Not enjoying dog walking

[honeyandbutterontoast]

I absolutely adore my two dogs, and they do get a walk every day but I’m finding it really really stressful.

We moved six months ago and up till then we would walk from our front gate round fields and down paths. Occasionally saw another dog who they might bark at but on the whole it was relatively low stress. Apart from the continual muddy paws!

Moved to a town and walking is just so different now. Unless we go out super early there are lots of people and buggies and bikes and so many more dogs. Often quite reactive ones. And the dropped food! Before I might have had to swerve them round a dead rabbit but today it was bits of a ham sandwich, whole sausage roll, puddle of beer from a can 😏

The little dog has learnt the knack of escaping almost every harness so I’m constantly stressed thinking she will do it again. Last time she ran across a road to greet a (thankfully friendly) husky.

I know I’m on edge, which they are picking up on and I don’t know how to break the cycle. We could drive and find somewhere in the countryside but it would be a fair drive to get there and I don’t yet know any good safe emptier areas.

Any ideas how I can enjoy it again, I am dreading it every day which is so sad for them.

Maybe if you post a rough location, or town name, someone could give you some good nearby places where you could start enjoying walking again?

I hear you. It is a vastly different experience walking two dogs in the city as opposed to the town (I live in an inner city). One of mine is reactive and I can see both our stress levels rise on town walks. I don’t have much of a solution other than to walk at quieter times (there usually is one - post 9am for example) or to drive out somewhere if that’s an option.
I love Louise Glazebrook (follow her on instagram) for ideas about games to play with your dogs so that they are focussed on you rather than other dogs or people - so using fun toys / scattering treats - basically making the walk about your relationship with your dogs as opposed to getting stressed about all the things out of your control.

Yes agree with posting a location.

I moved to Walthamstow with my 3yr old pair of JRTs back in 2015, from a really rural place. I quickly found some lovely parks to walk to, and of course drove out regularly to Epping Forest.

I remember one day on the way home from the park, everyone seemed so much friendlier than usual: smiling, nodding and generally not being like Londoners. I assumed it was the beautiful spring day. Only when I got home and looked down did I realise one of the dogs had picked up an entire 12” pizza and was carrying it home to enjoy later 🤣🤣 She was not impressed when I confiscated it.

You do get used to urban walks eventually. Although I wont lie I’m glad I’m more rural again now.

As I’ve said more rural would require a drive, and I’m then concerned about finding somewhere safe to walk too.

I think my mindset is the issue, there are lovely walks from my doorstep just not what I’m used to.

Use Google Maps satellite view for a local woodlands, as they may be better for you

@Sapin i will go look on Instagram now. I have been giving them treats etc but they have now become a bit treat focused 😆

What kind of dog is your little one that keeps slipping the harness? Maybe someone could recommend - I've had the same issues with my pug, luckily found one she can't escape now! But it's nerve wracking

@curlymacv yep it’s a pug.

The little dog has learnt the knack of escaping almost every harness so I’m constantly stressed thinking she will do it again.

Then clip her lead to a properly fitted neck collar. No escape possible.

Pugs can’t wear collars. So she has to have a harness.

Have you tried a perfect fit harness? They are so adaptable that you can get a really good fit and don't restrict shoulder movement

Have you tried a Perfect Fit harness? My dog is a really odd shape. We eventually got her fitted up with a Perfect Fit harness in a pet shop and it's been great so far.

Have a look at the Ruffwear Flagline harness - two sets of body clips. Our escapee Romanian rescue hasn't been able to slip it in 2.5yr after getting out of every other thing we bought.

We do pavement walks a lot, but we do backlanes and footpaths away from people and dogs where we can (other dog is an arsehole). Maybe look at those options?

You can still put a collar on her, just don't attach the lead to it.

Put her harness on as normal and get a connecter to attach it to her collar - so if she slips her harness, you have the collar as a back up.

We use a poy pet harness for our pug, if it fits correctly its quite hard to get out of. We use perfect fit for our malamute, I imagine that would be really good also for a pug due to the shape.

I know how you feel with walks. I only enjoy lead walks with my malamute as he has shocking recall, a long line is good but he's very strong so it takes a huge amount of concentration. He's lovely on lead when it's late at night and he can sniff everything. Opposite issue with our pug, he barks and pulls at everyone and everything on the lead, is a dream off lead.

It's chaos walking them together on my own. We are in a busy city but luckily an enclosed dog park is 2 mins walk away which is my saving grace. Just hoping as the mal gets older he calms down a bit. He's a lovely boy, just so excited to be alive 🙈