How much does your dog get walked?

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katz
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by katz »

Nellie is a 7month old lab x golden retriever, she is a very active playful young girl, if I walk her either on my own or with Mr kat, we have a late morning 35/45 min walk and usually only spends 5 mins of that on the lead....... We take the old bridleway to the park and have a game of ball, if any of her pals are out then she plays with them, and kinda of the same length of time and place early evening, taking in some different routes on way home but this depends on whether she has meet any of her pals....... If I think she's too tired I take the different routes home another night and take the quickest route home, I can't wait for the nights in the uk to get lighter as then I might be able to find her ball at the park a lot easier lol
If however its just my partner taking her out they go further and for longer say 45min/50mins each walk as he doesn't feel confident to let her run off lead (I've got a much higher voice and I'm not afraid to run around like a looney tunes to get her to recall if she. Has seen something exciting)
And inbetween she has the garden and we play games indoors :)
errin
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by errin »

My Molly - 5 yrs old Lab- gets 3 hours every day.
And I've got a couple of questions about that... 1) Is it too much? She doesn't seem to mind (no stiffness or limping..) but I read around here every day how people walk their dogs for UP to an hour, two hours tops, so I sometimes wonder if I'm not dragging the poor girl c'mon, walkies :) The reason I walk her so much is that we live in my bedroom, in a shared flat. The bedroom is too small for anything other than sleeping (there's her bed and there's mine and no space for much else) so I try and compensate with walking. She's not allowed to wonder around the flat, that was part of the deal when I asked for permission to have her.

So are we over doing it?

I try to do clicker training as well, and she gets kongs and boxes and she's got toys, but I am still a bit worried that the lack of space will eventually affect her. We've been living like this since I got her, a year ago. I am making plans and saving up for a bigger place with lovely garden and lotss of living space but times are tough at the moment and the plan is not going as quickly or smoothly as I would like it to.
2) does the fact that she lives in such a small room will have bad consequences?

She goes to work with me so she is on her feet pretty much all day... Sometimes I feel sorry for her but sometimes I think she's a happy lady for getting such full life. I don't know how to feel, I so wish she'd tell me.
JudyN
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by JudyN »

Errin, I'm not an expert, but I guess if she seems happy and settled, then it works for her. Many dogs don't do much anyway when they're at home.

I think I'd aim to have plenty of 'hanging out together' times on your walks, as well as the odd training/game while you're out. Just sit and enjoy the view, take a picnic to share, play whatever games she enjoys... Easier done in the summer than right now, I guess!
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Nettle
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by Nettle »

3 hours a day is fine for a 5 year old labrador :) and kudos to you for doing that with her. She won't suffer from living in a small room otherwise - many dogs live in outdoor kennels and runs that are smaller than your room. It would be a problem if you were not spending so much quality time with her, but she's a very lucky dog because you do.

Working labradors are out for 7 hours a day in the season, with about an hour's break in the middle. People don't realise how much exercise a dog can happily take. Mine would love to have more than the 2 hours a day they get normally, and when one is worked it's for 4-5 hours straight. They aren't labradors, but they love their work and exercise: often when I take out the others after one has been worked, the one that has put in a full shift still wants to come for a walk. :shock: (which is more than I do!)

Have a chat with your vet about nutritional supplements for her joints e.g. glucosamine, because as she gets older she will appreciate that - but if she were never walked at all, she would still need some help with her joints as she ages. The best health help we can give our dogs is proper exercise, good food and keeping their weight down.
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Sarah83
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by Sarah83 »

I wouldn't have thought 3 hours a day too much for an adult Lab either. In summer holidays I used to take Shadow and Wolf down to the river for about 6 or 7 hours at a time. They weren't Labs but they loved it. And Shadow still insisted on his evening run on the field no matter how long we'd spent out during the day :roll: Sounds like your dog has a decent life and as long as her needs are being met I don't see how living in one room would be a problem. If she were living in there and never getting out or getting any interaction then it'd be another matter.

I know Spencer would love more than the 45 minutes he gets at the moment but as he's still a growing pup it's tough luck for both of us. Once he's able though I will happily take him out for several hours and explore the area :D
errin
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by errin »

Thanks, guys! I do feel much better now.

I will have a word with her vet and will get her supplements. Anything to keep her well and happy :)
bendog
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by bendog »

Yep, lucky you getting to do 3 hours walking!

I do as much as I can physically fit in. When we go away on holiday to the Lakes or Wales then my 9 year old 13 inch tall terrier will still easily do 12 miles, or 3-4 hours walking a day.

The time outside doesn't have to be walking either, if mine come to my Nans in the summer then we can be out all day, but just sitting having a drink at a bar, wandering round the shops etc, as well as walking.

Of our 3 dogs, Sasha can't do much more than an hour maximum walking, and Poppy is only a pup so we try not to overdo it, but Bendog will walk all day. As will Pops when she's bigger.
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Horace's Mum
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by Horace's Mum »

When Horus and I go away in the van he is either in his crate, tied to the van, or walking the whole time we are away. He will quite happily walk for 6,7 or more hours with a couple of snack breaks along the way, and he would love to walk for 3 hours a day - I used to when he first came home but that was before I had much work so more or less all day revolved around him.

Admittedly when we do longer walks these days he gets painkillers to offset the stiffness, but most people wouldn't even notice it, he doesn't come back lame, just gets sore. That's another reason I don't walk long distances every day, he would end up too sore or on permanent painkillers and I would rather manage it other ways except for his holidays :-)

Errin I think your lab is a very lucky girl to get so much attention and exercise, as Nettle says lots of working dogs live in fairly small kennels unless they are working and are quite happy.
Flyby
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by Flyby »

Don't want to hijack the thread, but on this subject, if I did want to take my dogs on an adventure like the West Highland Way or something, like 3 or 4 days hillwalking with a tent, would it be ok just to up and do it? Or should I do some long walks for training?

It seems an obvious question, but between the three of us, I reckoned I was a shoe-in for the weakest link, and I'd be looking a rest long before they were. If anybody wasn't up to it, I assumed it would be me. I'm not talking about anything Indiana Jones here.... (Not like Kill-a-man-jaro :wink: )

Anybody have thoughts? Maybe a few all-day treks might be fun anyway. Pippin's alright, but I don't fancy carrying 8 stones of Ridgeback in a fireman's lift just because his Lordship has had enough for the day. :lol:
MPbandmom
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by MPbandmom »

Oh that sounds like fun Flyby.

My dog's don't get anywhere near the walks that others are getting around here. Like Flyby, I'm the weak link. I do get them out every morning, for between 15 and 30 minutes each. I hope to get them out in the evenings once the time changes back to Daylight savings time and it is light so the local parks are open. That will also likely mean the various sports seasons will be starting which means the parks will be more crowded, so I haven't exactly decided what to do about that yet.

I used to take both dogs together on group walks of 3 or more miles. I would like to get back to that at some point in time. I have been thinking about taking myself to the local rec center and doing some water walking or yoga, because I currently spend so much time sitting at work these days that when I do housework and grocery shopping on the weekends my feet start to cramp. I also think getting myself a bit more generally physically fit will help me get back on track with getting the dogs out for longer distances. (I also don't want to be the camp weakling this summer.)
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Erica
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by Erica »

Opal and Marble get about a 30-45 minute walk in the morning (it's about a mile). If I have the evening off or enough time between walking the big boys and babysitting, I'll take Opal on another walk or do some training, but that's fairly rare. :( Hopefully as it gets lighter in the evening I'll be able to walk her when I get home.

Zeus and Ami get about a mile walk each that takes about 45 minutes (Ami's is partially running), and some training before or after. If it's pouring rain I'll take them for longer walks. :) Their parents also walk them for 15-20 minutes in the morning and evening.

Hopefully I can keep this up/even increase time as it gets hotter! I am not at all good in heat. D:
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CoolDog
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by CoolDog »

Sheba gets walked 30 to 45 minutes, twice a day, and she's exercised in agility and other activities one hour a day, in addition to the walks. I know this sounds a bit too much for walking/exercising any dog, but Sheba has that much energy, and, if it isn't released, she's ripping and tearing through the house most of the night. :roll:
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Ari_RR
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by Ari_RR »

Flyby wrote:Pippin's alright, but I don't fancy carrying 8 stones of Ridgeback in a fireman's lift just because his Lordship has had enough for the day. :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I missed this thread earlier.. What a visual, gave me a good laugh, great way to start the weekend! :lol:

I'd give this some good thought, Flyby... You never know with RR. Sometimes I take Ari out when he is not in the mood, we make it to the end of the driveway, and then he stops.. And when he stops, there is no moving him, it's like trying to move an elephant. On the other hand, we've been on a couple of long hikes, 3-4 hours long, and he did just fine, with no specific training, although he gets a couple of hours of walking on a regular day.
emmabeth
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by emmabeth »

Oooh err, depends entirely on the dog or combination of dogs, and what has happened in the previous 24/48 hours..

So - assuming nothing has triggered any of the 'reactives' (Errol, Dilly and to a certain extent, Rocky) - then they get a trundle round the boring pavement routes (there are several so they never do the same one twice in a row) at one end of the day, and a longer trundle at the other end.

We have a selection of routes, which are, a neat 1 mile road loop, which has next to no traffic so the scooter can go on teh road and the dog walk on the pavement (please do note I do NOT advise the general use of mobility scooters on the ROAD when walking a dog. So far I have been passed by 4 cars in the three months I have lived here and done this route!) - this gives me the option to walk the dogs at a pace they like, up to 8 miles per hour (thats to do with the legalities of speed on the scooter).

I have recently discovered a neat extension to this route, where if we cross the road at the pedestrian crossing at the top of the loop, and go straight up we come to some fields with a network of paths i can get the scooter down! V heavily used by other walkers though so not a route for the reactives at busy times of day, and unfortunately it is not suitable to off-lead an Ellie or an Errol on (too many squirrel opportunities for her, too many human ones for him!).

So, with the extension that makes a three mile loop, without it, one mile.

The next road loop is also a mile in the other direction and I can link the two together, so we do that sometimes, and it goes via my sisters house so sometimes we pop in there if shes home/awake/in the mood.

Then theres the loops with off lead potential - over the main road, along the cycle/foot path which is GREAT for the reactive dogs as the grass verge is about 30ft wide or more all the way along, loads of room to get away from t hings. Then i can turn off onto a network of footpaths and do two miles, taking in some paths suitable for off lead and rarely any other dogs up there.

Or, I go the same way but cross the main road back again to go round the community woodland which leads onto a mobility scooter friendly network of paths through HUGE arable fields, and though the community woodland sometimes has dog walkers, the fields hardly ever do. Thats nearly a five mile round trip.

Soooooon hopefully, another off lead suitable field path should open up (the land owner HAS been told to replace the gate with a scooter friendly one) which gives us another five miles of paths, all off lead.

I haven't really scratched the surfaces of the walks around here really, but mainly because I am a bit nervous of exploring too wildly on my own (might get teh scooter stuck!) and Mike isn't a huge fan of walking long distances particularly when I might lead him down a route that 'looks' circular, but then proves not to be so we have to walk miiiiiiles home.:lol:

Anyway thats on the good days - somedays they get just the minimum of a mile leg stretch and wee-mail sniff, or if someone has had a VERY bad incident then that one gets nothing at all. For all the wonderful paths and fields there are, the downside is that this place is CAT CITY, and that sends some of them hysterical! We are working on it (Mike had Rocky heeling really nicely and focussing on him the other night, past not just a cat, but a Staffy with its head through a catflap, SCREAMING obscenities at him) but we are still having a lot of days where someone is having a day off, or is being walked after dark!

The next BIG job to work on is Ellies off lead behaviour - she DOES come back... but only when shes finished doing what shes doing, and the speed she travels at, she can be a mile away in the blink of an eye. Compound that with the fact her idea of greeting an on lead dog is to hurtle up at 300 miles an hour, throw herself into a play bow a foot from the other dogs face and demand PLAY! NOW! RIGHT NOW! and then get VERY shirty if told to Eff Off (its happened once, its not happening again!).. its not great :lol: I am yet to find somewhere suitable to do some long line work with her but I am working on that.
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ClareMarsh
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Re: How much does your dog get walked?

Post by ClareMarsh »

Flyby wrote:Don't want to hijack the thread, but on this subject, if I did want to take my dogs on an adventure like the West Highland Way or something, like 3 or 4 days hillwalking with a tent, would it be ok just to up and do it? Or should I do some long walks for training?

It seems an obvious question, but between the three of us, I reckoned I was a shoe-in for the weakest link, and I'd be looking a rest long before they were. If anybody wasn't up to it, I assumed it would be me. I'm not talking about anything Indiana Jones here.... (Not like Kill-a-man-jaro :wink: )

Anybody have thoughts? Maybe a few all-day treks might be fun anyway. Pippin's alright, but I don't fancy carrying 8 stones of Ridgeback in a fireman's lift just because his Lordship has had enough for the day. :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol: His lordship :D

From what I understand it's pretty much as it would be for humans, if they're generally physically fit then they'll cope with several days of all day walking but may have some aches and pains from muscles not used to that extent before. So I would suggest some half day and day walks as a build up. That way you can work out if his Lordship is going to need carrying in which case you yourself need to get in training :lol:
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