Walking with a dog..

Options
Colliex3
Colliex3 Posts: 328 Member
in Chit-Chat
Since the weather is 'kinda' getting better i've been going for walks nothing to long up the block and back and I take my big Newfoundland with me. Today I realized he's not as young as he used to be and doesnt really want to walk 'with me' but instead take his sweet time from one spot to the next. He just turned 10 should I leave him home on the long walks that are over 1.5 mi? or is he just doing this because the weather still is alittle chilly... Has anyone else's dog decided their gonna smell the roses as they walk?

Replies

  • pawnstarNate
    pawnstarNate Posts: 1,728 Member
    Options
    We have ankle biting Maltese brothers that I take for short walks in the morning just to get them a little exercise and do their business. (yes, I take the pooper scooper!) But, the smaller one, Scruffy, follows the bigger one, Biscuit, around like a lost puppy...Literally. Biscuit will stop at anything that is made of stone, wood, vegetation, water, metal, or plutonium :grumble:
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
    Options
    We have ankle biting Maltese brothers that I take for short walks in the morning just to get them a little exercise and do their business. (yes, I take the pooper scooper!) But, the smaller one, Scruffy, follows the bigger one, Biscuit, around like a lost puppy...Literally. Biscuit will stop at anything that is made of stone, wood, vegetation, water, metal, or plutonium :grumble:

    My older Boston is like that. He's going blind though, so I don't take him with me anymore :cry:
    The younger Boston eats poo and REFUSES to learn how to walk on a leash, so she's out.
    The tiny poodle walks well, but she's SO small that I worry about other dogs in the neighborhood. Heck, I worry when it's windy outside!
  • ItsMeGee3
    ItsMeGee3 Posts: 13,255 Member
    Options
    My Bullmastiff takes me for a walk for the first 1/4 mile. After that, I need a wagon to get her home.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    Options
    Since the weather is 'kinda' getting better i've been going for walks nothing to long up the block and back and I take my big Newfoundland with me. Today I realized he's not as young as he used to be and doesnt really want to walk 'with me' but instead take his sweet time from one spot to the next. He just turned 10 should I leave him home on the long walks that are over 1.5 mi? or is he just doing this because the weather still is alittle chilly... Has anyone else's dog decided their gonna smell the roses as they walk?

    I walk my dog Millie twice a day. I do not log this as exercise, because she also sniffs at stuff, looks at the sky, greets other dogs, watches cars go by, even though she is only five. I chalk it up to " lifestyle change " to a more active lifestyle. I also walk for exercise when I walk for speed and endurance. It is not much, but considering that I started with a cane with five-minute walks a year ago and now walk without one on average 45 minutes a day I feel I am doing ok.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
    Options
    I have an English Bulldog and he is so bloody slow. On top of that he has to stop and smell EVERYTHING. He also gets easily distracted by the wind, falling leaves, plastic bags, birds, etc. So what would normally be a half hour walk takes me two hours with him.

    Serenity now!!
  • ThinkInOregon
    ThinkInOregon Posts: 283
    Options
    Since the weather is 'kinda' getting better i've been going for walks nothing to long up the block and back and I take my big Newfoundland with me. Today I realized he's not as young as he used to be and doesnt really want to walk 'with me' but instead take his sweet time from one spot to the next. He just turned 10 should I leave him home on the long walks that are over 1.5 mi? or is he just doing this because the weather still is alittle chilly... Has anyone else's dog decided their gonna smell the roses as they walk?

    I live in a rural area, so this might not work for you. I take my 12 year old German Shepherd with me when she seems to feel up to it. On the days she acts more stiff and sore, I tell her its ok to wait at the end of the driveway while I walk to the mailbox and back (its 1 mile). She is not quite ready for doggie heaven... The Jack Russells go with me and back home, and my little Chi likes to sniff and dawdle...
  • cchew686
    cchew686 Posts: 108
    Options
    I have a beagle...need I say more? He cannot help himself but stop and smell every. single. thing. And bark at every single thing. I take the German Shepherd with me sometimes. She is getting older too, but I figure we both can use the exercise and if I need more "intense" exercise I can do other things or drop her off at home and keep going. I wouldn't want to deprive my girl of her walks. She runs (which doesn't happen much anymore) out of the house because she gets so excited to go.

    But my dog walking stories aside, if these walks are your main exercise and you don't think you are doing enough, you may have to leave the pooch at home for the long walks. But if it more for leisure and spending time with your dog, just enjoy. And I do think dogs sometimes have issues with walking in the cold, I know mine do. Try it again when the weather warms up a little more...of course Newfs are so hairy he may not want to walk when it gets too warm either. :happy:
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Options
    Has anyone else's dog decided their gonna smell the roses as they walk?

    My Staffordshire loves to chase toys, so my shoulder gets a workout when we're out... I can walk at a comfortable pace although I could go a chunk faster otherwise.

    He rebelled yesterday, 4km into a circular 6km walk he decided we'd gone far enough and he wanted to turn round. I carried him, all 16kg, 100 metres over the next crest and he picked up his game again.

    He's just reaching a stage where I'm going to be comfortable taking him on short runs.
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Options
    i took the (ex's) mutt out for a dogboard (longboard + dog) on sat. i go slow for her now: she's lost some of her burn but she can still keep up for 1 full mi. she's an ardent inspector, so any off-leash stints result in stops every 3.8 seconds. :grumble: i can tell that she'd like to spend more time exploring than running, and that's okay. she's starting to get old.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    Options
    Since the weather is 'kinda' getting better i've been going for walks nothing to long up the block and back and I take my big Newfoundland with me. Today I realized he's not as young as he used to be and doesnt really want to walk 'with me' but instead take his sweet time from one spot to the next. He just turned 10 should I leave him home on the long walks that are over 1.5 mi? or is he just doing this because the weather still is alittle chilly... Has anyone else's dog decided their gonna smell the roses as they walk?

    10 years old in a giant breed is pretty old. I wouldn't take him on too long of walks. I have a 13 year old lab/golden and in the last year or two, she's finally slowed down. Her max walk distance is about a mile before she starts lagging behind. She's had two FHOs in her life, so her body isn't in the best of shape, though she still moves better than most dogs her age.

    I have a 7 year old golden who is super high energy and he and I run a couple of times a week. I have a 9 year old golden who loves to go for walks and can go for miles, but he can't hang with me when I run. My youngest isn't quite a year old yet, so no running with him until his body matures completely, but he loves to go for walks and can walk for miles and miles.

Categories