Just a reminder to everyone that if you own a dog, you have a responsibility to that animal. You should ensure it gets to play each day and gets attention from you. Don't make your neighbors suffer by having to watch you ignore your dog and get by with it because you are doing the BARE minimum required by the law.  Also, NEVER EVER buy a dog just for your children. Too many parents do this. It needs to be a committment from the whole family. A dog is not a toy that can be put up or penned up until the child feels like playing with it.
 
During this extreme heat, you are violating the law if you don't ensure your animal has  shelter, food, and WATER. Think carefully about where you put the water bowl....for instance, you wouldnt' want to put water in a metal dish right out in the middle of an area that gets all day sun like a neighbor of mine does. A dog doesn't want to drink hot water! Also, the water will evaporate more quickly.
 
In addition, if your dog rarely gets to run and play outside...you might notice his nails growing too long. This is uncomfortable for the dog and can be a sign that the dog isn't getting enough activity. I volunteered at the Humane Society for a while and they won't telll you this..but they are a no kill shelter which means they won't put an animal down unless that animal has some very expensive or untreatable health issues. Those dogs get walked 2 or more times a day. They are getting treated better than some animals I know that live in a real home with people that are supposed to love them.
 
One last vent...if your cute little puppy ended up frustrating you and you gave up on him being successfully potty trained, learning not to teeth you/bite you all the time, or learning not to run off, walk on a leash, sit, stay, etc...then it is most likely your own fault. You can learn to train your dog if you are consistent. If you are in this situation and you want me to teach you a few things about how to make this happen so that you can enjoy your dog...reply to this email and let me know how to contact you. I'll show you for free. It's really very easy. I learned it by going to clicker training with one of my dogs. The key is consistency. A clicker costs about 99 cents by the way. I can teach your dog how to sit within a few minutes I bet. Just let me know. Again, I'm doing this out of love for animals...not to make money. I will not charge. I will expect you to spend more time with your pet though. So the two of you can enjoy one another. No, I'm not professionally trained.

Quote from JBH on 08/11/07 at 7:30pm:

 
Nope. I haven't conquered that one yet. Every dog I've ever known wants me to chase them instead of the other way around. I think if you wanted to try this it might work. Throw the ball and praise them for getting it. Then quit praising them for getting it, but praise them once they come close to you with it. During all this don't go to them and try to take away the ball. That will just be part of the game of chase. Then eventually withhold praise until they drop the ball out of boredom. Finally they will know that bringing the ball to you and giving it up is what is desired.
 
Of course mind have so much fun playing chase with me, that I humor them and let them run around with it playing keep away (from me). Sometimes my husband and I play keep away from them as well.
 
My fattest most out of shape dog has suddenly taken to catching the frisbee. It took her several months to get the idea that we wanted her to catch it. My husband started out by tossing it to her from about 2 feet away. Now she'll go for it about 6-9 feet out. I'm a horrible frisbee thrower so she rarely is able to catch my tosses, but she tries.
 
One other thing I discovered the other day is that both of my large dogs really love catching bean bags. They are easier to catch I guess. I don't let them keep these because I know they'll tear the bags apart but they do get good exercise leaping for the bags. Even our oldest Dane who rarely wants to play unless she is alone with us was loving catching the bean bag.
 
Thanks, Good luck on the game of fetch.