Looking for fellow dog owners

Awesome family walk today. The weather is lovely so we thought we might go further than usual. When we were out in that empty 1/4 section, Bella spotted a Jack Rabit and THE RACE WAS ON! Husband said dobi's can run at a top speed of 45mph and I believe it. She easily went 0.5miles in about 30sec. My poor old Rupert was into the fun too but seriously lagging behind. Labradanes are not known for their speed. Bella was so pooped! I've never seen her breathing so hard; tongue, gums, even her eyes were red and we had to take several breaks on the way back. She will have sweet doggy dreams tonight.

thank you! I actually said out loud,"i am probably the only idiot to get dragged by my dogs in the world" sad, but good to know im not. todays walk was about 2 miles in 40 minutes. It took so long because Harley decided to flop onto the ground to roll in wet grass, and dig holes with Rogue. Parker finally let a small dog sniff him without getting annoyed. (after my cousins weenie dog bit him he dislikes dogs smaller than 30 lbs). We will be going for another at noon, but for now they have had breakfast, as have i, and they are napping while i do laundry.

I have a 1 yr old black pit mix that I walk a few times a week. I originally got her to be my running buddy, but that did not work out well. She is not a jogger/runner. She loves to run in the yard, but she's more of a quick burst, sprinting kind of dog.

One day I decided to take her for a little bit longer walk than normal (most of the walk was on grass and in the shade). With about half a mile to go she laid down and would not budge!! LOL! When I looked at her and pleaded with her to keep going she gave me a look that said, "I don't think so b*tch!" She was not going to keep walking and I couldn't get her up (she is a master of becoming the heaviest dead weight). After about 10 minutes of laying down pretending she was dead, SHE decided SHE was ready to keep going. When we go walking, it's like she knows how long we've gone and she becomes impossible after 30 min. She is very obedient during the walk, it's just that when it's a bit longer she wants nothing to do with it.

I am happy to find this thread. I have a Catahoula Leopard Dog - 4 yrs. old and a mixed bread mid-sized dog who is at least 14 years old... possibly older (we adopted her from a shelter even though she was already a mature dog). The younger dog is about 60 pounds and the other is 33 pounds.

They have to be walked separately as the older dog doesn't like other dogs -- she is terrible just seeing them. She does well with my other dog but not strangers. When no other dogs, she is a very good walker, but due to her age I cannot take her more than a mile.

The younger dog also is terrible on a leash. I am hoping to find a good one on one trainer to teach me how to handle her. I can't seem to teach her and she is very smart. She excelled as a puppy in her classes, but after a break from them... I haven't been able to keep her walking with me well -- including using Gentle Leader). Halti worked better than the Gentle Leader, but she cannot open her mouth wide enough to carry a tennis ball with that on and she pants especially much with it. So, I don't like it on her.

I always wanted a dog to go jogging with, so wish that I could train the younger dog. Right now, it is not fun walking her as she stops and sniffs stuff constantly and I have to say "leave it" far too often. Too much starting and stopping. Takes forever to walk as I REFUSE to walk with her pulling. I will NOT be pulled by a dog.

So, I am happy to find this thread as I still want to walk them 1-2 times per day. It has been terribly hot here, but I think it is just starting to cool a little. I will check in later today after I've walked them.

Walked older dog 1 mile. Lots of folks at the park by my house. She tried to chase a bird, but I wouldn't let her off the leash. Too many dogs around. It was great seeing so many people outside.
Then, I took the younger dog and she was friendly with the little girls who wanted to pet her & to a dog that wanted to meet her. So, other than her normal starting and stopping and running ahead... it was fun! We walked a mile, too.

Ugh, that was a very trying walk and one I'm not used to given that mine are 6.5 and 2.5 years old. It reminded me of some things I've learned about dogs over the years and thought they might help y'all too. It's just IMO stuff and I will not be offended if you do not agree.

1. Ok, so you've decided you're going to exercise and get healthy. You're most loyal furry friend should also be thrilled about suddenly walking every day or spontaneously going for a jog when their whole life the most exercise they have done is a couple of sprints around the backyard in the excitement of you coming home. Go slowely. It's taken me 5wks of c25k to run a mile continuously. Our furry friends need to build up to exercise too.

2. Tired dog = happy dog = obedient dog. When they are strong enough to run/jog or take long walks remember that those first 5min they are on FIRE and the last thing they want to do is mind you. Our general routine consists of a somewhat out of control, lots of pulling 5min until we get to the open fields, then they run like like crazy for 10-15min, and we have a very pleasant on leash walk home for another 10-15min. This is the time to work on heal position, politely waiting to cross streets, etc.

3. When they are on leash, keep those collars tight and leashes short. Our dobi HATES the Gentle Leader and chewed through it a few weeks ago so we've been indulging her with just regular collar and leash but I keep her collar extremely tight on walks. It really helps with our communication. In general, our whole family is naked at home, dogs included. Collars are only for outings. Unless you have a dash-out-the-door friend, then of course I would want them tagged and identifiable at all times.

4. I'm going to wager that 99% of our furry friends save their business (1 and 2) for that daily walk. I usually am loose with them the first 2-3 blocks while they take care of their business but then we walk in the street. There are a lot fewer smells and interesting distractions in the middle of the street than on the sidewalk. Of course, this depends on what kind of neighbourhood you are in.