Can they really live in suburbia?!

There is a certain nostalgia surrounding Blue Heelers in Australia, and when out with our pair we certainly garner a lot of attention.

One of the most common questions we get asked is how much do we have to exercise them to still live in suburbia. . So I thought I might give you some insight into our daily schedule.

We love having smart dogs who thrive on working. After all they are working dogs. The trick to keeping them mentally, as well as physically, happy and healthy is recalibrating what they traditionally deemed work.. i.e. finding a modern day replacement for cattle herding.

We do this in several ways; teaching tricks, Frisbee throwing, obedience challenges, playtime with other dogs and lots of walks around the neighborhood to keep up with the other dogs' scent messages. We aim to mix-up their routine all the time to keep them guessing and excited about what we're doing.

We have two 'sessions' per day;  morning and evening. Ever since they were puppies they've have two 'witching hours' so we've always tried to organise our sessions around those times. (I've heard that dawn and dusk are really common witching hours for dogs!!)

Seasonally our focus changes as to whether we have a longer session in the morning or in the evening.. at the moment as it is winter, and gets dark really early, our long session is in the mornings before work. You can see in the photo below how dark it is even in the mornings! 

We'll take a long walk for about 30 minutes around the suburb, allowing the pups to have a good sniff, leave messages for the other neighborhood pets and then will head to an open area for our HIT (high intensity training)session. We'll play with either a ball or Frisbee for another 15 - 20 minutes, which leaves them overflowing with endorphins, with huge smiles as pictured below.

The evening will be a more subdued mental session with lots of training and mental games in the backyard.. having a treasure hunt is my personal favorite. I'll have them wait and watch me hide treats and toys in a particular area and then I say their release word and they're off. It keeps them entertained using their nose, memory and even some teamwork to make sure everything is recovered.

At the end of the day after all is done the pups really love to settle in for a snuggle. They are couch bunnies, pictured below, as long as we have satisfied their needs. We have successfully trained the dogs to be inside/outside 100% of the time (even in our absence) and because we are in a routine of regular stimulation they are quite happy to relax on the couch whenever we tell them it is time to 'settle.'

A tired dog is a happy dog.

Forever love your dog, 

Emma