Weaning off afternoon walks

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JudyN
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Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by JudyN »

Every time I come off anti-inflammatories, my knee flares up, and every time I go back on them, I get tummy troubles (even with a stomach protector).

Realistically, what are my chances of weaning J off afternoon walks altogether, if he's had a good walk 8-9.20ish? I could play with him instead, but he tends to regard interactive games as just an inconvenient way of getting food. And I can see myself throwing balls in the garden till he gets bored and just lets them bounce off him, then say 'Can we go for our walk now Mum?' and then whine incessantly until teatime approaches and then he'll strt whining for that instead.

I've tried shorter sniff walks, but he looks so upset when he thinks we're heading somewhere interesting and I turn to go home again.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Ari_RR
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by Ari_RR »

No one else around who could manage a J-walk, I assume?
Ari, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Sept 2010 - Dec 2018.
Miles, Rhodesian Ridgeback, b. Nov 2018
JudyN
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by JudyN »

I don't really trust him with anyone else, Ari. For one, he probably would refuse to leave the house with them (for years, OH had to take him in the car at weekends because if he went on foot without me J would plant himself pretty soon). For two, if he suddenly panicked because he wasn't being walked by the 'right' people, he might do his Incredible Hulk impersonation, and for three, if 'something' happened, like a child came running up and tried to cuddle him, or he found a bit of bone under a bush, or a cat appeared, it wouldn't be fair to expect the walker do manage the situation or deal with the consequences. I manage him so instinctively now that I probably don't even realise I'm doing it half the time.

If I was desperate my son's girlfriend would be willing to try, but I'm not sure if it's worth the risk. Possibly I am overprotective though.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by Nettle »

No, I think you are sensible. Nobody who hasn't done it knows how hard it is to be pro-active for the whole of every walk you do.

Woud Jas settle for a ride in the car instead?
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JudyN
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by JudyN »

No, he's not interested in car rides, just in where they take him to. It would probably be easier if I could drive him to the woods where there's more stimulation and he can be off lead, but OH is using the car for work now - it's a 25-min walk for him but as he's doing morning walks, he needs to take the car to keep his hours up. And my knee didn't particularly like the drive to the vet with my cat on Friday, even though it's about 3 minutes away.

(Monty's fine, BTW - he just needed his booster & a check-up.)
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
ZaraD
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by ZaraD »

You could try natural remedies for your knee , i have not used paracetamol or ibuprofen for years. I even have stopped using the medication for my fibromyalgia as i find chamomile tea and pepermint oil helps more. My period like pain iv been having is gone after buying a natural tea that help it.

Heres a link with different things you can try.

https://draxe.com/natural-painkillers/
JudyN
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by JudyN »

Thanks Zara :D I'm a natural sceptic when it comes to natural remedies :wink: But anything's worth a try. I'm wondering if it's possible to get CBD oil legally that is actually powerful enough to have a noticeable effect, given that even ibuprofen takes a couple of weeks to reduce the inflammation (pretty much at the point when the tummy troubles start :roll: ). Sometimes I regret bringing up my sons to be so sensible that neither of them have ever actually tried drugs - I was hoping for some 'free samples' by now :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
ZaraD
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by ZaraD »

Holland and Barretts have CBD oils and capsules that are legal. My mom uses a lotion for her arthrits and so far it works.

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/ ... edies/cbd/
JudyN
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by JudyN »

Thanks, I might give it a try :D
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
ZaraD
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by ZaraD »

JudyN wrote: Sun Apr 07, 2019 9:05 am Thanks, I might give it a try :D
This morning did an item on it 2 months ago.

https://youtu.be/XpgHBy-hRac
Erica
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by Erica »

My grandma has a finger that cramps up and is extremely painful. The doctors' remedies all helped a little, bringing the pain down from a 9 to a 6. Still pretty darn intense! But the lady at her hair salon gave her a massage with some CBD oil and it took the pain down to a 1 or 2 in minutes. Whether it's a placebo effect or not, it really helped her.

To your original question, maybe an alternate activity would work? Nosework of some sort in the garden or on a long line near your home may help. Even the least interesting toy becomes Delta's favorite when I hide it and tell him to search it out. (This is a blessing on days when my knee is acting up. I can get him to run for an hour while I just stand there and toss a toy into an overgrown field every now and then.) I know Jasper has a much different temperament from a retriever though, haha! Hide and seek could be another low-impact, high-mentally-enriching activity.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
JudyN
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by JudyN »

Yep, he's a big fan of hide and seek, though it's tricky in the garden as he can see where I'm hiding whatever it is! I'm experimenting with home made flirt poles, but have the problem that he catches them in moments, and then chomps through the string rather than enjoying the toy! I've made another using his long fluffy snake, which hopefully will be more fun to chew on than string.

But I've found a big advantage of walking now the weather's warmed up - he does like to chill and sunbathe on grassy verges, and when he does it's a great opportunity to clip his nails as (a) he's so chilled and (b) he's muzzled :lol: (I still won't risk more than one per walk though...) So the current plan is to get as far as a suitable bit of grass, turn for home which will make him realise he's not going anywhere fun so he might as well have a snooze, then clip a nail and chill myself. Cue a spell of cold wet weather....

I'm being assessed for a steroid injection in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed it does the trick :D
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Ari_RR
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by Ari_RR »

There are these balls which you can fill with treats. The dog is supposed to roll it, and as he rolls is - treats fall out and dog can eat them.

So how about this:

Get 2 of these balls, a bag of treats, and a chair to sit on in the back yard.
Fill one ball with treats, throw it for J to catch and roll and get all the treats out.
While he’s at it - fill the other one with treats but keep it.
When J is done with the 1st one - throw the 2nd one out.
While J is busy rolling the 2nd ball - refill the 1st one.
And so on, until you run out of treats or until J gets bored.

No dinner for J after this, probably, but if it keeps him entertained - may be worthwhile.
Ari, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Sept 2010 - Dec 2018.
Miles, Rhodesian Ridgeback, b. Nov 2018
JudyN
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by JudyN »

Ooh yes, he has a soft bouncy treat ball that could be fun in the grass :D And then I could work on him bringing it to me when it's empty (or he's fed up with trying to get the last treats out) for a refil.

No chance of 'no dinner' happening though - he'd have a nervous breakdown! Luckily the lad has hollow legs - I can drip-feed him treats all day long and he doesn't put on weight. If only I had the same metabolism....
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: Weaning off afternoon walks

Post by Nettle »

Yep, he's a big fan of hide and seek, though it's tricky in the garden as he can see where I'm hiding whatever it is! I'm experimenting with home made flirt poles, but have the problem that he catches them in moments, and then chomps through the string rather than enjoying the toy! I've made another using his long fluffy snake, which hopefully will be more fun to chew on than string.


Don't forget - however he 'plays' is fine, even if it is unconventional.

Would he enjoy my lurcher's fave - hiding a treat in a cardboard egg box and letting her rip the box apart? She is normally too dignified to play games but she does enjoy shredding. She should work in an office.
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