'She's just being lazy': Irresponsible Dog Mom Refuses to Walk Her Great Dane, Then Gets Pawsitively Peeved When the Internet Tells Her She's Wrong

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
May 10, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

Happy Thursday, Animal Comedy-ers and doting doggo pawrents. We know from experience that you can never be truly prepared for a puppy. You can buy all the toys, all the puppy pads, and get ready for some sleepless nights, but it's a whole new ball game once they come into your home. Sometimes, our perfectly awwdorable puppers develop some nasty habits, and it's our jobs as owners to deal with them. Well, it should be at least! This is exactly what didn't happen in the story below.

A woman got a Great Dane puppy for companionship, but as soon as she realized it would be hard to walk him on the leash, she just flat out stopped taking him on walks. They do go outside and play for 15 minutes, but that's not enough for a growing boy! Anyway, their sibling turns to Reddit to ask for advice, and they turned this thing into a whole doggie drama! Scroll down to read the full story below.

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  • 01
    My Sister refuses to walk her dog or take it to the dog park. Is this bad?
    via u/Miyyani
  • 02
    Hi! My sister got a Great Dane in part because she wanted a friend and a walking partner. However, when the great Dane got older, she found out it pulls, and because of that, she no longer takes it on walks. Instead, she throws the ball in the yard for him some days for 15 minutes. Is this a good substitute for a walk or the dog park? I say it's not, but my sister says as long as the dog is getting exercise it's fine.
    via u/Miyyani

    The worst part about this is that training a dog to not pull is one of the easiest things there is to do. It's a few steps and most dogs get it after a couple of tries. This woman is just being lazy!

  • 03
    I sometimes walk the dog when I have time (I'm a busy college student, or was, it's summer now). Yes, he pulls and goes absolutely crazy when he sees another dog. He jumps all over the place and pulls and barks like crazy, and it's quite intimidating for other people on our walk. However, if he gets the opportunity to get up close to another dog, he calmly sniffs them, so I think he's just really excited to see another dog, as he doesn't have much opportunity to.
    via u/Miyyani

    Well, yeah! We would too! Imagine being cooped up in your house all day for days at a time, then seeing a friend on the street, of course you're going to get excited! This doggo just needs to learn how to treat a friend like a friend.

  • 04
    I've been telling my sister to take him on walks and take him to the dog park, as I'm very busy and it's not my dog, but she hasn't. I've also told her to get the dog trained so he's more pleasant on walks, but she refuses to do that too. In our city, there is a license you need to get to take your dog to the dog park, and I don't want to pay for my sister's dog park license, and I don't have a car, so I haven't driven the dog to the park ever.
    via u/Miyyani
  • 05
    Is throwing the ball for 15 minutes some days enough exercise and enrichment for the dog? If not, what should I do in this situation? (The dog's name is Pepito btw:))
    via u/Miyyani
  • 06
    Klutche 10 hr. ago No, that isn't ok. 15 minutes of attention isn't the same as actual excercise. Also, she didn't "find out" the dog pulls. Every single puppy on earth pulls, unless you teach them not to. She didn't bother to train her dog on a leash and then acted shocked when her big dog was hard to walk. It's irresponsible. His behavior on walks sounds like a normal dog who's bored and never gets to having an exciting time outside. He
    via u/Klutche
  • 07
    needs to get out more. Walks also offer enrichment because they can explore the neighborhood and get to sniff. I wouldn't reccomend dog parks because the animals are unfamiliar and it can quickly become dangerous if you're unfamiliar with dog behavior and aren't paying constant attention, but if you know other dogs that your friends have and know they're dog friendly, id reccomend bringing him on trips to play with other dogs, too.
    via u/Klutche
  • 08
    ARatNamed Clyde Barrow 10 hr. ago paw flair • Based on your description, this is not a dog that should ever be in a dog park. He may just be leash reactive, but I wouldn't trust him when you don't have full control over him; he likely doesn't have any manners and is going to be quite pushy with other dogs and could end up getting in fights or getting bit when other dogs correct his behaviour.
    via u/ARatNamedClydeBarrow
  • 09
    Learning to loose-leash walk can be a process, but it's certainly doable. Bring treats with you on walks. Reward him for engaging - with you glancing at you, staying at your side. When he starts pulling, stop walking or do a complete 180 and walk in the other direction. Reward when he stays by your side. Resume your walk when he checks in with you and is back at your side. Reward when he looks at you. Do a 180 when he starts to get too far ahead. Rinse and repeat.
    via u/ARatNamedClydeBarrow
  • 10
    SultryKumquat . 11 hr. ago Great Danes likely need more exercise. If she doesn't want to exercise the dog, possibly a dog walker would be a good option for her.
    via u/SultryKumquat
  • 11
    Libertie83 11 hr. ago Other commenters have already answered your questions well. The answer to what to do from here is to reach out to a behavior modification trainer. Here's a link where you can find a well-qualified ethical trainer: IAABC Find a Behavior Consultant Near You
    via u/Libertie83
  • 12
    A core contributing factor to the reactivity problems will be that the dog is not getting the mental enrichment it needs to be happy and healthy. Dogs get a lot of this through sniffing in new places. It's an especially important activity for reactive dogs because sniffy walks relieve stress.
    via u/Libertie83
  • 13
    • disconcertinglymoist 8 hr. ago . edited 8 hr. ago Dogs require walking, period. With very rare exceptions. (Disabilities, etc.) They need to be out and about, sniffing things, seeing, hearing, and discovering new things. They have sharp senses, to say the least. Depriving them of their use - stopping a dog from feeling the grass on their paws, or smelling trees, or walking down a cool new path, is like a sort of amputation. -
    via u/disconcertinglymoist
  • 14
    Physical exercise is just one aspect of it; I'd argue that the mental stimulation it provides is even more important.
    via u/disconcertinglymoist
  • 15
    Picture keeping a dog in a nuclear bunker (of whatever size, it can even be a large bunker), playing with them, and training them to go for "walks" on a treadmill. You can ensure they get all their physical requirements met, but they're sentient beings and they need more novelty, discovery, socialisation, being outside, wandering about. They could survive this way, but they certainly wouldn't thrive. And their short life would be worse for it.
    via u/disconcertinglymoist
  • 16
    Great Danes (most adult ones, at least... puppies are something else) are generally lazy dogs with relatively low exercise requirements. You can easily keep them in an apartment as long as you're able to walk them every day. They're notorious couch potatoes. But you can't keep them cloistered up, regardless of whether they have access to a yard. You gotta walk em.
    via u/disconcertinglymoist
  • 17
    Pulling on the leash is a fairly straightforward behavioural issue (in the wide spectrum of dog behavioural issues) that can be fixed fairly quickly with consistent training. It sounds like your sister didn't bother, or gave up, and never tried classes or getting help from a trainer or behaviourist? up
    via u/disconcertinglymoist
  • 18
    Unless there's more to this story, your sister sounds like a lazy dog parent. There are so many resources out there nowadays to solve these kinds of issues, and leash pulling is the least of them. To her credit, she does spend 15 minutes per day playing with the dog, so it's not outright abuse, and she clearly cares about Pepito. But it's still insufficient. This situation should be remedied ASAP.
    via u/disconcertinglymoist
  • 19
    chicagoprogrammer 11 hr. ago My Sister refuses to walk her dog or take it to the dog park. Is this bad? Yes. However, when the great Dane got older, she found out it pulls, and because of that, she no longer takes it on walks. Training a dog not to pull is a relatively simple thing.
    via u/chicagoprogrammer
  • 20
    Yes, he pulls and goes absolutely crazy when he sees another dog. That's called leash reactivity. r/reactivedogs However, if he gets the opportunity to get up close to another dog, he calmly sniffs them, so I think he's just really excited to see another dog, as he doesn't have much opportunity to. This is making your dog's leash reactivity worse. I have a leash reactive dog too and she never is allowed to greet another dog while on leash.
    via u/chicagoprogrammer
  • 21
    BobtheUncle007 · 10 hr. ago Dogs need walks. They like to smell different things and other dogs. Staying in a backyard only is very sad.
    via u/chicagoprogrammer
  • 22
    jd2004user 7 hr. ago I look at it this way... if I was cooped up in my house/yard all the time, finally got taken out for a walk and saw members of MY tribe, I'd lose my too! I'd be the goofiest and loudest I could be to shout "hey! hey you! over here! yo!! I know you see me! what's up mah peeps"
    via u/jd2004user
  • 23
    . Thequiet01 8 hr. ago. Walks are for the dog to explore the world, not just for exercise. So the dog should get at least a short walk every day. (Allowable exception, according to my dog, is if it is raining. Because he will melt. Even in a raincoat. )
    via u/Thequiet01
  • 24
    Dog parks are not required though and are recommended against by a lot of people because you just don't know if someone's brought their reactive dog. Especially with larger dogs it seems like some dogs just get threatened and cannot deal with a much bigger dog around. So we don't do dog parks. (My dude is not a Dane but he's 110lbs.)
    via u/Thequiet01
  • 25
    • Mahiro0303 10 hr. ago Taking a dog to a dog park is a recipe for disaster. So many dogs be getting into fights at those places. If you have a big enough yard for your dog to get plenty of exercise then you dont really need to take em on walks but its still a nice thing to do sometimes.
    via u/Mahiro0303
  • 26
    rangerdanger 9 - 11 hr. ago If she doesn't want to do it I would encourage her to hire a dog. walker. She can also work with a trainer to address it. Walking for dogs isn't just about exercise but mental stimulation, they get to sniff new things and see new sights. It's not fair to have a dog and not walk it.
    via u/rangerdanger_9
  • 27
    I'm the future, if your sister wants another companion but doesn't enjoy walking, I'd recommend a cat. But for now it's time to for her to work on training her dog so he can go on walks. They're good for him. Best of luck!
    via u/rangerdanger_9
  • 28
    2WheelSuperiority. 10 hr. ago My dog (lab/terrier mutt) plays for 20-45 minutes, twice a day, with intense HITT training (Aka, I throw ball, she catches or chases) within a 150ft shared driveway in Texas weather, year round. She chooses when to go inside. She's shredded and easily maintains a steady, healthy weight. It puts her out for 4-5 hours after. 15 minute for a great dane is not enough exercise.
    via u/2WheelSuperiority
  • 29
    You can't do anything in this situation however, short of maybe showing her this reddit thread or continuing to harp on her for being a bad dog mom. If she truly got the dog to be a friend, she needs to be a good friend and provide life experiences and attention worth having.
    via u/2WheelSuperiority
  • 30
    She needs to walk or thoroughly exercise her dog, she needs to train her dog, you can't force her to do this. It's just another case of a small person with an oversized uncontrolled dog. That said, I walk my dog maybe once a week to shake things up when she's obviously not feeling the ball and I have never and will never take my dog to a dog park, at least while there are other dogs in it.
    via u/2WheelSuperiority
  • 31
    lollypolish 3 hr. ago If you own a dog you walk it every day. Simple. His behaviour on his walk is because he's so fricken happy to be out and it would all settle down of walks were regular. If she can't walk him she needs to find him a home with someone that can.
    via u/lollypolish

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