To never walk my dog?

[labradorcuddles3]

I was recently chatting to a friend who raised an eyebrow at the fact my dog never goes for typical walks round the street. But that’s because I have 3 horses and bring her to the stables with me everyday. We are there for at least 2-3 hours a day but often much longer and she gets to run about off the lead the entire time and can run about in the fields, or just generally run about at the stables. Sometimes there are other dogs for her to play with and sometimes she runs around with her best friend (a Shetland pony!) but sometimes she’s just happy to run and explore by herself. There’s also a big stream where she can play in (it’s not deep and she’s always supervised around water). She is usually exhausted with all the running, swimming, exploring, rolling in the muck heap (🤢) and just generally having fun. By around 2-3 hours she usually lies down and chills out and is knackered. When we get home she sleeps solidly.

this isn’t a humble brag about how my dog doesn’t get normal walks etc, but my friend said it would be better for her to get normal street walks too and our routine isn’t enough exercise for her.

she seems happy with our routine but if she’s missing out on other things by not going on normal street walks then I will find the time to squeeze it in. But if she’s happy, exhausted and getting 2-3 (usually more!) hours of exercise a day then I assumed that would be enough but I’m worried now that actually she needs more and I’ve not given her enough.

the only thing I can think of that she’s missing out on is practicing walking on a lead but she is fully trained in this and we do practice it sometimes as she is on the lead at horse shows. The other thing is she doesn’t always get other dogs to interact with as it’s hit or miss if the other dogs are at the yard or not.

basically I’m wondering if anyone knows should I be incorporating an on lead street walk into our routine or is my dog missing out on something by not having it?

Thank you in advance!

It's fine, many of my friends dogs are the same and often at the yard all day
They'll run up the fields with their owners to bring horses in, go to greet people, snooze etc and they're all great dogs

I find it very weird that a dog running around off lead at its own speed would be seen as less exercise than being on a lead being walked at a slower human pace! Maybe it's her breed of dog?? Noone who owns a spaniel (to give just one example) would ever be daft enough think they give their dog more stimulation on a walk than a spaniel running around sniffing out trouble!

It’s not necessarily about being walked slowly on a lead it’s about 1-1 ( or how many dogs) time with your dog so they are the focus of the activity , that can equally be offlead running about but it’s still focused time IYSWIM

I think it's fine but I hope he stays out of the school.

Your friend is one of those round the block dog walkers isn’t she. yeah it’s those dogs I feel sorry for. I have 2 little dogs and I can’t remember the last time I put them on a lead. We go out the front door and they’re straight across the woods and fields opposite every morning and every evening we go out in the car to the beach.
sounds like your dog is having a proper dogs life! Ignore your friend her dog is bored!

All dogs benefit from freedom - the ability to scope & absorb the world around them. Is there a dog exercise field near you that you could take your dog to?

If your dogs aggressive you need to put a muzzle on it when in public. Most peoples dogs like to sniff and socialise with other dogs as that’s what dogs do.

Mine used to go to doggy daycare 3 days a week. She was exhausted by her time there. (Word on the street is she wore out a border collie one day … she was a hound mutt) We didn’t do extra walks. On her days off she spent a lot of time outside belly up in the sunshine and sniffing bunny tracks.

Your friend is weird.

Our old yard cat used to sit and groom herself right in the middle when she wasn't jumping on a horses back
Lessons often involved "across the diagonal.. CAT! Forget it, change the rein where you can"
Between that and the aggressive pigeon that used to dive bomb you at A, it was great for bomb proofing

Do you only walk your dog around the same block?

Sounds fine OP especially if your vet says she's healthy. Pavements are supposed to wear down their nails. Do you have to clips yours?

Your friend is an idiot. Your dogs life sounds idyllic.

Photo of dog needed to confirm!

Sounds like your dog has great fun.

For us, street walks are the option of last resort when work has conspired against us, it's 9pm, it's dark and I'm not tackling an urban park my myself after dark.

I'm sure my dog would love a day out at your stables (it's a shame he isn't to be trusted with livestock).

How old is your dog?

I would (with my work hat on) encourage people to do a variety of things with their dogs and avoid the same sort of unstructured wild fun on repeat every day, because eventually, boredom sets in or you build an expectation that when not met... causes a problem.

But that simply means mixing in some fun training where you normally go and chucking in some lead walks, some going to less exciting free running places and some new places/increase the variety of places so you maintain her general skills all round.

Exercise is important for dogs, but reliance on physical exercise to produce a physically knackered dog is unwise if it leaves the mind still unfulfilled. Your dog sounds like she gets lots of mental stimulation but it does sound heavily reliant on chasing around and that won't always be possible, (injury, old age, no one to chase, weather, change in life circumstances).

One on one time is also important, and there are dogs who are taken for on lead walks daily who are still not actually getting quality one on one time, its as much how you do it, as how often/when/where! A dog being trundled around the same route twice a day by a bored teenager focused entirely on their phone is getting less interaction and mental stimulation than one who goes out once every two days, but spends hours each day with a person, training, playing, chilling together!

My dog is jealous, it sounds awesome.

I don't think your dog needs any extra street walking - he sounds very active and engaged.

My dogs lead the same life as yours OP and I don't take them for lead walks either , the only downside is we have to go to the groomers to get their nails clipped as mud / country don't naturally file them .

Your dog is having the best life, what a lucky pup! My dog would love that! It's getting the exercise and mental stimulation and is tired by the end of it all.

My dog doesn't tire on walks because he is on a lead the whole time. We have a friend who lets us use a field to run him and he just has a great time off lead there or at the dog park.

I'd love to give him your day!

My dog doesn't get off lead time unless it's in the garden as he can't be trusted to come back! We've worked and worked on his recall but as soon as he sees or hears a football, he's off.

it sounds like your dog is living a great life and probably getting tons of mental stimulation and exercise. My dogs never go for typical ‘street walks’ either although they still get walks, just out the garden and straight into the woods. However I recently walked them to them to pick the kids up from school and realised that they have forgotten how to walk properly on a lead and my older dog had become nervous on streets so I’m going to have to work on it with them a bit and try and take them a couple of times a week now so it doesn’t get worse!

Also re nails my dogs both have very short nails and never needed them clipped despite never walking on pavement. They do go to the beach quite often and scramble over rocks so maybe that’s enough!

Your dog doesn’t need pavement walks. My lab loves her time at my stables, lots of things to sniff and explore.

I hope you have a really big garden!! Otherwise you need to get help with his recall.

It’s fine. Only thing I would say is that the occasional bit of pavement pounding is good for keeping the nails filed and maintaining solid muscle tone.

I disagree. Lots of working dogs never see pavements and have excellent muscle tone and claws. Compared to some of the fat lumps I see being dragged round the same pavement walks