Or just make a list of behaviors you want her to learn, whatever motivates you.
> ...


I know Goldens aren't 'mellow' but seriously she's nuts lol! I have been around a TON of golden retrievers and even Max who came to daycare for several years and was still active/obsessed with Tennis Balls when he was 8 years old had his down time. In ALL the time I've owned Shellie I've NEVER seen her have 'down' time. She is constantly go go go. Last year my sisters Standard Poodle went missing, Shellie went with me to search for her and we walked for probably 3-4 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening at least 10 miles if not more in one day and she was still going. I have antlers, kongs, puzzle toys, etc for her, she will only chew on antlers when shes in her crate if my hubby and I are in the kitchen eating or cooking, that's the only time she will chew on antlers. Which is weird. she does like RMB's and I do give her those. She is usually pretty good about staying in the room with me, however she finds whatever naughtiness she can in the room to get into. I've worked with trainers and use redirection and positive reinforcement for her. I do work with her training on a regular basis, but not 'active' sessions, so that is a good idea to keep her for focused. I had a trainer and vet for that matter tell me they think she has ADHD doggie version lol.



xellil said:


> I had a lab who could run for literally hours. He had an incredible amount of energy. He wasn't my fastest dog, but he had the most stamina. And shoot, I don't remember him slowing down much until he died.
> 
> Honestly, I don't know how someone would ever give a dog like that enough exercise, living in town and going for walks only. Not that you aren't doing what you can, but hip dysplasia and your having to crate etc. is going to make it very difficult.
> 
> Maybe you should get into that dock diving stuff. That seems to be very energetic.


I will have to check out the dock diving, as not sure if jumping like that would be okay for hips. Yeah.....I wish I could take her for several miles each day but she gets stiff/sore after about an hour of walking. Maybe I could build her up more, or check into physical therapy.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Donna Little said:


> I can't imagine having one that was larger like Shellie with that kind of energy. My Min Pin Bailey has no off button either other than when she's sleeping. AKA "recharging" here at my house. She is 11 yrs old and I don't know what it would take to really wear her out. I'm in the process of trying to find enough things to fill up her day so she'll relax once in a while. With the weather getting colder soon I'm not much into walking but we go almost daily when it's not freezing. And I'm in Ga so that's most of the time. I think I could give her 6 or 7 hours of activity a day and she'd still be happy to have more.
> And I have decided to keep Nyla, now renamed Natalia. I have said on many occasions, "As much as I love my girls, I'll NEVER have another Min Pin." What the hell is wrong with me???
> I wish you all the best in finding a perfect solution for Shellie!


He He....sounds like she's the smaller version of Shellie lol. Ziva my min pin is like the energizer bunny HOWEVER eventually (after a good few hours of running around like mad) she settles down and is content to lay at feet etc. Ziva is constantly cracking me up with her antics. I love Shellie to death, but man some days she's going to be the death of me lol!


----------



## Steph (Jun 24, 2011)

Don't forget that mental exercise is important too. OB training and mental games will tire her out in addition to walks. 

Personally, I HATE doggy daycare. And you said she put a hole in your other dogs ear the other day, correct? Sounds like she may have some DA emerging and doggy daycare may not be the best place for her. But I own bullies and daycares and dog parks are no-nos for us. 

I think a lot more work on focus training is in order so she goes into a heel immediately when you tell her to, even if she saw the dog first.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

The ONLY time there is a problem with Shellie is if something of high value like Bones or food is involved. She was guarding something and Ziva really doesn't have boundaries, so was trying to take it away from Shellie.....which is something I am working on with her. She played in Doggie Daycare with lots of other dogs for 2 year 5 days a week without any incidences.


----------



## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

Doggie Daycare would be great but don't forget the mental stimulation. It doesn't have to be agility. Something like Rally or tracking or nosework would be totally doable with bad hips. I think mental stimulation, in addition to less crate time, is going to be your key with Shellie.


----------



## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

if i were you i would deff start looking for a pool!!!!
dogs with joint problems can get alot of excersize swimming as its not hard on the joints and is quite exhuasting to do! it also helps strengthen.

my sister wanted a toy poodle sooo badly she didnt care where it came from and got one from a BYB who at the young age of 4 months or so her knees poped out o place and continued to do so constantly it was awful becuase this dog is a very athletic HYPER dog she eneds to get up and go shes incredably high energy but any amoutn of running would send her screaming for the couch well we live about a mile or two from lake superior so that summer i had her down at that lake EVERY DAY i would keep her lead and harness on her walk her out and while supporting her chest and tummy would hold her while she paddled once she became less nervous i would allow her to swim for herself while i held the lead and walked in circles makeing her swim in circles.
she has never been on any supplements or speciel food and her knees have NOT dislocated in almost 7 months and the last time it happend she was running across a slippery wood floor and her back end slipped out from under her. and trust me this little dog can walk and run off lead for 4-6 hours EASILY if i let her go home and STILL be full of energy but take her swimming for 2 hours and shes pooped.


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Yeah, couldn't agree more about the swimming. My dog swims everyday in summer, just because of the heat and its such a great way to, well, tire her out. Lola the pug puppy who had a hip replacement at 7 months? Daily swimming worked what I would call miracles on her joints, muscles and energy levels after being kept quiet for 7 weeks. Stink the 14yo pug with lower spine problems, swims everyday in a lifejacket. I know I sound like a broken record, but you can really tell Stink and Lola are sore when they don't go swimming for a couple of days.


----------



## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

Shelly sounds A LOT like Luigi. in all honesty he probably would have been better off in a more active home with room to run (we have no yard and live in the city) That said, I view tiring him out as a full time job, and between my husband and i he actually gets more execise than a lot of dogs with yards do. We are at my mom's house frequently and even with acres to run he is nuts every minute he's awake, he is just super excited and ALWAYS in play mode like a puppy. He is left out of the crate and baby gated in three rooms during the day, with numerous play breaks and walks (we live and work in different parts of the same building) He USUALLY gets 2, hour long walks a day, and another 15-20 minute one first thing in the morning when we are all feeling sleepy. We play fetch up and down a staircase inside every night, and do about 45 minutes of obedience practice right after work. On the weekends we go on long hikes either on a long line, or in one really really secluded area with a river on one side of the trail and a canal on the other (he is afraid to swim) he runs off leash. He also just goes most places with us, we all like to go for rides, and he loves tractor supply, petsmart, etc. He loves other medium to big dogs, but is very rude and pushy with them and often pisses other dogs off, I think a daycare setting would just be too much for him. i've worked at 2 of them, one awsome and one terrible, but I just don't think even good ones are ideal for every dog.

My dog is a pain in the a#*, but I just figure he will essencially be a 75 lb puppy until he is 5 or so, I remind myself daily that it can't last forever, and that I have a tendancy to be lazy which is no longer an option:twitch:.

I broke my foot recently, and the other side still has 2 torn ankle ligaments healing. i am useless, my husband has been an angel and has tried to cover all his long walks, and sometimes I take half a percocet and suffer through a hike.
But, naturally, he is getting less exercise than when we were both going full speed (my jeans fit a lot better too, unfortunately) , but we just do the best we can. We are never bored!


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions....gonna have to find someone with a pool so I can take her swimming LOL! I know one of the daycares in this area has a pool but I wouldn't take her there if my life depended on it (heard lots of bad things about that place). I have been increasing her exercise a bit and so far it's not helping all that much.

A Golden Retriever was NEVER on my list of breeds I wanted to own, but I was browsing one of the local classified places and she was on there for rescue as she needed OCD surgery on her shoulder (or so they thought) at about 5 & 1/2 months old....well I am a HUGE sucker for a 'special needs' animal so I went and got her.....FREE, came with tons of stuff. I love her to death, but sometimes I wonder if she wouldn't be better in a more active home. But I am willing to do what it takes to hopefully help her through whatever is going on here.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Just a little Update: Shellie is getting 2-3 hours of walks per day as well as backyard and indoor playtime for 30-45 minutes or so. She misses Ziva a lot will stand outside at the door when I let her out, waiting for little Ziva to come out. She is still hyper and super energetic. Have been working on 'focus' training and clicker with her and so far I'm not seeing much of a difference in her behavior, I know it will take time, but I just hope this helps.


----------

