Dogs that aren't walked

[ProfessorCat]

I don't think there's anything that can be done here, but just in case.

Next door have three large breed, working group dogs. They are huge and beautiful. They look well cared for, are fed and not too noisy.

However the dogs are never walked. Ever. They have access to the house and a small concrete square of garden. They don't have access to the full garden as the rest is fenced off as a no dog zone.

Surely these dogs are going to have joint and muscle problems as they get older? Pent up aggression? They literally get no exercise whatsoever other than the odd scrap with each other and a pootle round the dog area, which is tiny.

Approaching it with them is a no-go. The man is extremely aggressive and volatile and I really don't want to go there.

Am I right in thinking that as long as they are fed and have shelter, there's nothing anyone can do? I feel so sorry for them. They're gorgeous dogs and as an owner of working dogs myself, I know how much exercise they should be having.

I'm up all hours of the night and day. I'm disabled and an insomniac. I can see their front door directly from where I sit and even when dark they have a security light which would come on if they came in and out. If the dogs were regularly walked late or early, I would have seen. Also they don't know how to turn their door handles, so I can physically feel my house shake every time they enter or exit their house 😏 Once the school run is done and the husband comes in at 6pm, they rarely leave the house again. They don't seem to go out in the evenings at all.

The dogs definitely aren't walked. They've never left the house. They also wouldn't fit in their car, so they aren't driven anywhere.

I know neighbour's dog is never walked because she told me herself they can't manage him on the lead because he is so strong and so don't walk him.They see that Eric is forever out and about or he'd go stir crazy. But they had him as a pup and didn't walk him then and so he never learned to walk on a lead. Now I'd imagine he'd be so excited to get out that he'd just power off at full steam and they wouldn't be able to stop him.
I did suggest harnesses, trainers and dog walkers but she insists the dog is happy enough with the garden .

This makes for very depressing reading. I feel guilty that mine only gets walked about 2.5hrs a day, sometimes slightly more, sometimes slightly less! But that's probably because she makes puppy eyes at me in between walks; a more miserable looking dog you could not meet! AND she gets played with for half an hour at a time, most days. I just can't do any more but it never seems enough for her.

This is the miserable, ungrateful little bundle of fur joy...

When Dh and I got together MIL had a golden retriever that was never walked. He was a cracking dog and was happy and loved and valued and part of the family.

I didn't think it was the ideal way to have a dog and as a whole British society recognises that dogs need to be walked but dogs can be reasonably happy without much exercise - especially if they've never had it.

Is isn't ideal but when you think of the truly miserable lives a lot of pets have it's not the worst thing.

Should people who aren't going to walk their dogs have dogs? No. But by the same token does that mean parents who don't have a garden and don't take their kids to the park shouldn't have kids? I know loads of parents of overweight kids who don't get any exercise ever.

A dog who has never had proper walkers probably is just happy with the garden!

I worry people think our dog never gets walked, she has severe allergies which present as a severe skin/ear reaction and leave her in considerable pain. It's worse in spring/summer and she can't be out during the day, so she gets walked before dawn and last thing at night because it doesn't flare up (it's pollen related). She's on steroids and has special shampoo but a flare up is agonising for her so we have to do it this way to stop her suffering.

@Tattycat What a beauty!

@Notreallyarsed That's so completely different, poor love.

@Barbaraocumbungles

Yes, that's what I console myself with. They are clearly well fed, clean, loved dogs and they've never been walked so aren't going to miss it. They could be so much worse off, I know. It just seems sad, especially as the owner is home all day with all the children in school, so it's not like she couldn't spare half an hour a day. She doesn't work from home.

@miaow he sounds fab!

I have a 'friend' who got a labradoodle(?!?) and hardly ever takes him out. He gets maybe one walk a week when her DH is around.
I asked if he was ok when she left him shut in the kitchen all day and she told me he used to bark but they used a citronella collar to 'punish him' and he won't bark if the collar's on.

She's very happy about this.

Arse, poor dog. I have a springerdodle/ lab/ mutt ...she has a varied walk each morning, I am at home so a lunchtime play and training session and a relaxed walk through the woods late afternoon plus mad ball play before tea, lots of cuddles too. We have just started agility classes. People who get a puppy regardless of breed, need to devote time and energy and consistency to their pup for the first year to reap rewards. Those who won't make the time to exercise, train and play may end up with behavioural problems mild or serious, use punitive measures to manage behaviour i.e. Shock collars or ignore their dog to the extent that dog closes down or is a neurotic mess. So sad. I also have a "friend" who has a five year old springer who has one walk a day always on lead and is regularly left for six or seven hours, no kongs etc. MY friend tried to insist that my dog stayed on lead too when we walked because it wasn't fair on her dog...my suggestions of recall training together fell on deaf ears and now we don't walk together at all.

I am really surprised that this seems to be quite common, why on earth get a dog if it's not going to be walked? I guess getting a mastiff type breed they were getting them as guard dogs or something. I just find it really bizarre as for me dogs=walks

I know someone who describes her dogs as 'House dogs'. Like indoor cats, they've never been out.