I Need to Walk My Dogs (and Myself)

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  • ee2368
    ee2368 Posts: 86 Member
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    doodleart wrote: »
    I realize that although I fancy myself a great pet mom, I loathe the idea of walking my dogs...especially when it's cold outside. I have 3 dogs and one is a total spaz (2 yr old Springer Spaniel). I have to walk her separately, which then leads me to feel bad that I'm leaving the other two behind - or that I have to go on two walks - TERRIBLE IDEA. So I just haven't been doing anything. I recently moved and we have nearly ZERO yard for them, so walking is a must. I found an app called Wooftrax that allows you to walk your dog and raise money for an animal shelter of your choice. So I gave it a go yesterday, and have decided I'll just walk them on alternating days. Gotta start somewhere. Ideas? Motivations?

    It’s not a terrible idea to go on two walks. Until you can get with a trainer you might just have to do that, and it’s more exercise for you, so I see it as a win-win. Do you live near a dog park? Those are a great way to make sure they get exercise.

    You can also chase them around the house. I chase mine around the house all the time. He loves it and even chases me.

    Sometimes the weather really is too bad to take them for a walk, and you have to improvise. Don’t let any Negative Nancies make you feel bad.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    urloved33 wrote: »
    Redordeadhead wrote: »
    I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't have dogs if you're not going to walk them. When the weather is bad I may not always love the idea of taking mine out, but I know he depends on me and it's my responsibility to take care of his health and wellbeing.
    THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO DO W DOGS TO EXERCISE THEM...BESIDES WALKING THEM.

    I have never seen a dog that wasn't excited about going for a walk. That tells me all I need to know.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    urloved33 wrote: »
    Redordeadhead wrote: »
    I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't have dogs if you're not going to walk them. When the weather is bad I may not always love the idea of taking mine out, but I know he depends on me and it's my responsibility to take care of his health and wellbeing.
    THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO DO W DOGS TO EXERCISE THEM...BESIDES WALKING THEM.

    I have never seen a dog that wasn't excited about going for a walk. That tells me all I need to know.

    Actually, my little Jack Russel is pretty reluctant...at least initially. She runs every time she sees the leash and collar. Once she's on the walk, she's fine, but she's pretty reluctant to get started. Playing fetch with a ball or frisbee on the other hand...she'll go non stop.
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
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    FL_Hiker wrote: »
    urloved33 wrote: »
    Redordeadhead wrote: »
    I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't have dogs if you're not going to walk them. When the weather is bad I may not always love the idea of taking mine out, but I know he depends on me and it's my responsibility to take care of his health and wellbeing.
    THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO DO W DOGS TO EXERCISE THEM...BESIDES WALKING THEM.

    I’d find it even more difficult to do other things if basic training such as leash walking hasn’t even been achieved. Not all dogs have a drive to play ball believe it or not. I wouldn’t take an untrained dog on an off leash hike, or to do agility, or anywhere else for that matter. Just throwing your dog in a backyard isn’t exercise no matter how big your yard is, they need engagement. Dog parks can be very dangerous and often lead to bad behaviors (and goodluck catching your dog if it has no recall). Learning basic leash manners opens up a lot more doors for the dog and the owner.

    Right? Neither of my dogs are super motivated and they couldn’t care less about balls and frisbees. Even when my elderly one was young and high energy, the best way to get exercise her was to walk, run, bike, hike, or take her out with the horses. She liked sticks, but was really more into finding an excellent one and showing it off than me throwing it. My younger one has no retrieve drive, but LOVES long walks and hikes. None of these things with either of them would be possible if I hadn’t taken the time to instill basic manners and obedience, including proper, polite leash walking.

    They have a great backyard but hate it, save for a quick pee or a few minutes of sunbathing. They prefer either to lounge on the furniture or go for a freaking walk.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    urloved33 wrote: »
    Redordeadhead wrote: »
    I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't have dogs if you're not going to walk them. When the weather is bad I may not always love the idea of taking mine out, but I know he depends on me and it's my responsibility to take care of his health and wellbeing.
    THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO DO W DOGS TO EXERCISE THEM...BESIDES WALKING THEM.

    I have never seen a dog that wasn't excited about going for a walk. That tells me all I need to know.

    i have had a few fosters who did not get excited about going for a walk. i've had a dog that would hide when i said walk.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    I can say, "Who wants to go for a walk" in an excited tone and both my dogs get wound up. If I put their harnesses on, all craziness breaks out. I can walk from the door upstairs and back a few times, and in that 6 minutes, the dogs have done so many laps around the house and so many trips up and down the stairs that they're gassed for the rest of the day. The actual walk becomes their cool-down session, lol.

    Point is... get them their exercise. It doesn't have to be on a walk necessarily, but walks are generally good for everyone. Just gotta get over the inconvenience of it.
  • Vladimirnapkin
    Vladimirnapkin Posts: 299 Member
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    My two dogs are 10 years apart in age. Walking them together is a challenge, but not because we are bad trainers.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Vladimirnapkin wrote: »
    My two dogs are 10 years apart in age. Walking them together is a challenge, but not because we are bad trainers.

    Similar. My 2 are close in age, the same breed (Westies) but react very differently to walks. One likes about 20 mins and she's done while the other could go for more than an hour. But they are so attached to each other that walking them separately causes anxiety.
  • GoodLardy
    GoodLardy Posts: 163 Member
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    I think it’s great you’re starting somewhere and realize you all need the exercise. Maybe once you get through a couple weeks, you can add in the second walk per day. They don’t have to be five miles long each. Maybe find a dog park so they can have a longer stretch of exercise on the weekend.

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