Re: Feeling guilty and garden time. [quote author=Rolokris link=topic=10815.msg161270#msg161270 date=1430837135] if he was more mentally stimulated his time in the house would be resting as he would be more tired. [/quote] It's one of the reasons clickers and tricks are so brilliant as you can do tiny little sessions, see progress and get your dogs brains going.
Re: Feeling guilty and garden time. Charlie was hyper in the house as a pup - he is much better these days (well, he's back on rest now, so a bit worse than normal). I honestly think giving young dogs something to do keeps them out of all sorts of mischief. As a teenager, Charlie rarely saw kibble in his bowl - it was all used for something. Kongs, kong goodie bones, treat balls, kiibble hidden in packaging, find it, clicker training. There are so many ways that you can keep a young dog occupied with 150g - 200g of kibble a day, putting it in a bowl and letting them inhale it in 10 seconds is an absolute waste, I think.
Re: Feeling guilty and garden time. Hi Rolokris. Max is 10 months old and I feel your pain . I've had to block off Max's access to the main part of our garden because of his chewing (large stones are his favourite!) and he is restricted to the patio. I feel guilty that he can't just go out and play but it's for his own safety. With walks, I'm not completely rigid about the 5 minute rule. If he has a busy off lead walk playing with lots of dogs and running around then I will make sure I don't go more than around 45 minutes. If we just pootle along and don't really meet anyone then we can walk for up to an hour. I also do a 10 minute lead walk at lunchtime and a 20 minute lead walk at teatime as well as training and playing throughout the day. Not easy when you've got other responsibilities during the day as well but we'll get there in the end!!
