Page 5 | To wonder how unfit dog owners manage?

Changeling78 · 30/04/2023 17:58

What a ridiculous post, dogs are naturally lazy and will be as active as the owner lets. They don’t go out the back garden and do laps! If you don’t walk your dog a lot, the dog will be unhealthy but it won’t particularly care. Dogs need mental stimulation which is the biggest draw of a walk, it’s the sights and smells rather than the 10k.

Mephisneon · 30/04/2023 18:02

Yes you are better than them op. Well done. 👏

bomanicious · 30/04/2023 18:05

We have fields at the back of our house.

Given a ball launcher or a rubber stick, our dogs can get absolutely worn out whilst I barely scrape a couple of hundred steps.

tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz · 30/04/2023 18:16

elm26 · 30/04/2023 17:56

@tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz are you in 24 hours a day watching your neighbours? How do you know they don't walk him/her at midnight? 5am? etc.

Maybe but the fact their garden is littered with dog poo like a carpet and they regularly leave her for weekends away by herself (someone comes in each day for 5 mins I assume to feed her) tells me I'm more likely to be right than you

I'd be surprised if they are the same Al the dog at weird hours, types

tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz · 30/04/2023 18:18

But yes I mostly work from home overlooking the front of the house so have a good sense of comings and goings I guess

queenMab99 · 30/04/2023 18:34

I had knee replacement surgery just after my husband died, I realised I needed to walk more so I decided to get a dog. I foolishly got a Springer spaniel, as I had owned one previously and he was lovely. He was hard work to begin with, but responded well to training, and I was getting fitter by the day! Walking 2 to 3 hours a day on our National Trust coastal area. Unfortunately, my inflammatory arthritis, which had been kept in check by medication, got worse and my mobility deteriorated. I now walk every day, as before, but it is more of a bench to bench hobble, I use a walking stick, and when we get to a bench I throw his ball using a long thrower, then I move on after about 5 or 10 minutes to another bench. When we have taken the edge off his energy, I put the ball away and we walk back to my car with plenty of sniffs on the way. We also play in my not so large garden, I hide his toys, or smelly treats, and he finds them, we have some agility equipment, hoops, jumps and a tunnel. It works for us, I am retired so have plenty of time. If I was more disabled, I would have to use an electric scooter type thing, to exercise him.

Ylvamoon · 30/04/2023 18:40

👏 well done- I gess we have to give you A* for dog walking.

However, dogs often thrive more/ better if they get a mix of walking and mental stimulation.

So for mental stimulation it's an F from me.

StillMedusa · 30/04/2023 18:53

Mine gets two hours a day over two walks.
Some days it's me, some mornings it's DS2 (adult) some afternoons it's the dogwalker if I'm working.
Generally the afternoon walk is miles off lead, and the morning is a sniffy part lead walk. So some days I clock in 20k steps walking her, some days zero.

Doggo is often more tired after the sniffy walks than the runs through the fields, but she definitely gets enough. Hates rain! Glares and me and drags her paws like she's an old lady

She's totally content and chilled at home so I think we are meeting her needs!

And no, I don't particularly enjoy it in crappy weather... but guess what..I do it anyway. I'm definitely on the lazy side of life... I cannot imagine ever wanting to go for a run ..but perhaps you don't enjoy learning musical instruments... we are all different and can still be decent dog owners!

Original poster

Bamboozleme · 30/04/2023 18:59

Changeling78 · 30/04/2023 17:58

What a ridiculous post, dogs are naturally lazy and will be as active as the owner lets. They don’t go out the back garden and do laps! If you don’t walk your dog a lot, the dog will be unhealthy but it won’t particularly care. Dogs need mental stimulation which is the biggest draw of a walk, it’s the sights and smells rather than the 10k.

what an odd post…

If you don’t walk your dog a lot, the dog will be unhealthy but it won’t particularly care

I don’t expect my dog to “care” whether or not she’s healthy.

but I sure as heck “care”

OP posts:

thenightsky · 30/04/2023 18:59

queenMab99 · 30/04/2023 18:34

I had knee replacement surgery just after my husband died, I realised I needed to walk more so I decided to get a dog. I foolishly got a Springer spaniel, as I had owned one previously and he was lovely. He was hard work to begin with, but responded well to training, and I was getting fitter by the day! Walking 2 to 3 hours a day on our National Trust coastal area. Unfortunately, my inflammatory arthritis, which had been kept in check by medication, got worse and my mobility deteriorated. I now walk every day, as before, but it is more of a bench to bench hobble, I use a walking stick, and when we get to a bench I throw his ball using a long thrower, then I move on after about 5 or 10 minutes to another bench. When we have taken the edge off his energy, I put the ball away and we walk back to my car with plenty of sniffs on the way. We also play in my not so large garden, I hide his toys, or smelly treats, and he finds them, we have some agility equipment, hoops, jumps and a tunnel. It works for us, I am retired so have plenty of time. If I was more disabled, I would have to use an electric scooter type thing, to exercise him.

I was just going to post similar. Arthritis in one knee and hip and a hip replacement on the other side. Lurcher gets driven to disused airfield and I walk slowly round, whilst throwing the ball with a launcher behind me. 10 throws in cold weather and he's lying down panting. In summer, 5 throws and he's done. We then go back on lead and slowly walk/limp the sniffy bits slowly.

thenightsky · 30/04/2023 19:00

30 years ago I had a lab who could easily do 20 miles on a weekend, following me on the horse.

faffadoodledo · 30/04/2023 19:03

DN and his wife stand in a field and fling a ball for their lab over and over. They are v overweight and unfit and don't walk far themselves. It's a cruciate problem waiting to happen. Yet dog seems happy and well adjusted.

Crikeyohreilly · 30/04/2023 19:04

Bamboozleme · 30/04/2023 14:26

I love walking and run 4x a week. Children sport-mad.
we have a lab
2 long (and fast!) walks a day plus and 20 min evening stroll

scrolling through my steps history and realised… on the days I run and do all the dog walks (I mainly do all the dog walks despite promises otherwise!) my step count is never below 25k. On days I won’t run, never below 18k.

Some days - substantially more!

how do you fare if you don’t enjoy walking and / or unfit and have a dog that needs and enjoys max walks?!

You highlight perfectly why people should only get a dog that is suited to their lifestyle. I love labs but I could never devote that much time to exercise not because I’m unfit but more a time restraint. If you are unfit or unable to give a dog the level of exercise it needs then you should either consider a different breed or a different pet altogether

grayhairdontcare · 30/04/2023 19:16

Only on Mumsnet would a step count be a superiority brag.
I walk for 8 hours a day at work.
I'm also chubby.
No one gives a shit.
My cat loves me and I don't want a dog!

Gettingbysomehow · 30/04/2023 19:20

My next door neighbours have 2 big dogs which they have never taken out for a walk. They are just shoved out in the tiny courtyard garden to do their business. Both are grossly overweight.
They are so unsocialised that they both ran away yelping when my cat sat on the fence looking at them.

Reasonableadjustments · 30/04/2023 19:24

@Bamboozleme do you think physically disabled people shouldn't have dogs then?

DancedByTheLightOfTheMoon · 30/04/2023 19:45

Dogs that are well exercised are rarely aggressive. People who don't exercise them enough are the ones that have lots of issues.
I used to walk my dog approx 3 hours a day , three separate one hour walks when she was younger, you couldn't wear her out, cross collie. Now she is 13 and still in good health, we do 2 much shorter walks, she dictates to me now when she's had enough and odd days she's not bothered at all.

LolaButt · 30/04/2023 19:51

I’m a lone parent. Full time job. Small dog.

Dog gets anywhere from 45 mins a day to an hour and a half of high quality walk through the countryside with lots of different terrain.

I’m fat. I make time to take the dog because I enjoy walking. Probably overall fitter than some of my slimmer friends. Although I make the time it’s at the expense of other things I should be doing round the house. Not everyone has enough hours in the day to make that choice.

I was so proud when the vet said that he’s in perfect condition with great muscle tone.

Thats what works for me and the dog. So in answer to your question, lots of people create the life for them and their pet that makes them all happy.

One of the things you may wish to learn from this thread OP, is that it can only take one event or set of circumstances to change your life which could mean the hours you spend pounding your lab’s paws every day could suddenly have to change. Imagine.

HappiestSleeping · 30/04/2023 20:55

I confess I haven't read every post, but I have read all the OP's posts (which I believe is MN etiquette?)

Just walking (or running) just results in a fitter dog that then requires more exercise. Dog exercise should actually be a mix of physical and mental. I have a Lab, he doesn't get anywhere near the distance alluded to by the OP, however he gets a balance of walking, running, playing with me, playing with other dogs, and sniffing which is keeping him the perfect weight and, as far as I can tell, pretty happy with life (no abnormal behavioural issues etc). I guess everyone has their own approach, mine works for me. Oh, and I'm not especially fit, nor am I unfit. Dog definitely helps me to maintain my level of unfitness.

TiaraBoo · 30/04/2023 21:30

Walking really fast on a long walk isn’t what’s interesting to a dog though.
Mine likes to sniff and pee on stuff and race around in the woods. So I can go in a medium-slow paced walk while he charges around. Then he might meet dog friends and have a run with them. Then balk thrower time.
I have a dog Walker for the days I’m in the office and have 2 teenagers to walk the dog.
We also play with the dog - he loves to play with toys and balls. Dog walking friends also think it’s important to keep the dogs stimulated rather than just do exercise.

Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 30/04/2023 21:39

You may be over waking your lab OP. They don’t really need as much as that.

brain work is just as tiring for them. So it’s often not the length of the walks but the quality of the stimulation they provide that’s key.

Nordicrain · 01/05/2023 07:20

Agree with others that you come across as either (1) smug or (2) completely lacking in imagination if you can't see how others manage.

We have a smallish dog. She is fine on 2 10 mins walks a day most days. In fact she doesn't seem at all bothered if it's only the one if that is all we can fit in. We make up for that with a dog walker who takes her out for an hour once a week and long walks at the weekend. I'd like to run with her but worried about her joints.

Nordicrain · 01/05/2023 07:21

And agree with others, power walking a dog along might be good exercise for you but it's not great for the dog. We have woods near our house, and out dog's absolute favourite walk is to run around them off lead, even if only for 15 mins.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 01/05/2023 07:22

Very well thank you, although I have lost over two stone since I got my spaniel, on the other hand I let my dog do what he does best on a walk, so instead of speed walking and going wow look how many steps I have done, we do training and he gets time to sniff, practice controlled hunting, keeps his brain happy. I walk on average 12000 steps a day

KrasiTime · 01/05/2023 07:58

Does your dog get an opportunity to sniff on these walks or runs you are doing? If not then you are doing him a disservice.

Im limited mobility but we walk for an hour on lead or go to the woods, playing fields, park or her favourite ‘the dell’ every day. I find the mix really good for her & me.

Madam, (a rescued Lhasa Apso) however, will refuse to walk or poke her nose out of the door in the rain. She has been known to park her backside down if rain starts when we are already out. Before we got her she’d never been walked & we had to train her with a lead. She definitely has a better time with us!