Dog walking

thekeelbystamps

Who here has dogs? Do you log your "dog walking" calories burnt? I love the fact that I can do something I really enjoy (apart from lately, when it's rained and rained and rained), and it's good for me too.

By the way your dogs are adorable

arrseegee

For all of the people saying it is too cold...unless it is 0 degrees out it shouldn't be an excuse. It is a great way to get out in the winter months. As long as the dogs are running around they should be fine, just pay attention to them. Every weekend I have them out snowshoeing with me. I even took them out 2 weeks ago when it was -15 windchill. They didn't seem to mind at all. They were both panting when we got back to the car

The key point here is 'running around'. My pug will absolutely NOT run unless you throw an apple for him to chase, and lately when it's been cold he will point blank refuse to walk further after doing a poo and emptying his bladder, so it becomes a clash of willpower between me dragging him further down the road and him pulling back towards the house. He is extremely cute but some days I really wish we had a more active dog!

LoosingMyLast15

My fur baby loves to go for her walks but she is slow so i don't count them even if we're gone over an hour.

shutyourpieholeandsquat

Who here has dogs? Do you log your "dog walking" calories burnt? I love the fact that I can do something I really enjoy (apart from lately, when it's rained and rained and rained), and it's good for me too.

I think I you

1shauna1

For all of the people saying it is too cold...unless it is 0 degrees out it shouldn't be an excuse. It is a great way to get out in the winter months. As long as the dogs are running around they should be fine, just pay attention to them. Every weekend I have them out snowshoeing with me. I even took them out 2 weeks ago when it was -15 windchill. They didn't seem to mind at all. They were both panting when we got back to the car

Yes, today it is 0 here, or -32 farenheit.

LoosingMyLast15

For all of the people saying it is too cold...unless it is 0 degrees out it shouldn't be an excuse. It is a great way to get out in the winter months. As long as the dogs are running around they should be fine, just pay attention to them. Every weekend I have them out snowshoeing with me. I even took them out 2 weeks ago when it was -15 windchill. They didn't seem to mind at all. They were both panting when we got back to the car

Yes I agree. I'm in MN and it's been below zero for weeks (it seems) with a few warmer days thrown in every so often. My dog doesn't seem to notice at all and as long as they are active and moving it's totally fine for them to be out. I bundle up and go!!! I saw the cold in Georgia post and am wondering how cold it gets there?

Agreed, Jazz would drive me crazy if he didn't get his walks. I do sometimes curtail his walks in the summertime- DC can get too hot and humid for a husky. Our summer strategy: walk early in the morning or after dark when possible, shorten walks if needed, and then take him for long walks at a park with a creek that he can splash around in to cool off. Keeps him (and us) happy. Wintertime doesn't usually slow us down at all- it's his favorite season!

my akita's name is jaz. okay it's jasmine but we call her jazzy or jaz.

tedrickp

there really is no excuse for not walking your dog every single day (the odd day here and there, but that should be the exception)

Actually this is untrue and potentially dangerous IMO

Some dogs should not be out for extended times in extreme cold. Depends on their health, age and breed.

I.E. it is -30 right now where I am and neither my chihuahua or english bulldog will be walked for any appreciable length of time.

Lucy_6678

I walk my cockapoo 4 miles almost every day (as long as it is above 0). That is my mail source of exercise as well. I use my fitbit to log the steps/ track calories. Days like today though I will ride my exercise bike for 1 hour instead. Walking is my #1 though.

dbanks80

For all of the people saying it is too cold...unless it is 0 degrees out it shouldn't be an excuse. It is a great way to get out in the winter months. As long as the dogs are running around they should be fine, just pay attention to them. Every weekend I have them out snowshoeing with me. I even took them out 2 weeks ago when it was -15 windchill. They didn't seem to mind at all. They were both panting when we got back to the car

Yes I agree. I'm in MN and it's been below zero for weeks (it seems) with a few warmer days thrown in every so often. My dog doesn't seem to notice at all and as long as they are active and moving it's totally fine for them to be out. I bundle up and go!!! I saw the cold in Georgia post and am wondering how cold it gets there?

Agreed, Jazz would drive me crazy if he didn't get his walks. I do sometimes curtail his walks in the summertime- DC can get too hot and humid for a husky. Our summer strategy: walk early in the morning or after dark when possible, shorten walks if needed, and then take him for long walks at a park with a creek that he can splash around in to cool off. Keeps him (and us) happy. Wintertime doesn't usually slow us down at all- it's his favorite season!

My Samoyed would love for me to take her out for a run at 0 degrees. I'm just too chicken! And when it's 50 - 60 degrees and i want to run it's too hot for her!!! I guess I need to buck up and get out there in the cold! That's why i take her to the dog park LOL!

dbmata

Who here has dogs? Do you log your "dog walking" calories burnt? I love the fact that I can do something I really enjoy (apart from lately, when it's rained and rained and rained), and it's good for me too.

Got a heeler mix here, she's great. However no, I don't log those calories, they're just part of my daily activity level.

I also have a heeler mix, and she loves to walk/jog/run. I just listen to what my fitbit says about how many calories I burn, etc. and use the TDEE method to determine how much food I should eat. Easy.

I would THINK she wants to run, right? Two miles jog, and I'm dragging her back. Granted, if we're sprinting she's doing circles around me, but she and I prove that us great apes are the ultimate persistence hunter.

I like the plate method. If it's on my plate...

dbmata

For all of the people saying it is too cold...unless it is 0 degrees out it shouldn't be an excuse. It is a great way to get out in the winter months. As long as the dogs are running around they should be fine, just pay attention to them. Every weekend I have them out snowshoeing with me. I even took them out 2 weeks ago when it was -15 windchill. They didn't seem to mind at all. They were both panting when we got back to the car

Yes, today it is 0 here, or -32 farenheit.

Which is it?

0 C is 32 F.
0F is -28503 C

tapirfrog

This picture is the best thing that will happen to me all day. I know this and I am comfortable with it.

Riemersma4

I do a 4 mile walk with my dog every Sunday morning. Takes about an hour. We clip along. Yep, I log it.

Best!

sarahliftsUP

I have a beagle and basset that I've adopted and they love their walks!! I like the off-leash trails that are around where I live and there is an off-leash dog park I take them too as well. I don't log my time -- it's more of a leisurely pace, often times stopping and waiting for them to stop sniffing! haha

lawlorka

there really is no excuse for not walking your dog every single day (the odd day here and there, but that should be the exception)

Actually this is untrue and potentially dangerous IMO

Some dogs should not be out for extended times in extreme cold. Depends on their health, age and breed.

I.E. it is -30 right now where I am and neither my chihuahua or english bulldog will be walked for any appreciable length of time.

Obviously a medical condition would be an exception, and vets advice should be followed. But for a healthy dog they should get out every day - walking isn't only for exercise, its for mental stimulation too. It doesn't have to be a 10mile hike, but they should get out. Coats and boots are available for the dog with a thinner coat. If I didn't walk my dog when it got cold or rained, he wouldn't be walked for 9 months of the year.

Like I said the odd day is fine, if the weather is truly so cold nobody should leave the house, but it should be an exception not the rule.

aliencheesecake

Who here has dogs? Do you log your "dog walking" calories burnt? I love the fact that I can do something I really enjoy (apart from lately, when it's rained and rained and rained), and it's good for me too.

Gorgeous animals...

WHat I was told was if it's something you do everyday and is included in your general "activity level," that you gave MFP (sedentary, lightly active, etc) don't log it because your body is used to it. If it is above ad beyond what you do every day (I train dogs on Saturdays and I always log it as "slow walking" cuz I figure it's the minimum thing I can log and still get some credit for all the movement) then you can log it.

Hope this helps.

bf43005

Love my dog! Siberian Husky, so the colder it is the more she wants to walk. And I use the term "walk" loosely because she loves to run. If we do a run then I log it, if it's a slow pace walk and my heart rate doesn't get up I normally don't, unless it's long, like over 3 miles. But I have also been doing this awhile and know that a walk doesn't do much in the way of cardio for me. If you are just starting out and just starting to walk then I would log it and see if you can increase the speed and intensity.

Eli716

I have four dogs [Charcoal Lab, Silver Lab, English Lab X, Border Collie Lab X], but one is 15 years old, so he doesn't get to walk without pain.

My other three walk about 2-4 miles each, but not on the same day (One dog at a time for better socialization. My boy is protective of his girls, lol.) One will do their walk, and then when I get home, I play frisbee with the others for about 30 minutes each, and they love it. It gets me to move around as I provoke them to hurry after me if I tend to "run away."

wilsoje74

For all of the people saying it is too cold...unless it is 0 degrees out it shouldn't be an excuse. It is a great way to get out in the winter months. As long as the dogs are running around they should be fine, just pay attention to them. Every weekend I have them out snowshoeing with me. I even took them out 2 weeks ago when it was -15 windchill. They didn't seem to mind at all. They were both panting when we got back to the car

Yes, today it is 0 here, or -32 farenheit.

Are you sure it's that cold? Where are you located?
F = 1.8xC + 32 so 0 Celsius is 32 Fahrenheit

marjoleina

Me! We walk an hour every day, rain or shine!