What time of day do you walk your dog/s

[chickensaresafehere]

If that's not a weird question
We have a retired 3 legged greyhound,she's 8 & a JRT,she's 16.
I'm a carer for my daughter who has CP & my husband works full time.He walks them at 6am before he goes to work & then I walk them at 4pm when my older daughter comes in from school.Then we let them out in the garden before we go to bed.
I want to walk them at 2pm as that will make life a bit easier.
Does it really matter about the time you walk them,as long as they get 2 decent walks a day??

When I feel like it :)

As long as he gets walked a couple of times a day, I just fit then in round what I'm doing.

No it doesn't matter ,personally in my case it helps to walk at different times as my dog picks up routines very quickly and starts barking at me if he thinks he should be going for a walk at a certain time . I walk first thing and then at 2 other adhoc times during the day depending on what I'm doing .

No. My dog has his main walk of the day straight after school drop off in the week but some weekends we don't go out at all till mid afternoon. He just goes with the flow!

Random times. I think it is very important not to get too set in a routine so that the dog doesn't become stressed on the occasions where change is necessary.
I also often only do one longer walk rather than always two.

The JRT will wee/poo in the garden & does quite frequently throughout the day!!The grey on the other hand has always been extremely reluctant to,unless desperate,so saves it up for walk time.At bedtime let her on the field at the back if our house for a final wee & that does her until the 6am walk.

No, it doesn't matter, I try and get it out of the way by mid morning, if it's later Lord dog face might get a bit skittish but if it was any earlier he most certainly would not complain and I'm sure yours won't. X

Mine goes out rather randomly, and if we have a long run at 10am then he has no interest in going out again - he's a lurcher and is a bit all or nothing!

Thanks muddylettuce,I'm sure I'm thinking more about this than I should.Its just it's been the same times for ages & I agree with the other replies that a variation of times is a good thing really

I do the main walk after the school run, so about 8.30 in the week, and we go out again for a lead walk around 4pm at this time of year. I don't walk in the dark if I can help it. At weekends, they might not go out 'til nearer lunch time and DH will walk them in the evening. Although sometimes we do one 2 hour walk if we're off somewhere dog friendly. Both mine will toilet in the garden, though, so walks aren't needed in the same way as if you have a dog that won't toilet at home.

We are random . I have collies and I found if I did the same ever day they became neurotic about it. I have one young one atm and purposely don't do the same time every day for this reason
Not this reason alone though,it's good security for your home to do different times and routines

Try to leave an hour or two after feeding though because of bloat, that's all I would add

I wonder where this "two walks a day" thing came from originally?! I must admit I thought it was part of the deal in terms of having a dog and when I was a teenager we always walked our dog twice a day, religiously!

But I found having a large breed puppy, he sort of used up his recommended daily walk allowance in one walk a day, so that was how we started out, (expecting to change to two walks a day) but I really don't think we will change.

We go out at 815am every weekday and get home 930 and he then sleeps all day, with bit of pottering in garden. Even at 3pm when I'm off again for school pick up on foot - I look at him but he never seems up for a walk then or in the evening.

At weekends, we lie in bed till 8ish, he goes out for his first wee two hours later than weekdays and doesn't seem to mind (no barking, he just sleeps) and his big walk at weekends might be 11am or 2pm or 6pm depending when it's dry and when we can fit it in around taxiing kids to parties etc. He's totally flexible but I wonder if that's because he has to be so we've started out like that from day 1.

God, I wish mine would chill out all day after a 45 minute walk

Always around 8am, if I go with friends, after DC have gone for the bus, then around 12-2.30pm, as I prefer to be at home for them coming home in winter, but anytime in the afternoon during the summer. First walk is about an hour, the second around 90 minutes.

Ddog (springer) can come in from a 2 hour walk wondering 'what's next?", will be trained lots through the day, kongs etc and still take more. The cocker puppy looks like he will be similar.

It's all up in the air at the minute as the pup is too young to walk, so it's a bit hit and miss.

I take mine to school in the morning and then to the park so 8.30-9.30ish then to school again in the afternoon 2.50-3.30 then if one of my DD's has after school club we go back out at 4 till 4.45 and Mondays and Wednesdays is brownies and rainbows nights so he gets two more walks in the evenings on those days for drop off and pick up! Weekends is not so many walks, maybe one or two. He plays a lot indoors too because he is only 6mths but if he goes out in the garden at 7/8pm he won't need a wee till the next morning. Most of these are lead walks though, he only gets let off in the morning in the park as it's main roads everywhere else we go.

6.30am in the days I work then after 1 when I get home. He won't poo in the garden and holds his wee for bloody hours. I'm sure he's got a steel bladder! He usually goes out again late eve so usually 3 times a day.

I prefer to keep them guessing! stops them pestering if i am busy at "walk time"

I only walk our dog once a day, shes a small dog, usually in the morning around 10 ish. We do have a big garden though and she spends quite a lot of time out there when the weather is nice.

She actually hates walking when it's wet and would prefer to stay inside. We're having real problems at the moment with all the water everywhere.

It's very muddy here too and the lane is like a bloody river
I think 15 mins twice a day is just minimum really, what most people can cope with maybe? But I find even with collies a good walk once a day with access outside if needed has always been fine. I must admit we often walk twice in the summer
Hangs fair weather head in shame

We are lucky enough to have a HUGE garden (or unlucky, if you saw the leaves in autumn!). It's rural too, so lots of squirrels and wildlife to sniff and chase. One of the reasons that we got a dog at this time in our lives was the garden is just perfect for one, everyone that came round when we bought the house said just this, 'wow, perfect for a dog this garden'

He simply will not go into the garden without me, if I put him out there and come back inside to do jobs, then he just sits at the patio door staring in and looking forlorn until I let him back in! Even if I go outside with him, we just stands and stares at me, waiting for me to play with him

Yes, even going to the toilet. Luckily, he has a bladder of steel so goes when its convenient for me to take him.

Any tips are gratefully received, but I think it's just him.

Aww he sounds just lovely :)

If you're my neighbour, never. Two staffordshire bull terriers in a one bedroom flat. He's been here four months.

If you're a normal person, whenever it is convenient. Possibly morning and evening. Or a long walk in the later part of the day. As long as the dog is getting exercise, I don't know that it matters when. :)

MrsCosmopilite those dogs must be so bored! Does he have a garden? One of the reasons you get a dog is because you look forward to all the exercise you get walking it

He has a small garden, Daddys which is completely paved. The dogs are allowed out to poop and pee. He then leaves it all there for up to a week.
When he goes out, they bark constantly. Thankfully he is meant to be moving out soon. I feel so sorry for the dogs but they're driving me mad.

Needa - won't your puppy play with the dog in the garden? Sounds a very cute characteristic and given your walking schedule, maybe the dog just wants a bit of a rest when he's home!

Our dog wanders off into the garden, sniffs the air and sits in the middle of the grass surveying his land majestically! He likes to stay sitting like that for half an hour or so several times a day - very funny to see!

mint - the springer has been on a week of no exercise now due to a slashed paw. He STILL goes in the garden, even with me, and just stares at me!! If I train or chuck food for 'find it', he will come alive, but the lack of exercise has made no difference whatsoever.

He lives for walking and training. On a walk, he never ever stops and would clicker train all day.

He generally ignores the puppy dive bombing him, unless HE fancies a play!!

I love the description of minty sitting majestically in the garden