Do dogs get walked less in winter

[disneyspendingmoney]

This is my first winter with dogs and I find walking them to be a bit of a chore. But I've noticed a lot less dogs out and about, I initially out this down to it being dark most of the time when I'm out with mine or us my dog walking routine a bit excessive.
6am I take them for 20min toilet walk, then at 7:40 I walk them and dc2 to school, drop dc2 off at 8 and walk them till 8:30, then go to work. 1pm I pop home and give them a 20min toilet walk. DC1 gives them a 20min toilet walk at 4, then at 6:30 I take them out until 8. Then at about 10:45 give them a 45min bedtime walk.

I've started to notice that there are hardly any dogs out and about, I've encountered none this evening, which is quite good really as ddog2 seems to wind other dogs up.

Is there something I don't know about winter dog walking?

Wow your walk routine is intense! Fair enough if it suits you but it is possible to overstimulate them - take cues from them if they're hiding etc.
Could you swap a walk for some mental stimulation games instead?

Mine gets a wee in the garden in the morning, 20 minute walk at lunch time then 1hr 30 mins in the evening. In the summer we go for an hour walk in the morning (cooler) instead of afternoon/evening then play at lunch time/evening if it's too hot to walk. if it's not too hot then he'd get 2 hours in the evening.

That’s a lot of walking. I have a 3kg Pomeranian, so the smallest of the spitz family, and she has a single walk of around 30mins to an hour per day plus a lot of time spent pottering in the garden. This is what’s recommended for the breed although obviously if we didn’t have a garden she’d have a few short walks to go out and wee.

She’s not wild about being taken out, she always runs off when I show her the harness but enjoys her walks when she’s out. Perhaps it’s a spitz thing, she certainly isn’t a dog who bounces with joy at going out.

OK I have VERY active springer spaniel.

He gets - 1 hour - 1.5 hours in the morning. Mostly off lead running.

then if dh is home he gets 30 minutes in the evening.

We let him in the garden for wees, but if we didn't have a garden, it would be 5 minute wee on the verge in front of the house, not a 20 minute walk!

He has the same walks in the winter and summer, but I don't ever walk in the dark, so in the winter I walk later, so you wouldn't see me!
If anything, the time he was walked least was in the hot weather last summer, and I had to walk him very early before it was hot.

Could someone tell me what Scentwork/training is. I thought that them sticking their snouts in other dogs pee would count but it doesn't sound like that.

As to them hiding when they see the leads, I thought it was just them taking the piss/having a laff at my expense.

The regime isn't really my choice, my ex would prefer me to quit work to look after her dogs and has said to the dcs she's going to report me to the RSPCA for cruelty and keeping them indoors 9-5 hence my rush at lunchtime, to get them out for a bit. And dc1 walking them after school (the dcs live with me too)

I've noticed they don't like the rain but neither do I so I bought some gortex (I've found out since that a £15 Primark coat is just as good, is warmer and dries quicker).

Do not wanting to sound like an arsehole to the dogs, if I don't fancy going out cos it's cold, dark and wet it's likely that they don't either?

has said to the dcs she's going to report me to the RSPCA for cruelty and keeping them indoors 9-5 hence my rush at lunchtime

Let her report you. If the dogs have access to shelter, food, water and veterinary care when needed then the RSPCA will do nothing because there is no case of cruelty to answer.

errr - the ex coudl look after the dogs herself???

It is a long day to be left, so a quick dash hime at lunchtime is probably sensible, for a wee and a bit of attention.

But for a start drop that 45 minute bedtime walk, really? My dog is asleep, and I have to kick him out for a reluctant wee!

I would -

1. make toilet walks 5 minute not 20. literally, as soon as they wee, they come home.
2. drop bedtime walk
3. reduce evening walk to an hour or less (given that they have had 50 minutes in the morning).

get a rope and play tig of war with them if they want attention. Or teach them to 'find it' and get kids to hide the toy round the house and send them off to find it. Good brain work, indoors, warm and dry and both kids can do it too

I would keep morning walk as it takes the edge of their energy before being left for the day.

Ours go out more in the winter than the summer, but that’s because it’s stupidly hot where we live (Australia). It was 42C today and they’ve only been out in the garden 5 times for a quick toilet trip then straight back in. There literally isn’t even time to sit down before they’re back inside.

The walking routine you’ve got them on sounds great, if they enjoy it but it doesn’t sound as if they do. Take your cues from the dogs and try and cut down their lead time.

Not sure if I’ve missed it but how old are they? Older dogs can manage longer without a toilet break then puppies.

I have two German shepherds who get less walking than yours OP.

I generally do an hour in the morning and another 30-40mins in the afternoon. The other 22 hours they are asleep! They do have access to our garden but only venture out for a quick wee then run back to bed

My (staffie cross) gets 2 proper walks and a round-the-block bedtime walk every day. The 2 proper walks total about 2-3 hours a day in all. Same all the year round.

My dog gets two long off lead walks a day in the woods, whatever the weather. Anything else isn’t fair on the dog. It isn’t always fun, but that is the reality of having a dog.

When I had my dog reactive dog, I used to much prefer walking in the winter as there were far fewer dogs around. Always used to wonder what happened to all the dogs I saw in the summer during the winter. To be fair though most of the dogs I've had have been unenthusiastic, to say the least about going out in the adverse weather conditions, but if you don't give them at least one outing a day (outside of toileting) they get cabin fever and cause chaos.

Have you trained them to wee on cue? Might speed up the toilet walks.

I would imagine that you’d be looking more at 2 walks of 30-45 mins and then short toilet breaks. Make sure they get an opportunity to play as well.

@biteyshark any chance of a link to the poo bag holding thing you mentioned? Normally I just carry it but with a baby on the way I suspect I’m going to need both hands soon!

GemmeFatale They are expensive but at least I am not dangling the actual poo bag about around my waist

Dicky Bag Dog Waste Bag, Medium, Midnight Blue www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012AMUAHI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tkjqCbQMB8XP6?tag=mumsnetforum-21

My dog gets 4 walks a day, mostly fairly short in the winter, but she is getting on a bit and seems quite happy with that. No garden wees for us though as we think a previous owner used to leave her shut out in the garden and now she is terrified of being there.

To be honest it sounds like you have an ex problem rather than a dog problem.

Ummm.... my dog doesn’t get walked as much as yours ever . Today she walked (off lead playing like a loony) with her mates from 8.40-10. She just had another 45 mins. That’s it. And pretty typical winter or summer. She pops into the back garden whenever she fancies - usually someone at home and she woofs once to be let out/in. In summer she likes to lie on the back doorstep but not in this weather!

What sort of dogs? If no garden, surely a couple of 5 min loo breaks and 2 decent one hour walks would be enough?

Thank you @biteyshark. That might go on my wish list

My ridgeback gets just over an hour a day. She hates the cold and rain, refuses to go out in the rain. She’s definitely a summer dog.

Another question does neutering a dog change the way it pees? I had one done because he was a nasty bastard, If he goes more than 8 hours without a toilet walk he has this enormous piss, usually on my bed, hence the 11pm walk and then the 6am walk.

My dog gets out in the garden for ten minutes a couple of times a day and anything between 45 minutes and an hour and a half walk at about 3:30pm in the winter.
She seems happy with this arrangement.
Doesn't often drop a number two in the garden but if she does I get the poo bags out and clean up pronto.
Long gone are the days of letting a small collection accumulate.

That's a lot of walking!

Mine gets one maybe two walks a day - whether he gets a second or not depends on the weather, how long his first walk was and how tired we are after work!

Today for example we were out and walked six miles. He'll not need another walk now. Some days his morning walk is short due to lack of time or pissing down rain (which we both hate) so he needs a second to burn off some energy.

I find the easiest way to tire my dog out is to take him out and let him choose the route (within reason obviously) and to let him stop and sniff as much as he wants!

There are definitely less dogs being walked when were out. Ours needs his exercise so gets as much year round. A 10 mile run in the morning, 45 minutes at lunchtime and then an hour or so off lead in the evening with ball chasing and sniffing in woods.

Nothing lovelier than an empty, windswept beach with crashing waves for him to jump.

Mine do get less in winter, not because i dont want to walk them but because my little dog (jack russell cross) will not walk if its too cold or raining, he will literally just sit down on the pavement and wont budge!
They do have access to the garden most of the time tho as my husband works from home.

My dog refuses to go out in rain. Definitely fewer walks in the winter. She usually gets one walk of around 40 mins. In the summer it would be a lot more as we tend to be out more as a family.