I really like the concept of giving dogs exercise that reflect their natural instinct, for example, my boyfriend has a husky who had a few behavioral problems, so he started allowing the dog to pull him on his bike and he LOVES it. The dogs is much calmer and seems more balance. Does anyone have any suggestions for activities for a border collie/lab. He shows more lab qualities than BC. I bring him to the lake to fetch, is that enough?

You could take up duck hunting or sailing. Or go to the pool where he can help the lifeguards. Dive off the board, then call him to come get you.

Aw. That would be cute, he swims with me in the lake, goes out right past me and just keeps on going... I don't think I will take up duck hunting but maybe train him to do so with fake ducks? He has a duck plush, I make him sit on the balcony and hide it in the house, but he doesn't take commands, just find it with his nose..

I'm of two minds about this, actually. On the one hand, having a dog that is bred for a purpose, it is good to let the dog fulfill that purpose. So herding dogs should have the opportunity to herd, retrievers to retrieve, etc. Which is all good in theory. However, the one time I let my greyhound course, she absolutely loved it. The trouble is, she loves it too much. She will, I am firmly convinced, chase a lure until she is physically unable to. I have, in fact, seen a greyhound that ran his paws into bloody lumps of meat trying to catch a remote control car. And after letting Trink course the lure, it took her hours to get out of a hypervigilant state, and that was with her having cut herself and slammed into some obstacles pretty hard. So now I'm torn... do I let her do it a little, and deal with the affects of her not getting to do it as much as she would like, or do I not let her do it at all, because the side-effects don't outweigh the enjoyment that she gets from doing it? I haven't had chance to take her to a lure course recently, so it's been a pretty hypothetical situation, but still, I ponder it.

When you talk about fetch at the lake, how often are you doing it? He should exercise every single day, at least an hour or two each time you go out, even twice a day. That does help.

I physically exercise my dog every single day and try to do something else later in the afternoon, like fetching and swimming... I want to exercise his mind as well..

Well if you don't want to hunt, I can relate to that. But you can go out with a camera and shoot photos while the dog goes along. I picture you in one of those paddle boats or even a kayak with the dog paddling along beside you and jumping up on the deck to shake off and soaking you in the process. I once had a yellow lab that spent 3 solid days trying to get a groundhog out from under a toolshed. Out there barking at the thing, --or at least it's scent, it was probably long gone--by the light of a full moon... also had a treeing Walker coonhound that loved to go out. I really didn't want to go coon hunting every single night but she did and if we didn't, she would sulk about this for hours. Before you get too worried you don't have to shoot a coon, the dog just wants to track it's scent like a bloodhound. You really can't call a good dog off once she gets started doing what she loves. Also that same labrador loved to fetch. Had a buddy who once played semipro baseball, and even he couldn't throw enough baseballs to tire out that dog.