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!

Mine dont get 'formal' walks every day.. we have land and a huge garden that they tear round in for about 2 hours every day. Often in fairly short bursts but they are whippets and do intense/sleep/ intense/ sleep. When I just had one I took her out more as she just pottered around, now I gave 2 they never stop playing/running/chasing if they are awake so I'm less worried. Also one is a very anxious rescue and finds walks in new places terrifying. Trying to slowly expose him to new things utterly overwhelmed him. Home is his happy place.

I can’t take mine poo picking, she gorges on the poo 🤢

You are acting like that is a bad thing? my dogs are nearby me regardless of whether they are on or off the lead. I have German Shepherds, they don't to do the whole going mad hunting thing, they stick next to their owner. Personally I'd rather have a dog that was engaged with me and what I was doing, than one ignoring me doing it's own thing.

That sounds like a lovely life for a dog!

People get so caught up in the "rules" they're unable to actually think logically! Running free around stables is much more fun than lead walks!

I always feel a bit for the doggos who only ever have street walks.Your dog sounds lime it's living its best life!

Lucky dog!

I didn't say it was a bad thing, just that if you are in a situation where you have lots of free roam open space, and your dog is used the that, then it will get all the exercise it needs without needing to be walked.

You stated your last post by implying that this was not the case because the OPs dog was not a 'working dog'. Whether it's a working dog or not is irrelevant. It's just how the dog has been raised (conditioning).

There's not right or wrong here, as long as the dog is getting exercise and not stuck indoors all day

@Whichwhatnow - whereabouts in Portugal?? We might be (sorta) neighbours!!

Sounds fine. The only thing I would say is you should walk your dog on the lead sometimes so if you need to go somewhere that they need to be on a lead, that they're used to it.

I used to take my dog to the yard but she became obsessed with climbing on the muck heap and eating the horse shit. She then vomited horse shit all over the car on the way home! Nice 😩

What a lovely life for a dog.

Ignore your friend, so long as your dog is socialised, can walk on lead if needed (which you've said it is), then it sounds like they really are living their best life. When my friend takes her (city) dog to her country house he throws himself out the car and legs it off into the fields she owns - we don't see him for dust, he entertains himself in what sounds like the same way as your dog, and we all know what kind of a life he'd prefer 24/7 (and it ain't the two-walks-a-day city kind). Ah, you have one lucky dog!

You’re grand, and so, of course, is your dog. Mine are similar, they rarely get purposeful just-for-them walks and they never get put on leads, but they get to go here, there and everywhere with me on the farm. Milling about the sheds and stables, hooning along beside the quad, riding around in the pickup, snoozing on the bales.. I can’t say I’ve ever worried about their lot in life!

Sounds like your dog gets plenty of exercise - both physical and brain.

My parents' dog is never walked. He follows my father around the fields and wanders around their property. He's fit and healthy and happy.

I’m from abroad, and I can’t figure out why Brits (even those with fields or large gardens) make it an absolute that dogs must be ‘walked’ - unless it’s for the human’s benefit?

I think most dogs would trade running around fields and horses for walking around the block!
She sounds like she has a great life and is getting plenty of exercise even if it isnt "lead walks"

I feel bad if I dont get mine to the beach first thing for a run and have to substitute it with a woodland walk on the lead. He definitely prefers being able to run freely than walking with me.
(and before the usuals start, its early morning, I live on the north east coast, and at that time we go out the place is desolate with not another soul about bar the birds, which he isnt interested in!)

My relatives in Canada find it bizarre we walk our dogs. Theirs don’t get walked at all. When I was there last, I said shall we walk the dogs and was met by a blank expression. Difference is they have a lot more space than we do. But still, I’d find it really weird never taking a dog out. It’s for me as much as it is them.

I have a high energy cross breed (Bedlington terrier X working cocker). Some weeks I only exercise him alternate days. On these weeks his exercise consists of running behind me and DH on our Electric mountain bikes around a trail centre (7 to 16 miles) then rest day, then 5 miles with me on the ebike (1.5miles on lead each way and 2 miles off lead where he really goes for it), then another rest day, then the same 5 mile route from the house. Last week I tried to take him 2 days in a row and he refused.

I never walk him twice a day, if he's just having walks they will alway be predominatlty off-lead and at a mix of locations through the week (mountain, lake, woods, beach), we are lucky where we live. Forecast is awful tomorrow (complete with weather warning) so he had a ball at the beach today.

When my dad was working my ddog liked to go to work with him, he was tired every night without a single walk (dad worked on farms and ddog went exploring and hung out with the sheepdogs (he's a sheepdog and animal trained) I hate a farmer try to buy him

I also, occasionally, leave dog home alone for up to 10 hours. Controversial I know.

He'd rather do this than go to the lovely home boarder with 7 acres of land on a mountainside, lots of other lovely dogs (that my dog will happily go crazy playing with if we bump into them on walks) and a real log fire just for the pups. At the home boarder he refuses to eat or drink and spends his whole time looking for exits. At home he is totally chilled, with absolutely no evidence of distress or destruction.

I literally never “pavement” walk my dogs. Why would I? We have paddocks they run around in (to be fair, not without me) we do beach walks or field walks, they are hardly ever on lead, but are lead trained. You know your dog, you do you.

I'd pay good money to see this............sounds adorable, lucky dog🐎🐶

This has turned into such a smug thread. Most people don't own or have access to paddocks, fields or farms for our dogs.

I always feel a bit for the doggos who only ever have street walks.

Our reality, which i think is the similar for many dog owners.

1. We live in a city, but try to vary it with walks in green areas and parks for 2-3 hours a day, 2) no garden, 3) dog refuses to leave my side anyway, 4) unless he sees a squirrel, hare, deer or bird, then he races off (the only time we took him off the lead, he did this and we lost him for over an hour in a forest), 5) it is actually illegal to let dogs off the lead where we live (apart from sept - march in non-residential areas). Also where we live, there are loads of other dogs and wildlife, so my dog has a great time sniffing out his local area.

We try our best (like the hundreds of other dog owners in this city). But threads like this leave me feeling sad and defensive.

It is possible that the OP's situation is good for her and her dog. And that city dogs can also have happy lives? It isn't an "either or". There is no perfect life for a dog.

OP I'm 4 pages in now and haven't seen a photo of your dog (I'm guessing spaniel??) Or the pony. Its the done thing on these threads I'm afraid!
Please let us see the pupster 😂

Yes OP, rude not to