# no fenced yard...



## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

Hello All, So good to be back after several months of being unable to get on the forum!!! Anyway, for those of us without a fenced yard, is it possible to provide your shepherd with adequate exercise by leashed walks, games of tug, flirt pole, fetch, etc.? I have a 50 foot line also - loose dogs are not an option where I live! I have been considering setting up a dog run, approx. 5feetx15feet - would this be useful for short periods of time to allow some semblance of free running? I am retired, so am able to devote my days to my dogs, which is great.Any advice would be much appreciated! :smile2:


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

I have lived with GSDs in apartments with no yard, but I made an effort to bring them to conservation areas for off leash walks, almost daily I would say 6 days a week. Talking dogs who are in the prime of their life and energy, 1-3 years.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

Do you live in an area where you can go biking with your dog? There are lost of previous threads about biking with a dog. eg


Biking with your dog; best way to go? - German Shepherd Dog Forums


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

We don't have a fenced yard. Teach a good Down.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

when we didn't have a fenced yard, we did live near the beach and in a small town with very quiet roads. We took many walks. We also train for IPO. But don't kid yourself. Even with a huge fenced in yard, we still take long walks nearly every day, weather permitting


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

15 feet is not much of a run for a large dogHave you considered an overhead trolley system?You could make it as long as you wanted and no getting snarled in the long line.Sometimes there are fenced in baseball diamonds where you can go to get a good run in.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

I have a fenced in yard and my girl doesn't spend much time in it. She goes out to potty and occasionally chills for a bit when we are home and it's not too hot. Otherwise she would rather be in the house with her humans. If you are playing with a flirt pole, playing tug, playing with a ball and good walks and your dog seems happy I wouldn't worry to much. It really depends on the energy level of your given dog. Some have high energy exercise needs, some don't. If you have a place, swimming is good tiring exercise, too. 

I will be honest and say mine has high needs and we take daily off leash walks of anywhere from 2.5- 5 miles (if I walk 2.5 miles she has probably walked/run for 4 or more...say squirrel) depending on weather. Good OB is a must for off leash walks. 

If you do a kennel run I would say 5 feet wide isn't wide enough. Maybe 10x20/25 if you have the space. The overhead trolley is a good option. Do check you local tether laws first. In our area we can't tether or chain a dog for more than a certain amount of time per day. Some places don't allow tethering/chaining at all. Any chance you can fence in your yard?

Fenced in public soccer fields when not in use are a good space for some running around. Remember to scoop the poop


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## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

I do like the overhead trolley idea! I agree than a 15 foot run is not enough! Thanks for the advice.


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## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

Fencing in my yard is not feasible here at my little rental cabin, so I was looking at someone's suggestion of using a trolley. I am assuming the cable should not be much taller than the dog, to prevent tangling. Any thoughts on what kind of hardware to use? We had a trolley of some kind years ago for our very energetic English Setter, and we used airline cable - he broke everything else. I will have to string it between trees here, and of course never allow him to be fastened there unless I am right here! I think I will get a 30-50 foot line and use that when I take him to the local park to play ball or frisbee. My idea of a dog run was certainly not adequate. Thanks! Of course, I am concerned about entanglement. Ugh. What would be a minimum width and length of dog run recommended for one shepherd? This would only be used for short periods of time to allow my dog some run time. My problem is, we have always had a fenced yard in the padt, although the dogs never seemed to use the yard much; they always went out in the yard, pooped, peed, then laid on the deck!


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