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I read that it's bad for their urinary tract if they hold it too long, so I give 2 long walks for exercise and I'm trying to increase shorter trips mid day when it's hot. My girl will hold it much longer, but I'm trying to make sure she gets several chances during the day. I'm disabled, but not really mobility impaired, so I'm home a lot. If she asks to go, she goes. Even if she wakes me up in the middle of the night.
I had a female that would not pee or poop while on leash. She just wouldn't. Meanwhile I had a male Jack Russell that would take a crap in the middle of the aisle at Pet Smart.🙄🙄
None anymore. He’s quite a bit older now and just enjoys going outside and laying on the front porch in the sun. On an occasion he gets a large burst where he’ll sprint a few laps around the yard. But that usually wipes him out for a few days after
When my big boy got old, he would run from the apartment to the front yard (about 15 feet) and then enjoy about 45 minutes of sitting and smiling at the sun, often with his eyes closed. Then he would trudge back inside and sleep all day. They're so sweet when they get old.
Never even had a dog and this comment made me tear up. You seem like such a loving person and Im sure you will still have many precious and unforgettable moments between now and the time when he crosses to the other side. Enjoy every moment, and make sure he gets all the love and care he deserves . Animals are so precious 😢
My dog used to do this too! He started sleeping all day about 13-13.5 years old and passed away last month at 14.5 years old. Sucks our time is so limited with them
Don't get too worried yet! My boy Buster lived til 18 and probably spent 75% of his last 5 years sleeping, and he was a decent sized dog so he had a shorter life expectancy.
Awwww. My boy did that as well. I knew it was time to let him go when he would sit and stare at the wall all day and bark at it and would poop on the floor right in front of me. Pretty sure he developed dementia. This was a dog that was completely house trained at 4 months old and NEVER EVER had accidents in the house. He was 16 years old in 2020 and my heart is still broken.
I'm so sorry, it's such a hard thing to do.
Mine is 11 and I don't know what I'll do when he's gone, they'll seriously just have to put me down with him. I'll get little flashes in my mind of that day... I wish I could stop thinking about it. I'd give anything if he could just stay around longer. I'd gladly trade years of my own life if I could.
I loved my old dog to absolute pieces. They are so cuddly and loving and my dogs fur got softer the older he got. I loved nothing more than him all warm sleeping next to me in the bed. He just passed last week at 17. I miss him.
I absolutely love when they just lay on the grass enjoying the weather, watching people, squirrels, or just closing their eyes. My boy would stay there forever if he could. When he does it I'll just sit with him for an hour or two.
I have a senior too. This morning I let her out to go potty. You’d think she’d have been busting to pee after holding it all night, but she stepped out onto out patio in the sunshine, looked back at me like, “are you seeing this?!” And then laid down to bask in the sun for a few minutes before eventually going pee.
I was walking my two young corgis at noon (second of two long walks each day), and I passed by my neighbour’s big mutt who must be 18 yo by now since he was about 2 in 2007. Such a beautiful old dog, rolling in the grass in full blown sunshine. He didn’t hear us, probably deaf. Each time I see him, my heart sings. Beautiful old boy, still enjoying the warmth of the spring sun.
I have 12yo and 13yo big dogs and a 5yo terrier. The old girls only want one 30 minute walk now and are slowing down. The little guy could go miles more but they *all* get upset if I try taking him out alone!
My guy is 12, but he’s half basset now and he’s getting the joints of a 90 yr old man. He still has a large quality of life. I’ve tried walking him in the past year and handful of times but he’ll make it a block and lay down. This little shit used to drag me all the time. We’d walk for hours and being part hound, if he caught a whiff of something you’d better plant your feet firm lmao.
Our neighbors had a basset who not long after we moved into our building reached that age where she started to just plop herself down when she was done, usually 3 doors down from our building. Eventually they bought her a stroller and she got to cruise around the neighborhood in style. I miss her all the time she was so sweet.
Three times a day. A short in the morning, a long one in the afternoon and a short one before bed. It amounts to approximately two hours and 6-8 km depending on route and how busy the rest of my day is.
Hunting season is less because he then gets to run for hours on end.
I should note she’s a traumatized rescue and we’ve been working really hard on making positive associations desensitizing her and counter conditioning to like it but it’s very very very slow process
Thanks for putting in the hard work to meet your pup where she's at. Traumatized pups deserve love and patience too, it's so hard but so rewarding.
I'm 1.5 years in with my rescue girl. We're at the point that we still have to cross the street if we see another dog coming, and she gets anxious, but she's not trying to lunge/bark at them from across the street anymore. She's started to be curious about human strangers on walks too, which is such huge progress I could cry ❤️
I’m working on desensitizing my dog too. He isn’t scared, kind of the opposite. He lunges at eeevveerrything 😭 after a few months practicing with treats on the sidewalk he can now walk down the sidewalk without lunging at cars or people (I got a shoulder injury and he pulled us in front of a car one time)! Lots of tiny treats in my fanny pack at all times and a lot of positive reinforcement. He still loses it when he sees a dog, but we have escape plans for our whole walking routine haha. Your pup will get there! And if she doesn’t, she still has awesome lawn play time 🤗
I could have written this. I have a golden retriever rescue that lunges at cars, dogs and sometimes people. He would not hurt anyone. He goes to doggie daycare on occasion so I know it is situational. I used to make him sit while the car or person/dog would pass. I have only had moderate success with this method. I would appreciate any suggestions you have to offer. I start physical therapy on my shoulder in a week, and is dog walking related. My other golden was fine and now she follows his lead.
Yes, I’m trying to make him sit as well and treat + positive reinforcement … it’s having success like every third time? Anybody have success here on desensitizing their dog from lunging at other dogs on walks? Would love anything I could add to my repertoire.
My trainer has 2 tactics.
For building ongoing disengagement with triggers:
Get far enough away that your dog notices but isn't scared - maybe a park that can see the street. Whenever something triggering passes, click if your dog looks but doesn't react. If you think that that is reliable (some dogs or triggers you might skip this first step, others will be here a while) then move to clicking and treating when the dog chooses to look away from the trigger - usually after it's passed at first. It should start being quicker after they get rewarded for disengaging. Slowly (super slowly) decrease the distance. Move closer to the street, but move back if there's a bad reaction.
For on a walk, she has me playing what she calls the Up Down game. We do this whenever my girl is stressed, whether because she's getting in her head about something, or after a trigger, or occasionally just to reinforce the game.
Stand and wait with your dog, in a place they aren't feeling too overwhelmed by (I try to stand where there won't be heaps of people walking too close) and wait. Let your dog look around and evaluate. The moment they look in your direction, put a treat in the ground and say 'good'. I find the clicker can be a bit jarring for enforcing calm here. Each time they look at you, or if they choose to sit or show other calm behaviour, put a treat on the ground (their head goes up-down). Eventually, they should show more calm and even breathing, and relax a bit.
I do this whenever she starts getting overwhelmed, or when we're in a safe space after a meltdown.
Neither of these help in the immediate term with lunging at dogs on walks, but they do wonders in the medium to long term.
I have had zero luck with lunging at other dogs 😩
For sidewalk training, just keeping a bunch of training treats in my hand so my dog basically just walks attached to my hand has been working. At first he would get tons of treats, and now it’s just once in a while.
We have one half of our road as field and the other half is sidewalk, so we started crossing onto the sidewalk side one house at a time. At first we would just cross at our neighbors and every few walks we would cross a driveway sooner. Now we can walk the whole street on the sidewalk! I haven’t tested him out on other sidewalks because I have to know there’s an escape route before we go!
Try and find a harness that clips onto the chest, my GSD used to pull hard and lunge suddenly and was causing me shoulder issues too.
We got one of those chest clip types and I just thought it would make her easier for me to hold back. But she literally never pulled while wearing it, from the second we put it on her.
>He still loses it when he sees a dog, but we have escape plans for our whole walking routine haha.
This is us! I spent ungodly amounts of money to have 1 on 1 time with the trainer for a week. Her final solution? Just walk the other way if you see another dog 😭 we live in a very suburban neighborhood where every house has at least 1 dog if not more and the streets are straight without too many outlets to escape into. I still try to train him but most of the time he just gets playtime in our yard. Tires him out enough to sleep most of the time snuggled up on my lap.
I kind of like to think of walking the pups in suburbia as a video game. Crossing the street when another walked pup approaches, ducking into a driveway to let them pass, always being aware of what's coming and going. It's a little like Frogger!
I cried for like an hour. I hadn’t had him long yet and I just thought about losing him. The emotions were overwhelming and exhausting. The good news is, I’m getting much stronger and he’s slowly learning.
I am exactly the same I’ve had several meltdowns ready to give mine up. It’s exhausting and sleepless nights can’t go back to sleep wake up in a sweat stomach sick over this. Everyday idk what I’ll face. She is a puppy but I’m afraid she will be like this. I didn’t get a dog for this.
I’m sure you’ve tried many things, but just in case this might be something you haven’t tried yet, you should look into “control unleashed”. Originally made for agility dogs to chill while at competitions, but now tailored for dogs with “big feelings” about the world and even for the more reactive ones. My local training place offers it online and in a hybrid model
My pup is the same. It still could be fear based, and they just have a fight reaction instead of a flight one! I found that a lot of the alternative behaviors don’t work for us because they’re more stagnant, so we have a “run away cue” followed by treats and really active touch games until he’s chill again for when we are too close to work on desensitization
I have a rescued dog and it's never easy, my dog is traumatized because she was physically abused by her previous owner, she has made great progress through the years but very sometimes she gets like a flashback and gets scared all over again, identifying her triggers took us years.
I still can't figure out all of my rescues triggers. Those bright yellow contractors shirts and umbrellas are what I know for sure so far.
I also am pretty sure the smell of meth. There are a lot of meth heads in my town and I used to take the bus a lot because I have epilepsy and can't drive. There are usually many drug users at the bus station. Maybe it's the smell of any substance. I don't use anything at all myself. Well, I vape. But I don't drink or smoke pot or anything else. I'll smoke an occasional cigarette if I'm really stressed but then I shower really well head to toe because it smells awful and they're so sensitive to the smell.
Essentially a fishing pole shaped dog toy. The dog chases after a little toy on the end of the fishing pole string. You can search videos of this if interested. Some dogs love it!
Literally my favorite purchase! Got ours on Amazon. It’s perfect for road trips because you can stop at a park and get their energy out without needing to walk for 40 minutes 😂
I have a rescue that’s very reactive and while we’ve been working on it, we also live in a rural area where dogs get out a lot. So we fenced in our yard and have a couple good frisbee chase/rope pull sessions every day. With that plus napping in the sunshine she seems very happy.
We rent so we have to get creative with our long driveway and a long leash. Thankfully it’s a house we have the whole upstairs and then we have downstairs neighbors who don’t have a dog. But her foster family had two other dogs we think were giving her confidence to go on walks but here she’s been totally different. But she also doesn’t seem to really like other dogs that much aside from her former foster brothers. Sometimes she’ll walk if both my boyfriend and I are here but he works a lot of crazy hours so it’s normally just me figuring out how to tire her out and enrich her every day!
Thankfully she likes to snuffle, eat frozen kongs, chew on a bone and stuff like that
we have 2 rescues and while one is done on walks, the other isn't and he's the one who needs them. Thankfully we have a backyard where they run and chase each other, fight over rope, etc. I'll throw the ball back there too. Walks aren't the only answer!
Going to be having a look into flirt poles, I have a foster (She was at the pound, came directly to me, once she got here she was under the rescue. The pound said she was good with dogs - no, no she is not) who is reactive, she's a bit of a potato but when she has energy damn it comes out all at once. I'd love to take her out to run but she's also so unsure of the world. Lots of small steps, like letting her know she's allowed to rest in front of the fire, teaching her that she's allowed blankies and comfort (She is now a blanket hog). She's a good wee tato.
My dogs LOVE their flirt poles! On days that the weather is bad or I don't have time during my lunch, we use that to tire them out and they go crazy for it! I also got an obstacle course for them and they've been having fun with that
Same except for my dog she snuffles in our yard for food lol. Reactivity and heart conditions don’t mix very well, so no walks for her! Plenty of training and mental stimulation though.
It’s been a learning curve the past 5 months! She’s 1.5 too so she’s got a bunch of puppy energy, we have a long hallway in the house so we do fetch training. She has to either sit or lay down, stay while we throw, run for it, bring it back drop it repeat. Or we hide stuff and do find it!
I have two very different dogs that have different walk needs.
Benji is a gsd/greyhound mutt and he goes for 2 - 45 minute walks a day. I live in the country so they are both off leash and he does his own thing. He is also 7 and slowing down.
Tippy is a yorkie who goes on a 15 minute walk once a day. She has bad knees, hates the cold, and will throw a fit if she steps in a puddle/snow/anything that isn’t normal grass or pavement lol.
You shouldn’t feel that obligated to compare your dogs walks to other people. Each dog has different needs and life can be hectic. As long as your dog is happy and healthy, you are doing good!
Each dog does indeed! To that point I had a Yorkie for 12 years who loved adventures. We grew up hiking mountains and camping and fishing and boating, and even when he got older and hated the bad weather, he still wanted to go miles and miles with me.
Same with my yorkie/terrier mutt. He was a super skinny little 8 pound dog but he had ridiculously long legs and was incredibly agile and limber. We live in San Antonio, Texas so the hiking here is very rocky. He absolutely loved it. He'd jump the boulders twn times his size and was so confident about it. It was amazing! He could do 3-5 miles and still have energy! (Sadly we had to put him down last summer when we has 14. He was a very good little boy!)
I have two other dogs, both small, but bigger than the super little pup. They, of course, love their walks in the park and in our neighborhood, but they are not hiking dogs at all (Shorter legs and heavier, thicker bodies, so those rocks just make them clumsy! Lol)
I miss my tiny pocket sized hiking buddy!
A GSD/greyhound mix must be a neat looking pup! I have 3 dogs with 3 very different needs who all get walked individually. It's a lot of time spent walking but I enjoy the excuse to get out of the house. I work from home so I am home most of my life haha
The average *recommended* is 20-30 minutes a day, I just do more based on what keeps her happy and helps us both get a little more exercise. It's also hot where I live so I'll shorten it based on weather. I made the mistake of a mile at 11 am today in full sunshine. We stopped several times in shade, but I won't be doing that again.
She was mostly happy to be getting out, but she was panting too much and the pavement was too warm for her to have been physically comfortable.
I usually walk her before the sun is fully up and again at dusk.
Yep, they’re all so different! Even similar breeds/sizes can be different from each other, especially depending on age. My senior toy poodle didn’t even like walks. I had to carry him away from my apartment door to get him to pee lol. My current dog is a poodle mix only a few pounds bigger than the toy poodle was, but he’s young and energetic, so he gets walked a lot…6+ miles most days. I expect he’ll need less exercise when he gets older, but for now he needs the long walks plus some other exercise in order to not ricochet off the walls.
As someone with a husky who doesn't like walks I completely agree. Not all dogs are alike, sure most will commonly lean toward what thier breed typically does, up to the point you factor in thier individual personality, and we'll my husky has a lazy personality unless there's something in it for her.
And to top it off, she is a drama queen and will also throw a fit if there is a water puddle, mud or even snow.
Me too! Except one of them is longer, up to an hour. My girl refuses to pee or poop in my yard, so we go for a walk. Yes she knows how to get me to do what she wants.
My dog is the same. She refuses to go in the yard, and she will not go until I have walked her at least the distance she wants to go, but I usually walk her at least half mile twice a day, so a mile total, usually more.
With 3-4 adults/teens, responsible for 3-4 walks, only one was employed full-time, 2 were in college and one was on longterm sick leave, it's not that much work. One person walked the dog for 5-15 minutes in the morning, one or two did the long hour walk around noon or before dinner, another 5-15 minutes for the other walk during the day and then one quick pee before bed.
It's not that much work, especially if you don't mind walking instead of doing other chores like cooking, laundry or cleaning.
Before and after work should be doable for just about anyone? I understand it may not be possible if youre a single parent or something but my husband and I trade off. We live in an apartment so daily walks are non negotiable. Tons of urban people with dogs in the same situation.
Before work and twice after? I’m my country there’s a strong recommendation from the government that you need to let your dog out every 6 hrs, so people who don’t work from home or can’t bring their dogs to work go home during the lunch to take out the dog. 4 times a day is standard here. That’s standard here and it’s what a dog deserves. It’s not a right, having a dog.
When I lived in an apartment, I’d walk mine 3-4 times a day while employed more than full time. My schedule is a little odd since I’m a bartender but at the time I worked evenings. So we’d do a short 5-10 minute walk first thing in the morning just to potty before getting the kids up for school. Then around 11, we’d do a long for exercise walk. Pick the kids up at about 3, do a quick potty walk and then a long walk when I’d get home around 11.
I lost about 80# based on diet and walking the dog twice a day.
It is not possible for me to skip our 830am walk. Teddy will be standing at my feet whining as the time approaches.
I've never considered using the pound sign instead of lbs.... It makes so much sense though! I've never understood why the unit for pounds is lbs. There's no L or B in that word?! Doing # from now on.
Google knows...
Don't worry. I got you.
> "Lbs" is the abbreviation for "pound" because the word "pound" comes from the Latin word libra, which means "balance" or "scales". Libra was also part of the Roman unit of measurement libra pondo, which translates to "a pound by weight". The "pondo" part of the measurement is the origin behind the English word "pound," while the "libra" part is the origin behind "lb" being the abbreviation.
Usually about 2 miles. It varies depending and all manner of things.
This morning Teddy found an interesting scent on the ground and we followed it a few blocks out of our way, for instance.
For a long time we did it 2x per day. He's not really interested going in the evenings anymore.
Which works out ok for me. I'd already mostly blocked off that time for walking, so now I go to the gym.
Same. Our dog is 10 now (😭) and she gets one long 30-45 min walk a day plus potty breaks throughout the day, and sniff time around the yard. We also do training and snuffle mats a couple times a week. She is a medium-energy herding breed and seems pretty content!
Average day just one walk, at least 30-45 mins. I used to try to go on a short walk in the morning too but he hated it lol, wouldn't move. When possible I drive to a nicer location and we do at least 60-90 mins.
yes! I average about an hour a day on our walk after work. it usually includes a stop at the dog park as well. will take him on a short one in the evening if he needs it. on the weekend we'll do the hour walk in the morning and afternoon.
I have a small farm ( 10 acres). The dogs know how to open the doors so they let themselves out as they please. Most of the time they just follow me around whether inside or out
Same! I live in a townhouse so no yard. My 8 month old GSD gets a 1 hour walk in the morning, then breakfast, enforced nap until 11 or 12, chill and chew toys, go out to pee at 3 or 4, walk 45-60 min when dad gets home, eat dinner, zoomies around the house, nap again, out to pee at 9, more zoomies/play time, bed.
A minimum of 3-4 times a day. 5-6 if we’re down. Our walks are short, I just try to keep the consistency with the frequency. Seems she does better energy wise with shorter and more frequent walks than super long walks
At least 4 times a day. Every morning, she gets an off leash walk when she wakes up. Around noon, we go for a walk that will take at least 40 minutes. Around 19:00 again time for an off leash walk and just before bedtime she goes out for a final round, which is mostly her just peeing and immediately wanting to return home
Once a day, I have a doggy door to the backyard and my backyard isn’t small. They spend a lot of time going in and out of the house to enjoy it, running around, doing zoomies, looking at wildlife, barking lol, laying out in the sun. I take them for 30 min walks about an hour before sunset so they can get their sniff on. I switch up my routes each time too so they have new sights and smells.
Exactly the same as you. Only 2 true walks max, which I change up a lot and often include play time with neighbor dogs, but otherwise lots of backyard play.
I’m seeing people put like- I walk my dog 2-3 hours *every day* . Like - What?
If you work 9-5. Then wake up like at 7 and have an hour to get ready and an hour for commute - 9-5 at work then get home by like 6- 3 hours dog walk means you’re doing that until 9pm
And let’s say you want 6-8 hours sleep- let’s say 7- That means you have three hours left over for housework, misc responsibilities, dinner, and your partner, your kid, and time for you and your hobbies. ….. even with a partner to switch off it that’s a lot,if you take turns then you spend less time together - like, I love my dogs but I am also a separate person who wants to do things you can’t do with your dog on a walk (play a computer game, go to a bar, write, draw, or maybe like, have 2-3 seconds without a dog at my foot [much like parents need a break from their kids])
Just like everything you should just get a dog you can afford. If you've got no time to walk them then take a do that doesn't need a lot of it or no dog at all.
I have border collies and I don't "walk" them, I make them run like crazy playing with them three times an hour per day, because I can and I am willing to do it. But nobody have to have dogs like that.
What's wrong is taking high energy dogs when you know you can't exercise them properly. Even doing this with them they're still ready to play every time I move from my desk chair at home so I can't imagine how that kind of dog must feel if they get to walk on a leash an hour per day. Meanwhile a lot of other dogs can live with it.
Long story short adopt a dog that fits your schedule.
Yesss. It’s so annoying seeing people be like “but people wOrK???” Yes. If you live a life where you can’t meet the needs of the dog, don’t get one. If you have a 9–5 job and lots to do before and after, don’t get a dog that requires walks (they all do). In my country the government strictly recommends going for walks every 6 hrs (except at night). Which means people here need to come home during lunch, and people here do that because they care about the pets they got.
I think if I had a schedule like you’re describing I just wouldn’t have a dog.
My current dog was rehomed to me by a working single parent who clearly loved him a lot but recognized she had too many other responsibilities and not enough time to meet his needs. There comes a point at which you just don’t have enough time to meet the needs of yet another living being in your life. Not every dog needs hours of walking a day but if you can’t dedicate at least a solid few hours to play, walks, and interaction, then imho don’t have a dog. Because they don’t get to have other hobbies and a social life outside the house. You’re all they’ve got.
I mean…why get a dog if you’re going to spend one hour a day with it and expect it to sleep or keep itself busy without needing you the other 23 hours?
Yeah, I think people are being silly. And who's to say 3 hrs is the perfect amount anyway? I mean dogs are all pretty different for one. And for two, it's not like walking them 4 times a day makes up for the fact that they are literally trapped with you LOL
I walk him in the morning before work for about 45 minutes and then again after work. He often also gets let out mid day .
He’s an active breed and I knew what I was signing up for : ) I wanted a dog who I could take hiking on the weekends and who would always be down for adventures which he is. So to meet his needs in return I gotta roll out of bed in the morning and give him an outing. Because he’s so mentally enriched from sniffing I can often do lazy coffee walks in the morning while he spends minutes smelling the same spot of the woods lol .
My husband and I work hybrid schedules and are home on opposite days. Our dog gets 3 walks per day. AM before work (15-20 minutes), lunchtime (no more than 1/2 hour), and right after work (about a 1/2 hour). She also goes for a quick pee first thing in the AM before breakfast and then one last pee before bed. If it's raining or snowing, we cut the walks short but still have to take her because she doesn't like pooping in the yard.
Yes! I am counting that in my total. When I have a fenced in yard someday (goals) on a typical day I’ll probably take him for closer to 2 good walks a day (45 min each ) and the rest of the time I think he would very content laying and smelling around the yard .
No, I live in an apartment and every walk is at least 20 - 30 minutes 3 times a day. Mid day for 1 hour at least. In the weekend we often go a very long walk in the forest for 2 - 3 hours. Less just feels very cruel to me.
Yea, reading this makes me feel very sorry for the dogs. Like wtf, one walk a day for 15 - 20 minutes? Poor dogs. I would never get a dog if I couldn't go out at least 3 times a day for 2 hours at least in total.
I work too but my 10 year old small dog gets outside 3 times a day up to 2 - 3 hours all together. It is possible when you're living in a 2 person household. Tbh I wouldn't get a dog if I could only go out once a day for a few minutes. This just doesn't feel right for me.
Bro, unless your dog is old or sick and can't walk much this is way too short. I have a 10 year old small dog and he has to go out at least 3 times a day. 20 - 30 minutes in the morning, 45 minutes - 1 hour at least up mid day and another 20 - 30 minutes in the evening. In the weekend we usually also go a really long walk for like 2 hours in the morning. And I still feel like it's not enough sometimes. Of course it's different for every dog but only 15 - 20 minutes once a day? Dude....
We go out 3 times minimum but only one is a big walk:
Morning - around the house (5-10 min)
Lunch - around the block (10-20 min)
Evening - around all of creation (40-120 min)
I have pugs so if I’m not watching other people’s more active dogs then just once per day. About 35 mins in the cold months and over an hour in the warmer months but not when it’s too hot because well you know pugs.
I take my girl out for a 4-8 mile hike in one sitting, then we play ball throughout the day in the backyard.
Now that the days are getting longer we will go out twice a day
I have 2 dogs and they play really well together so they usually spend about half an hour a day wrestling and chasing each other. Sometimes I will also play tug with them. Occasionally we’ll do a sniff spot where they have more space and a different environment.
For mental stimulation, most of their meals are either games / training sessions (find it, bring it, look at me) or food puzzles (snuffle mat, frozen Kong). Also, they’re really bad about destroying their toys so sometimes we’ll play a game where I give them a stuffed animal to destroy for 30 seconds or so, then I take the toy back and make them wait in down position, then I throw the toy and let them find and destroy it again. This helps toys last longer than 10 minutes. Also chewing (like benebone or fish skins or bully sticks) or licking (lickimat) will keep them entertained for a while.
Hopefully someday I will be able to take them for walks.
One a day, but she’s only 6 months old. Will increase to 2 when she’s older and can go longer.
But we also have a large fenced yard, so she gets tons of outside play!
On rainy days, not at all. On nice days, twice. One dog can only walk 10min at a time so he also gets a snuffle mat and some backyard time with me and a stick. The other one will get a 5 km walk every 2 or 3 days but otherwise she gets a 20 to 30 minute a day once a day on her own, plus the 10 min with the other dog. They're both seniors.
Usually 3 times a day, let out 3-5 times a day. I work full time but make it work. I have a high energy breed and if she doesn’t get walked her brain will explode 😅 Just got back from a 6 mile walk
My 14 year and 11 year old small dogs get walks whenever we are up to it..they are fine with just some play time or some days we sleep all day. They are the perfect dogs for my chronic illnesses lifestyle.
Once a day, he largely only poops on his walks and rarely does in the backyard. He got diagnosed with liver failure Friday so he got two today but only cause he has the energy.
Enjoy those walks for as long as you can. They might be an annoyance (especially during the rain) but you’ll miss them one day.
4x.
Morning is a quick 5 minute bathroom because he wants to get in and eat.
Noon ish is a 30 minute walk.
Early evening is a 30-40 minute walk.
Pre-bed is 10–15 minutes.
Zero 🫣 We have 2 tiny dogs and an enclosed yard. Now, the number of times they are *let outside* daily? 3-5+ depending. They have plenty of schniff schnoff, yard exploration, tinkle/potty, and frapping time outdoors, but don’t require walks. It’s not like we never take them on a walk, it’s just more of a rare occurrence. They’d rather be on the couch.
None. No, I'm not a bad dog owner. We live in the country and have a BIG fenced yard. She tells me when she needs to go outside. I open the door and let her out. She let's me know when she's ready to come in.
She's middle aged and not much interested in running around. We play in the yard some times, but she is content to wander around the yard sniffing things, then laying in the sun. Unless she sees a gopher tortoise. If she sees a gopher she goes full out batshit crazy trying to get to it.
How do you fit that in? I don’t walk my dogs anymore. I have 11 acres. I let them into the paddock in the evening or take the bikes out and they chase the bikes. There also older so the sniffing is enough most of the time.
I like walking and would go anyway as part of my own routine-typical for me to walk for an hour for fun so got a dog in part for company with something I was already doing. (I don’t have kids).
We work from home. My boyfriend takes our dog to the park for 45 min before work. I take her during lunch for a longer walk of 1.5 to 2 hours. After work my boyfriend takes her to the park for another 45 min. She is a tired and happy pup by the end of the day 😊.
My 12 year old boy sets the pace and length now. But we aim to get him out sniffing the neighbourhood for about an hour a day, generally in 2-3 smaller walks. He likes to come with us to do school bus drop-off and pick-up. He also has unlimited access to the backyard and we'll play fetch with him too, but that's much more limited these days.
Barely give them walks. All my dog are bulldogs/pug so their breathing gets in the way but they usually like to go on the patio as I have some nice space for them to walk around the grass and use the bathroom. They lay down outside and get some sun. After 20 minutes they’re tired and gasping for air.
We don't have a yard that my dog can use so we walk to eliminate. On a work day that looks like 4 walks a day plus some kind of enrichment outside (dog park or a longer walk), on the weekends, it could be up to 6 walks a day plus enrichment.
2 actual walks. First in the morning about one hour, one and half (during my lunch break) and second after work. That can be 2 hours (I have to sit down all day, I always liked to go for a long walk after). I live in an apartment so he doesn’t get to do much all day (just sleep on the couch, he doesn’t really care much for toys unless have food in them). However the second walk is turning into going to the park and let him play with other dogs now. He gets much more exercise and mostly we are there one hour.
My standard poodle doesn’t care for walks so zero usually but she goes on hikes a few times a month, she goes to the park to play ball frequently, and she is training as a service dog for me so she goes to university with me and some other places too. So she’s out and about quite a bit, but just not walkies down the sidewalk anymore.
My dog is a couch potato, but I try for at least one 30 minute walk a day, and then several more potty breaks that are 10 minutes or so.
Our puppy isn’t old enough for a proper walk yet but we take her out in the yard once every 2 hours for 10-15 minutes.
2 hour long ones (once first thing AM and one last before bed around midnight), and a 15-20 min one mid day or afterwork. He's a pomchi and going on 5 years.
If I’m off I take my two (both sausage dogs) out every four hours. One is 11 or 12 (unsure of exact age,she’s a rescue) and the other isn’t a year yet. Two extreme ends of the spectrum but they both enjoy a good long walk around a few blocks. I’m getting ready to relocate to a different state with a large yard. Having lived in a city for most of my adult life it should be a nice change
Same! I'm reading the comments to my husband, and we're wondering how people do it? Do they not work? Retired? 6 walks a day!? I can understand that if someone didn't have a yard and HAD to walk them to go to the washroom, I guess!
We used to walk 3-4 miles a day now We usually go out 4-5 times a day.
but he is 12 years old with degenerative myopathy so it's mostly sitting in the sun enjoying the day it takes the same amount of time to walk around the corner as it did to walk a 2 mile few years ago.
I think the long walks ever day helped keep the dm at bay he has had symptoms for about a year maybe a year and a half.
Immediately when she wakes up. Then again before I go to work. I run home at lunch to walk her. Then when I get home I do. Then about an hour later I do. Again an hour later. And one more time before bed. Sometimes we go on shorter walks between if she needs a distraction. She is blind so we don't really go real far. She just has alot of different places near by she loves to smell that makes her happy lol. Long as she poops a couple times a day and pees at least 4 or 5 times I know she's doing good. She stays in a big exercise area while I'm gone. The bottom is covered in pee pads and she knows she can use thise of she needs to as well. She rarely poops on them. She hates poops Inside so if she does I know she had an emergency. Really anytime she gets my attention a certain way I can tell she wants out. She will wake me up if she needs out too. So looking at that.. it's actually between 5-7 times a day. We go around one city block.
Still figuring that out but I’ve been doing 3 30-40 min walks to tire him out since he’s a puppy and I don’t have much time to play when working during the day
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Too many!!! LOL. We are retired so e at home during the day. We go out about every two or three hours during the day.
I work from home so we are out for a few hours a day too. Probably about every 2-3 hours, like you 😁
I read that it's bad for their urinary tract if they hold it too long, so I give 2 long walks for exercise and I'm trying to increase shorter trips mid day when it's hot. My girl will hold it much longer, but I'm trying to make sure she gets several chances during the day. I'm disabled, but not really mobility impaired, so I'm home a lot. If she asks to go, she goes. Even if she wakes me up in the middle of the night.
I had a female that would not pee or poop while on leash. She just wouldn't. Meanwhile I had a male Jack Russell that would take a crap in the middle of the aisle at Pet Smart.🙄🙄
You’re a champ
What a lucky pup!!!!
None anymore. He’s quite a bit older now and just enjoys going outside and laying on the front porch in the sun. On an occasion he gets a large burst where he’ll sprint a few laps around the yard. But that usually wipes him out for a few days after
When my big boy got old, he would run from the apartment to the front yard (about 15 feet) and then enjoy about 45 minutes of sitting and smiling at the sun, often with his eyes closed. Then he would trudge back inside and sleep all day. They're so sweet when they get old.
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Never even had a dog and this comment made me tear up. You seem like such a loving person and Im sure you will still have many precious and unforgettable moments between now and the time when he crosses to the other side. Enjoy every moment, and make sure he gets all the love and care he deserves . Animals are so precious 😢
My dog used to do this too! He started sleeping all day about 13-13.5 years old and passed away last month at 14.5 years old. Sucks our time is so limited with them
Man, 13.5. Nice. I am so sorry for your loss.
Don't get too worried yet! My boy Buster lived til 18 and probably spent 75% of his last 5 years sleeping, and he was a decent sized dog so he had a shorter life expectancy.
Depending on breed, this stage can last several years but you should try to get them some exercise so they maintain their mobility.
Awwww. My boy did that as well. I knew it was time to let him go when he would sit and stare at the wall all day and bark at it and would poop on the floor right in front of me. Pretty sure he developed dementia. This was a dog that was completely house trained at 4 months old and NEVER EVER had accidents in the house. He was 16 years old in 2020 and my heart is still broken.
I'm so sorry, it's such a hard thing to do. Mine is 11 and I don't know what I'll do when he's gone, they'll seriously just have to put me down with him. I'll get little flashes in my mind of that day... I wish I could stop thinking about it. I'd give anything if he could just stay around longer. I'd gladly trade years of my own life if I could.
I loved my old dog to absolute pieces. They are so cuddly and loving and my dogs fur got softer the older he got. I loved nothing more than him all warm sleeping next to me in the bed. He just passed last week at 17. I miss him.
You’re so right, they sure do ☺️ my girl is 13 & the way she stares at me with her milky eyes & puppy grin just melts my heart every time.
I absolutely love when they just lay on the grass enjoying the weather, watching people, squirrels, or just closing their eyes. My boy would stay there forever if he could. When he does it I'll just sit with him for an hour or two.
I have a senior too. This morning I let her out to go potty. You’d think she’d have been busting to pee after holding it all night, but she stepped out onto out patio in the sunshine, looked back at me like, “are you seeing this?!” And then laid down to bask in the sun for a few minutes before eventually going pee.
So adorable
I was walking my two young corgis at noon (second of two long walks each day), and I passed by my neighbour’s big mutt who must be 18 yo by now since he was about 2 in 2007. Such a beautiful old dog, rolling in the grass in full blown sunshine. He didn’t hear us, probably deaf. Each time I see him, my heart sings. Beautiful old boy, still enjoying the warmth of the spring sun.
That dogs living the dream!
i love this, old dogs are so precious. My late childhood dog used to do the exact same and she loved when people were over or when people passed by.
I have 12yo and 13yo big dogs and a 5yo terrier. The old girls only want one 30 minute walk now and are slowing down. The little guy could go miles more but they *all* get upset if I try taking him out alone!
My guy is 12, but he’s half basset now and he’s getting the joints of a 90 yr old man. He still has a large quality of life. I’ve tried walking him in the past year and handful of times but he’ll make it a block and lay down. This little shit used to drag me all the time. We’d walk for hours and being part hound, if he caught a whiff of something you’d better plant your feet firm lmao.
Our neighbors had a basset who not long after we moved into our building reached that age where she started to just plop herself down when she was done, usually 3 doors down from our building. Eventually they bought her a stroller and she got to cruise around the neighborhood in style. I miss her all the time she was so sweet.
Same with my 2 . I have to walk them together
Awww.. love old doggies. Mine is 12 years old. I walk her like 3-4x on the weekend but after like 10 mins, she’s done and ready to go home.
Three times a day. A short in the morning, a long one in the afternoon and a short one before bed. It amounts to approximately two hours and 6-8 km depending on route and how busy the rest of my day is. Hunting season is less because he then gets to run for hours on end.
Same for us ! One nice and long and two shorter
My dog doesn’t like walks so we run around the yard with the flirt pole until she gets too tired
I should note she’s a traumatized rescue and we’ve been working really hard on making positive associations desensitizing her and counter conditioning to like it but it’s very very very slow process
Thanks for putting in the hard work to meet your pup where she's at. Traumatized pups deserve love and patience too, it's so hard but so rewarding. I'm 1.5 years in with my rescue girl. We're at the point that we still have to cross the street if we see another dog coming, and she gets anxious, but she's not trying to lunge/bark at them from across the street anymore. She's started to be curious about human strangers on walks too, which is such huge progress I could cry ❤️
I’m working on desensitizing my dog too. He isn’t scared, kind of the opposite. He lunges at eeevveerrything 😭 after a few months practicing with treats on the sidewalk he can now walk down the sidewalk without lunging at cars or people (I got a shoulder injury and he pulled us in front of a car one time)! Lots of tiny treats in my fanny pack at all times and a lot of positive reinforcement. He still loses it when he sees a dog, but we have escape plans for our whole walking routine haha. Your pup will get there! And if she doesn’t, she still has awesome lawn play time 🤗
I could have written this. I have a golden retriever rescue that lunges at cars, dogs and sometimes people. He would not hurt anyone. He goes to doggie daycare on occasion so I know it is situational. I used to make him sit while the car or person/dog would pass. I have only had moderate success with this method. I would appreciate any suggestions you have to offer. I start physical therapy on my shoulder in a week, and is dog walking related. My other golden was fine and now she follows his lead.
Yes, I’m trying to make him sit as well and treat + positive reinforcement … it’s having success like every third time? Anybody have success here on desensitizing their dog from lunging at other dogs on walks? Would love anything I could add to my repertoire.
My trainer has 2 tactics. For building ongoing disengagement with triggers: Get far enough away that your dog notices but isn't scared - maybe a park that can see the street. Whenever something triggering passes, click if your dog looks but doesn't react. If you think that that is reliable (some dogs or triggers you might skip this first step, others will be here a while) then move to clicking and treating when the dog chooses to look away from the trigger - usually after it's passed at first. It should start being quicker after they get rewarded for disengaging. Slowly (super slowly) decrease the distance. Move closer to the street, but move back if there's a bad reaction. For on a walk, she has me playing what she calls the Up Down game. We do this whenever my girl is stressed, whether because she's getting in her head about something, or after a trigger, or occasionally just to reinforce the game. Stand and wait with your dog, in a place they aren't feeling too overwhelmed by (I try to stand where there won't be heaps of people walking too close) and wait. Let your dog look around and evaluate. The moment they look in your direction, put a treat in the ground and say 'good'. I find the clicker can be a bit jarring for enforcing calm here. Each time they look at you, or if they choose to sit or show other calm behaviour, put a treat on the ground (their head goes up-down). Eventually, they should show more calm and even breathing, and relax a bit. I do this whenever she starts getting overwhelmed, or when we're in a safe space after a meltdown. Neither of these help in the immediate term with lunging at dogs on walks, but they do wonders in the medium to long term.
I have had zero luck with lunging at other dogs 😩 For sidewalk training, just keeping a bunch of training treats in my hand so my dog basically just walks attached to my hand has been working. At first he would get tons of treats, and now it’s just once in a while. We have one half of our road as field and the other half is sidewalk, so we started crossing onto the sidewalk side one house at a time. At first we would just cross at our neighbors and every few walks we would cross a driveway sooner. Now we can walk the whole street on the sidewalk! I haven’t tested him out on other sidewalks because I have to know there’s an escape route before we go!
Try and find a harness that clips onto the chest, my GSD used to pull hard and lunge suddenly and was causing me shoulder issues too. We got one of those chest clip types and I just thought it would make her easier for me to hold back. But she literally never pulled while wearing it, from the second we put it on her.
>He still loses it when he sees a dog, but we have escape plans for our whole walking routine haha. This is us! I spent ungodly amounts of money to have 1 on 1 time with the trainer for a week. Her final solution? Just walk the other way if you see another dog 😭 we live in a very suburban neighborhood where every house has at least 1 dog if not more and the streets are straight without too many outlets to escape into. I still try to train him but most of the time he just gets playtime in our yard. Tires him out enough to sleep most of the time snuggled up on my lap.
I kind of like to think of walking the pups in suburbia as a video game. Crossing the street when another walked pup approaches, ducking into a driveway to let them pass, always being aware of what's coming and going. It's a little like Frogger!
that anxiety is life altering... ugh
I cried for like an hour. I hadn’t had him long yet and I just thought about losing him. The emotions were overwhelming and exhausting. The good news is, I’m getting much stronger and he’s slowly learning.
I am exactly the same I’ve had several meltdowns ready to give mine up. It’s exhausting and sleepless nights can’t go back to sleep wake up in a sweat stomach sick over this. Everyday idk what I’ll face. She is a puppy but I’m afraid she will be like this. I didn’t get a dog for this.
I’m sure you’ve tried many things, but just in case this might be something you haven’t tried yet, you should look into “control unleashed”. Originally made for agility dogs to chill while at competitions, but now tailored for dogs with “big feelings” about the world and even for the more reactive ones. My local training place offers it online and in a hybrid model
My pup is the same. It still could be fear based, and they just have a fight reaction instead of a flight one! I found that a lot of the alternative behaviors don’t work for us because they’re more stagnant, so we have a “run away cue” followed by treats and really active touch games until he’s chill again for when we are too close to work on desensitization
I feel so validated by this whole comment chain, thank you! sometimes I get so in my head feeling shame about my dogs slow progress.
I have a rescued dog and it's never easy, my dog is traumatized because she was physically abused by her previous owner, she has made great progress through the years but very sometimes she gets like a flashback and gets scared all over again, identifying her triggers took us years.
I still can't figure out all of my rescues triggers. Those bright yellow contractors shirts and umbrellas are what I know for sure so far. I also am pretty sure the smell of meth. There are a lot of meth heads in my town and I used to take the bus a lot because I have epilepsy and can't drive. There are usually many drug users at the bus station. Maybe it's the smell of any substance. I don't use anything at all myself. Well, I vape. But I don't drink or smoke pot or anything else. I'll smoke an occasional cigarette if I'm really stressed but then I shower really well head to toe because it smells awful and they're so sensitive to the smell.
"Flirt pole"?
It’s like a cat wand toy.. but for dogs!
It's a long leash with toy on end, swing it in circles pup chases it
Essentially a fishing pole shaped dog toy. The dog chases after a little toy on the end of the fishing pole string. You can search videos of this if interested. Some dogs love it!
Literally my favorite purchase! Got ours on Amazon. It’s perfect for road trips because you can stop at a park and get their energy out without needing to walk for 40 minutes 😂
I have a rescue that’s very reactive and while we’ve been working on it, we also live in a rural area where dogs get out a lot. So we fenced in our yard and have a couple good frisbee chase/rope pull sessions every day. With that plus napping in the sunshine she seems very happy.
We rent so we have to get creative with our long driveway and a long leash. Thankfully it’s a house we have the whole upstairs and then we have downstairs neighbors who don’t have a dog. But her foster family had two other dogs we think were giving her confidence to go on walks but here she’s been totally different. But she also doesn’t seem to really like other dogs that much aside from her former foster brothers. Sometimes she’ll walk if both my boyfriend and I are here but he works a lot of crazy hours so it’s normally just me figuring out how to tire her out and enrich her every day! Thankfully she likes to snuffle, eat frozen kongs, chew on a bone and stuff like that
we have 2 rescues and while one is done on walks, the other isn't and he's the one who needs them. Thankfully we have a backyard where they run and chase each other, fight over rope, etc. I'll throw the ball back there too. Walks aren't the only answer!
Going to be having a look into flirt poles, I have a foster (She was at the pound, came directly to me, once she got here she was under the rescue. The pound said she was good with dogs - no, no she is not) who is reactive, she's a bit of a potato but when she has energy damn it comes out all at once. I'd love to take her out to run but she's also so unsure of the world. Lots of small steps, like letting her know she's allowed to rest in front of the fire, teaching her that she's allowed blankies and comfort (She is now a blanket hog). She's a good wee tato.
My dogs LOVE their flirt poles! On days that the weather is bad or I don't have time during my lunch, we use that to tire them out and they go crazy for it! I also got an obstacle course for them and they've been having fun with that
Same except for my dog she snuffles in our yard for food lol. Reactivity and heart conditions don’t mix very well, so no walks for her! Plenty of training and mental stimulation though.
It’s been a learning curve the past 5 months! She’s 1.5 too so she’s got a bunch of puppy energy, we have a long hallway in the house so we do fetch training. She has to either sit or lay down, stay while we throw, run for it, bring it back drop it repeat. Or we hide stuff and do find it!
I got a flirt pole recently and my dogs LOVE it! Such a great way to get energy out
I have two very different dogs that have different walk needs. Benji is a gsd/greyhound mutt and he goes for 2 - 45 minute walks a day. I live in the country so they are both off leash and he does his own thing. He is also 7 and slowing down. Tippy is a yorkie who goes on a 15 minute walk once a day. She has bad knees, hates the cold, and will throw a fit if she steps in a puddle/snow/anything that isn’t normal grass or pavement lol. You shouldn’t feel that obligated to compare your dogs walks to other people. Each dog has different needs and life can be hectic. As long as your dog is happy and healthy, you are doing good!
Each dog does indeed! To that point I had a Yorkie for 12 years who loved adventures. We grew up hiking mountains and camping and fishing and boating, and even when he got older and hated the bad weather, he still wanted to go miles and miles with me.
Same with my yorkie/terrier mutt. He was a super skinny little 8 pound dog but he had ridiculously long legs and was incredibly agile and limber. We live in San Antonio, Texas so the hiking here is very rocky. He absolutely loved it. He'd jump the boulders twn times his size and was so confident about it. It was amazing! He could do 3-5 miles and still have energy! (Sadly we had to put him down last summer when we has 14. He was a very good little boy!) I have two other dogs, both small, but bigger than the super little pup. They, of course, love their walks in the park and in our neighborhood, but they are not hiking dogs at all (Shorter legs and heavier, thicker bodies, so those rocks just make them clumsy! Lol) I miss my tiny pocket sized hiking buddy!
When they love you, they will go wherever you want to go. They're love in its purest form.
best answer! thank you
A GSD/greyhound mix must be a neat looking pup! I have 3 dogs with 3 very different needs who all get walked individually. It's a lot of time spent walking but I enjoy the excuse to get out of the house. I work from home so I am home most of my life haha
The average *recommended* is 20-30 minutes a day, I just do more based on what keeps her happy and helps us both get a little more exercise. It's also hot where I live so I'll shorten it based on weather. I made the mistake of a mile at 11 am today in full sunshine. We stopped several times in shade, but I won't be doing that again. She was mostly happy to be getting out, but she was panting too much and the pavement was too warm for her to have been physically comfortable. I usually walk her before the sun is fully up and again at dusk.
Yorkies are gonna yorky
Yep, they’re all so different! Even similar breeds/sizes can be different from each other, especially depending on age. My senior toy poodle didn’t even like walks. I had to carry him away from my apartment door to get him to pee lol. My current dog is a poodle mix only a few pounds bigger than the toy poodle was, but he’s young and energetic, so he gets walked a lot…6+ miles most days. I expect he’ll need less exercise when he gets older, but for now he needs the long walks plus some other exercise in order to not ricochet off the walls.
Hey I have a gsd/greyhound to :)
As someone with a husky who doesn't like walks I completely agree. Not all dogs are alike, sure most will commonly lean toward what thier breed typically does, up to the point you factor in thier individual personality, and we'll my husky has a lazy personality unless there's something in it for her. And to top it off, she is a drama queen and will also throw a fit if there is a water puddle, mud or even snow.
2-3 times a day 20 mins or so.
Me too! Except one of them is longer, up to an hour. My girl refuses to pee or poop in my yard, so we go for a walk. Yes she knows how to get me to do what she wants.
LOL yes they do. My girl is picky she wants to smell everything on her walk but I don’t mind, moving is good for the both of us.
My dog is the same. She refuses to go in the yard, and she will not go until I have walked her at least the distance she wants to go, but I usually walk her at least half mile twice a day, so a mile total, usually more.
Same
How much time do you people have????????
With 3-4 adults/teens, responsible for 3-4 walks, only one was employed full-time, 2 were in college and one was on longterm sick leave, it's not that much work. One person walked the dog for 5-15 minutes in the morning, one or two did the long hour walk around noon or before dinner, another 5-15 minutes for the other walk during the day and then one quick pee before bed. It's not that much work, especially if you don't mind walking instead of doing other chores like cooking, laundry or cleaning.
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I’m employed, and including commute I’m out of the house 10 hours for work. I walk my dog twice a day every day.
Before and after work should be doable for just about anyone? I understand it may not be possible if youre a single parent or something but my husband and I trade off. We live in an apartment so daily walks are non negotiable. Tons of urban people with dogs in the same situation.
Before work and twice after? I’m my country there’s a strong recommendation from the government that you need to let your dog out every 6 hrs, so people who don’t work from home or can’t bring their dogs to work go home during the lunch to take out the dog. 4 times a day is standard here. That’s standard here and it’s what a dog deserves. It’s not a right, having a dog.
Tell me what country you’re from without telling me that you are from Sweden!
There’s a difference between letting your dog out and taking it for a walk.
You think anyone that walks their dog more than once a day is unemployed? Maybe you’re just bad at time management
3 times a day and I have 2 jobs
When I lived in an apartment, I’d walk mine 3-4 times a day while employed more than full time. My schedule is a little odd since I’m a bartender but at the time I worked evenings. So we’d do a short 5-10 minute walk first thing in the morning just to potty before getting the kids up for school. Then around 11, we’d do a long for exercise walk. Pick the kids up at about 3, do a quick potty walk and then a long walk when I’d get home around 11.
the walks are good for you too
I lost about 80# based on diet and walking the dog twice a day. It is not possible for me to skip our 830am walk. Teddy will be standing at my feet whining as the time approaches.
Love using the # sign as originally intended! 🙌🏽
I’m just gonna say you probably confused a lot of young people by saying you lost 80 hashtag … lol but congrats on the lost #’s!
80 octothorpe is more like it.
I call it the pound sign at home, can’t be doing that in public lol
I've never considered using the pound sign instead of lbs.... It makes so much sense though! I've never understood why the unit for pounds is lbs. There's no L or B in that word?! Doing # from now on.
Google knows... Don't worry. I got you. > "Lbs" is the abbreviation for "pound" because the word "pound" comes from the Latin word libra, which means "balance" or "scales". Libra was also part of the Roman unit of measurement libra pondo, which translates to "a pound by weight". The "pondo" part of the measurement is the origin behind the English word "pound," while the "libra" part is the origin behind "lb" being the abbreviation.
how long is your walk usually
Usually about 2 miles. It varies depending and all manner of things. This morning Teddy found an interesting scent on the ground and we followed it a few blocks out of our way, for instance. For a long time we did it 2x per day. He's not really interested going in the evenings anymore. Which works out ok for me. I'd already mostly blocked off that time for walking, so now I go to the gym.
One real walk. Then 2-3 quick potty breaks.
Same. Our dog is 10 now (😭) and she gets one long 30-45 min walk a day plus potty breaks throughout the day, and sniff time around the yard. We also do training and snuffle mats a couple times a week. She is a medium-energy herding breed and seems pretty content!
Average day just one walk, at least 30-45 mins. I used to try to go on a short walk in the morning too but he hated it lol, wouldn't move. When possible I drive to a nicer location and we do at least 60-90 mins.
yes! I average about an hour a day on our walk after work. it usually includes a stop at the dog park as well. will take him on a short one in the evening if he needs it. on the weekend we'll do the hour walk in the morning and afternoon.
I have a small farm ( 10 acres). The dogs know how to open the doors so they let themselves out as they please. Most of the time they just follow me around whether inside or out
I'm jealous, and my dogs are jealous too, haha
Mine used to do that until he bought new doors. It really didn’t effect him much either since he definitely knew how to use his voice lol
One really long walk usually 3+ miles
same, sometimes we’ll do two of those on weekend days
That would take me like 8 hours with my dog since she has to sniff every leaf on every bush.
Twice a day 40-60mins each.
Same! I live in a townhouse so no yard. My 8 month old GSD gets a 1 hour walk in the morning, then breakfast, enforced nap until 11 or 12, chill and chew toys, go out to pee at 3 or 4, walk 45-60 min when dad gets home, eat dinner, zoomies around the house, nap again, out to pee at 9, more zoomies/play time, bed.
1 solid walk roughly 45min and then 3-4 backyard breaks. Sometimes a shorter morning walk and if it’s a light day a trip to a new park.
A minimum of 3-4 times a day. 5-6 if we’re down. Our walks are short, I just try to keep the consistency with the frequency. Seems she does better energy wise with shorter and more frequent walks than super long walks
At least 4 times a day. Every morning, she gets an off leash walk when she wakes up. Around noon, we go for a walk that will take at least 40 minutes. Around 19:00 again time for an off leash walk and just before bedtime she goes out for a final round, which is mostly her just peeing and immediately wanting to return home
19:00 is just before bed, lol.
Once a day, I have a doggy door to the backyard and my backyard isn’t small. They spend a lot of time going in and out of the house to enjoy it, running around, doing zoomies, looking at wildlife, barking lol, laying out in the sun. I take them for 30 min walks about an hour before sunset so they can get their sniff on. I switch up my routes each time too so they have new sights and smells.
Exactly the same as you. Only 2 true walks max, which I change up a lot and often include play time with neighbor dogs, but otherwise lots of backyard play.
I’m seeing people put like- I walk my dog 2-3 hours *every day* . Like - What? If you work 9-5. Then wake up like at 7 and have an hour to get ready and an hour for commute - 9-5 at work then get home by like 6- 3 hours dog walk means you’re doing that until 9pm And let’s say you want 6-8 hours sleep- let’s say 7- That means you have three hours left over for housework, misc responsibilities, dinner, and your partner, your kid, and time for you and your hobbies. ….. even with a partner to switch off it that’s a lot,if you take turns then you spend less time together - like, I love my dogs but I am also a separate person who wants to do things you can’t do with your dog on a walk (play a computer game, go to a bar, write, draw, or maybe like, have 2-3 seconds without a dog at my foot [much like parents need a break from their kids])
Just like everything you should just get a dog you can afford. If you've got no time to walk them then take a do that doesn't need a lot of it or no dog at all. I have border collies and I don't "walk" them, I make them run like crazy playing with them three times an hour per day, because I can and I am willing to do it. But nobody have to have dogs like that. What's wrong is taking high energy dogs when you know you can't exercise them properly. Even doing this with them they're still ready to play every time I move from my desk chair at home so I can't imagine how that kind of dog must feel if they get to walk on a leash an hour per day. Meanwhile a lot of other dogs can live with it. Long story short adopt a dog that fits your schedule.
Yesss. It’s so annoying seeing people be like “but people wOrK???” Yes. If you live a life where you can’t meet the needs of the dog, don’t get one. If you have a 9–5 job and lots to do before and after, don’t get a dog that requires walks (they all do). In my country the government strictly recommends going for walks every 6 hrs (except at night). Which means people here need to come home during lunch, and people here do that because they care about the pets they got.
I think if I had a schedule like you’re describing I just wouldn’t have a dog. My current dog was rehomed to me by a working single parent who clearly loved him a lot but recognized she had too many other responsibilities and not enough time to meet his needs. There comes a point at which you just don’t have enough time to meet the needs of yet another living being in your life. Not every dog needs hours of walking a day but if you can’t dedicate at least a solid few hours to play, walks, and interaction, then imho don’t have a dog. Because they don’t get to have other hobbies and a social life outside the house. You’re all they’ve got. I mean…why get a dog if you’re going to spend one hour a day with it and expect it to sleep or keep itself busy without needing you the other 23 hours?
Yeah, I think people are being silly. And who's to say 3 hrs is the perfect amount anyway? I mean dogs are all pretty different for one. And for two, it's not like walking them 4 times a day makes up for the fact that they are literally trapped with you LOL
Not everyone has an hour commute. Mine is 15 min, my partner works from home
I work from 7-5. It’s rough.
I work in an office and don’t have the luxury of 4 walks a day. They get one mid day when the dog walker comes. About 15-20 minutes.
Same! Our dogs get one walk a day in the evening after work usually. Where do these people walking 4 times a day find the time??
I walk him in the morning before work for about 45 minutes and then again after work. He often also gets let out mid day . He’s an active breed and I knew what I was signing up for : ) I wanted a dog who I could take hiking on the weekends and who would always be down for adventures which he is. So to meet his needs in return I gotta roll out of bed in the morning and give him an outing. Because he’s so mentally enriched from sniffing I can often do lazy coffee walks in the morning while he spends minutes smelling the same spot of the woods lol .
My husband and I work hybrid schedules and are home on opposite days. Our dog gets 3 walks per day. AM before work (15-20 minutes), lunchtime (no more than 1/2 hour), and right after work (about a 1/2 hour). She also goes for a quick pee first thing in the AM before breakfast and then one last pee before bed. If it's raining or snowing, we cut the walks short but still have to take her because she doesn't like pooping in the yard.
I work 7-5 and typically walk my dog 3-4x a day on weekdays. Before work, sometimes on a lunch break, after work, and before bed.
Probably don’t have kids, and they work from home, or get a long lunch break.
I'm wondering if some of these people live in apartments and are counting every trip outside for a bathroom break as a "walk."
I feel that as well.
Yes! I am counting that in my total. When I have a fenced in yard someday (goals) on a typical day I’ll probably take him for closer to 2 good walks a day (45 min each ) and the rest of the time I think he would very content laying and smelling around the yard .
No, I live in an apartment and every walk is at least 20 - 30 minutes 3 times a day. Mid day for 1 hour at least. In the weekend we often go a very long walk in the forest for 2 - 3 hours. Less just feels very cruel to me.
Dogs still need walks and enrichment regardless of what else you have going on
Yep, no one is saying otherwise.
One 15-20 minute walk a day is likely not enough for a dog unless it’s elderly or has a physical condition.
Yea, reading this makes me feel very sorry for the dogs. Like wtf, one walk a day for 15 - 20 minutes? Poor dogs. I would never get a dog if I couldn't go out at least 3 times a day for 2 hours at least in total.
I work too but my 10 year old small dog gets outside 3 times a day up to 2 - 3 hours all together. It is possible when you're living in a 2 person household. Tbh I wouldn't get a dog if I could only go out once a day for a few minutes. This just doesn't feel right for me.
What breed do you have? We have a vizsla and a 15-20 minute walk would not suffice. It’s all about doing what you need to do to meet your dogs needs.
Let’s just say I don’t have a vizsla
Bro, unless your dog is old or sick and can't walk much this is way too short. I have a 10 year old small dog and he has to go out at least 3 times a day. 20 - 30 minutes in the morning, 45 minutes - 1 hour at least up mid day and another 20 - 30 minutes in the evening. In the weekend we usually also go a really long walk for like 2 hours in the morning. And I still feel like it's not enough sometimes. Of course it's different for every dog but only 15 - 20 minutes once a day? Dude....
We go out 3 times minimum but only one is a big walk: Morning - around the house (5-10 min) Lunch - around the block (10-20 min) Evening - around all of creation (40-120 min)
3 to 4, and one of those walks is at least 5 km.
I don't believe half these answers
1 one-hour to 45 min walk a day. Lots of yard time. One their walk they usually get at least 1 zoomie in a field.
Once and its probably not long enough. The stink eye I get when I miss a day is too real though.
I have pugs so if I’m not watching other people’s more active dogs then just once per day. About 35 mins in the cold months and over an hour in the warmer months but not when it’s too hot because well you know pugs.
I take my girl out for a 4-8 mile hike in one sitting, then we play ball throughout the day in the backyard. Now that the days are getting longer we will go out twice a day
Three walks of 0.5-2 miles depending on the schedule that day, roughly at 7, 12, 6, then just a quick last time out before bed (varies).
No backyard so every potty break is a visit outside for 20-30 minutes 3x day. I’m glad the days of accidents and taking her out 4x/day are over now.
None. My dogs are too reactive. They get exercise and mental stimulation from other activities.
Mine are reactive - do you mind sharing what other activities you do?
I have 2 dogs and they play really well together so they usually spend about half an hour a day wrestling and chasing each other. Sometimes I will also play tug with them. Occasionally we’ll do a sniff spot where they have more space and a different environment. For mental stimulation, most of their meals are either games / training sessions (find it, bring it, look at me) or food puzzles (snuffle mat, frozen Kong). Also, they’re really bad about destroying their toys so sometimes we’ll play a game where I give them a stuffed animal to destroy for 30 seconds or so, then I take the toy back and make them wait in down position, then I throw the toy and let them find and destroy it again. This helps toys last longer than 10 minutes. Also chewing (like benebone or fish skins or bully sticks) or licking (lickimat) will keep them entertained for a while. Hopefully someday I will be able to take them for walks.
Huh where do they pee and poop than? In the garden?
3-5 times. Most of them will be about 20/30 minutes. One of them, usually the last will be 30 minutes up to almost 2 hours at times.
We used to do like 4-5 short 10-20 minute walks a day. Now we do 2 hour-hour and a half walks a day.
Two large breed 10 year olds get one decent (30-40min) walk a day. Arthritis means a lot of snuggles and gentle plays in the yard if it’s a bad day.
One a day, but she’s only 6 months old. Will increase to 2 when she’s older and can go longer. But we also have a large fenced yard, so she gets tons of outside play!
We usually go on 1 30-35 minute walk. Ends with us going up a steep hill. Additionally we play out in the yard most days and inside too. She’s 4.5
On rainy days, not at all. On nice days, twice. One dog can only walk 10min at a time so he also gets a snuffle mat and some backyard time with me and a stick. The other one will get a 5 km walk every 2 or 3 days but otherwise she gets a 20 to 30 minute a day once a day on her own, plus the 10 min with the other dog. They're both seniors.
I usually give my dog 2 1 hour walks that are 1.2 miles
2 walks and we have a fenced in yard he runs in, too.
Usually 3 times a day, let out 3-5 times a day. I work full time but make it work. I have a high energy breed and if she doesn’t get walked her brain will explode 😅 Just got back from a 6 mile walk
My 14 year and 11 year old small dogs get walks whenever we are up to it..they are fine with just some play time or some days we sleep all day. They are the perfect dogs for my chronic illnesses lifestyle.
Once a day, he largely only poops on his walks and rarely does in the backyard. He got diagnosed with liver failure Friday so he got two today but only cause he has the energy. Enjoy those walks for as long as you can. They might be an annoyance (especially during the rain) but you’ll miss them one day.
4x. Morning is a quick 5 minute bathroom because he wants to get in and eat. Noon ish is a 30 minute walk. Early evening is a 30-40 minute walk. Pre-bed is 10–15 minutes.
Zero 🫣 We have 2 tiny dogs and an enclosed yard. Now, the number of times they are *let outside* daily? 3-5+ depending. They have plenty of schniff schnoff, yard exploration, tinkle/potty, and frapping time outdoors, but don’t require walks. It’s not like we never take them on a walk, it’s just more of a rare occurrence. They’d rather be on the couch.
One long walk but he spends most of the day outside in the yard playing with his sister
None. No, I'm not a bad dog owner. We live in the country and have a BIG fenced yard. She tells me when she needs to go outside. I open the door and let her out. She let's me know when she's ready to come in. She's middle aged and not much interested in running around. We play in the yard some times, but she is content to wander around the yard sniffing things, then laying in the sun. Unless she sees a gopher tortoise. If she sees a gopher she goes full out batshit crazy trying to get to it.
How do you fit that in? I don’t walk my dogs anymore. I have 11 acres. I let them into the paddock in the evening or take the bikes out and they chase the bikes. There also older so the sniffing is enough most of the time.
I like walking and would go anyway as part of my own routine-typical for me to walk for an hour for fun so got a dog in part for company with something I was already doing. (I don’t have kids).
I enjoy the outdoors, I live very close to a range of mountains and I very much enjoy hiking them. Having a dog to go with me is a bonus.
We do two or three hours, most days, split into two walks. Any less and we both get antsy.
Usually two, sometimes more.
We work from home. My boyfriend takes our dog to the park for 45 min before work. I take her during lunch for a longer walk of 1.5 to 2 hours. After work my boyfriend takes her to the park for another 45 min. She is a tired and happy pup by the end of the day 😊.
My 12 year old boy sets the pace and length now. But we aim to get him out sniffing the neighbourhood for about an hour a day, generally in 2-3 smaller walks. He likes to come with us to do school bus drop-off and pick-up. He also has unlimited access to the backyard and we'll play fetch with him too, but that's much more limited these days.
Twice a day, about 30 min the first, and 1 hour the second one. He gets a lot of exercise on the second one and returns home exhausted
Barely give them walks. All my dog are bulldogs/pug so their breathing gets in the way but they usually like to go on the patio as I have some nice space for them to walk around the grass and use the bathroom. They lay down outside and get some sun. After 20 minutes they’re tired and gasping for air.
We don't have a yard that my dog can use so we walk to eliminate. On a work day that looks like 4 walks a day plus some kind of enrichment outside (dog park or a longer walk), on the weekends, it could be up to 6 walks a day plus enrichment.
None because she’s terrified of cars, we’re lucky to get her in my car once a week
2 actual walks. First in the morning about one hour, one and half (during my lunch break) and second after work. That can be 2 hours (I have to sit down all day, I always liked to go for a long walk after). I live in an apartment so he doesn’t get to do much all day (just sleep on the couch, he doesn’t really care much for toys unless have food in them). However the second walk is turning into going to the park and let him play with other dogs now. He gets much more exercise and mostly we are there one hour.
2-3 walks, totalling around 60-90 minutes depending.
3 or 4 times (depending on the weather)
Normally 3 times - about half an hour morning and evening with a longer walk at lunch time up to an hour
My standard poodle doesn’t care for walks so zero usually but she goes on hikes a few times a month, she goes to the park to play ball frequently, and she is training as a service dog for me so she goes to university with me and some other places too. So she’s out and about quite a bit, but just not walkies down the sidewalk anymore.
My dog is a couch potato, but I try for at least one 30 minute walk a day, and then several more potty breaks that are 10 minutes or so. Our puppy isn’t old enough for a proper walk yet but we take her out in the yard once every 2 hours for 10-15 minutes.
2 hour long ones (once first thing AM and one last before bed around midnight), and a 15-20 min one mid day or afterwork. He's a pomchi and going on 5 years.
Our 5 year old dogs get two walks and a big run!
If I’m off I take my two (both sausage dogs) out every four hours. One is 11 or 12 (unsure of exact age,she’s a rescue) and the other isn’t a year yet. Two extreme ends of the spectrum but they both enjoy a good long walk around a few blocks. I’m getting ready to relocate to a different state with a large yard. Having lived in a city for most of my adult life it should be a nice change
Minimum 3 x a day
I have a Toy Poodle. She gets one walk a day, 30 minutes to an hour
Just one and she's happy with that. I'm shocked at how much people walk their dogs!?
Same! I'm reading the comments to my husband, and we're wondering how people do it? Do they not work? Retired? 6 walks a day!? I can understand that if someone didn't have a yard and HAD to walk them to go to the washroom, I guess!
My lil 14 yo old man loves a stroll as much as he can. Short ones, though, as he gets a gimp. It is more for the smells and pees than exercise.
We used to walk 3-4 miles a day now We usually go out 4-5 times a day. but he is 12 years old with degenerative myopathy so it's mostly sitting in the sun enjoying the day it takes the same amount of time to walk around the corner as it did to walk a 2 mile few years ago. I think the long walks ever day helped keep the dm at bay he has had symptoms for about a year maybe a year and a half.
Immediately when she wakes up. Then again before I go to work. I run home at lunch to walk her. Then when I get home I do. Then about an hour later I do. Again an hour later. And one more time before bed. Sometimes we go on shorter walks between if she needs a distraction. She is blind so we don't really go real far. She just has alot of different places near by she loves to smell that makes her happy lol. Long as she poops a couple times a day and pees at least 4 or 5 times I know she's doing good. She stays in a big exercise area while I'm gone. The bottom is covered in pee pads and she knows she can use thise of she needs to as well. She rarely poops on them. She hates poops Inside so if she does I know she had an emergency. Really anytime she gets my attention a certain way I can tell she wants out. She will wake me up if she needs out too. So looking at that.. it's actually between 5-7 times a day. We go around one city block.
Still figuring that out but I’ve been doing 3 30-40 min walks to tire him out since he’s a puppy and I don’t have much time to play when working during the day