Am I giving my dog too much attention? How much does he really need?

Question

how much play/amusement/stimulation does my 60lb male lab/shepherd mix need? I feel I should always be paying attention to him, although he gets a long walk daily and tons of love and pets. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 3 years and 9 months old | 60 lbs

Bette Isacoff · Accepted Answer

Probably a lot less than you are giving him. By being Dexter's constant source of fun, you are keeping him from finding ways to amuse himself (with toys, balls, etc.) If for some reason (hospitalization, trip, new job) you are unable to keep this up, you may find a problem develop. By all means give him love and attention, but I'm afraid you've taken it too far. You are not his one-man entertainment committee. If you try to pull back a little (and by all means you should), you may find that he tries to insist on more. This is not because he "needs" it, but because you've created the expectation in him. Do not give in. Ignore any of his attempts to get you going again. Gradually lessen the time you pay attention to him, until you are down to about ten minutes/hour. This does not mean that you should play with him for ten minutes every hour; it is more like what your interactions should average out to be over the course of a day. Good luck with this!

Am I giving my dog too much attention? How much does he really need?

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