How often do you really walk your dog?

[RedRobyn2021]

We have a small Labrador, a working lab type, she is 5yo and we live rurally. She's walked twice a day off lead about 35-40 minutes in the morning and then an hour in the afternoon (it would be less but I go with my 3yo daughter and it takes longer with her). Lots of ball, sniffing, chasing the occasional hare/deer/pheasant.

Mornings are a rush from the moment the alarm goes off at 6am as my DP has to be out to work for 7:50am. I do find it takes over our afternoons, I feel like I can't take DD to meet friends on afternoons because the dog has to be walked.

When I talk to friends or other people I know the general impression I get is that their dogs are only walked once a day (if they are lucky). Am I just making things harder for myself? I've taken DD out in all weathers (boiling sun, snow, rain, hail), even as a baby, to walk our dog.

3 times a day 45 mins.
20mins. 45mins.

Nearly 6 year old dog did have a morning, afternoon and evening walk. Now dh’s work hours have changed the dog is not even interested in eating or waking up before dh leaves, let alone a walk. So he gets a quick out in the morning and then an afternoon and an evening walk. Days off he gets three. He is a shihtzu though so his main love is napping and sniffy walks and playing with his doggy friends. He also loves the pub. He isnt an athlete.

3 times a day (2 year old collie)

20-30 mins round the block in the mornjng first thing
An hour off lead at lunchtime
An hour's street walk, on lead at around 6pm. (He sniffs, I listen to a podcast.)

It's a lot but... he's a collie 😂

We have a small
Working lines Lab too.
She's 2yo. She needs 2 walks Day but we do a long morning walk - at least 45 mins, but usually we do an hour. Off lead, ball, sniffing etc.
We then do a lead walk in the PM around 4/5pm. For 20 mins.
She's happy with that and in great shape.
We live in a city.

My Stafford has acrophobia and will not leave the house. She was very well socialised as a pup, we did everything recommended by vets and behaviourist. She was absolutely distraught by all of it and refuses to leave the house.

Love this!

It used to be 30 minutes before work every day with a 45-60 minute walk in the evening but since we had a baby we haven't been able to cater to this.

He's a rescue, fairly low energy, flight risk so we use a long donkey lead.

We now take him for 3x 60 minute walks across the week and he has a dogwalker that takes him 2x for 2 hours. He's at my MIL's house once a week and usually has a 30-60 minute walk then.

Planned on a big walk today but an emergency A&E trip for the baby got in the way.

I feel guilty all the time but he really is a happy little thing.

I agree with this - for most dogs 3 lengthy walks per day is madness and just plain unnecessary. Lots of virtue signalling going on!

She’s a sensible girl. The real world is shit!

Mini schnauzer gets approx 1 mile in the morning and then again in the evening with us and then we pay for a dog walker to walk at lunch time but not sure how far buts it's a 20 min timed walk - so 3 times but not very far at each walk - at the weekends we might do a 3 miler

My 3 get an hour a day and they are fine 🤷‍♀️ 2 x 5 yo spaniels and 1x terrier. And judging from the amount of people with dogs I have never seen before when the weather is nice, I think we’re doing ok!

We have a 3 year old German shepherd. She usually gets at least an hour walk on a weekday morning, sometimes to the park where she can be off lead if there are no other dogs around, and we throw the ball. Or go to a little dog park where she can play with other dogs for 20 mins or so. If she gets one of these kind of walks then she is knackered by the time we get back home and will just need a 10/15 min walk in the afternoon to greet DS off the school bus (she loves this "job"). Otherwise she'll get another half hr in the afternoon.
On a weekend she'll usually get a good 90 min walk in the morning, and then will just snooze for the rest of the day. We don't have a garden though so we have to take her out a couple of times in the afternoon anyway for a toilet break, but walking her to the nearest grass patch outside doesn't really count as a walk!
Saying all that, if it's too hot, or I'm sick, extremely busy etc then she will get smaller walks every now and then, but as I am a SAHM I pretty much always have the time to give her a good walk. When she does get smaller walks she has a big sulk and has a lot of excess, mischievous energy, that it's usually easier to just walk her a bit more.

I asked someone this on a thread the other day where their dog was destructive and mouthy. Turns out it was a work breed spaniel who got 45 minutes on lead walking around the town a day. I was lambasted for saying that'll be why the dog behaves badly - apparently 45 minutes around town is more than adequate for a 3 year old working line spaniel...

I think a lot of people fail to realise a walk isn't just 45 minutes around the block or 2 hours along pavements. Yes, not everyone has access to open spaces and big grassy areas...but if you don't, then why get a dog that needs that? Why not get something like a pug or a Chinese crested...

I'm a single Mum so finding the time is often hard. However mine get at least 1 hr a day. Two on some days. On Thursdays they only get a short on lead walk but i try and make up for that elsewhere. I have a 10 year old lab and a 2 year old cockerpoo who is the laziest dog in the world but loves his walks.

5 year old Golddendoodle ( yes I know there's no such thing before anyone starts).

He gets 3 walks a day, probably a minimum of 1.5 hrs a day. Very occasionally 2 walks but that's rare. Quite often more.

He's a very well behaved placid dog because he's getting enough exercise.

Why does this phrase get trotted out all the time. Just because some people have got dogs and provide them with breed specific exercise and stimulation is not "virtuous". We got our dogs and recognise the commitment we made, thats all. We dont all have to work to the lowest common denominator.

for most dogs 3 lengthy walks per day is madness and just plain unnecessary. Lots of virtue signalling going on!

Yep, and generally all it does is create a dog who then needs hours of exercise in order to settle.

Yes, dogs need walks and yes, some breeds need more than others, but there are very, very few breeds who need hours upon hours of exercise everyday. If you want to give it to them that's of course fine, but it's not right to slam other people who don't (or can't) offer that.

There's also something to be said about the quality of the works plus what your routine is at home. A dog who is left alone all day probably does need more input than one who gets regular bouts of play and stimulation with their humans.

We got our dogs and recognise the commitment we made, thats all. We dont all have to work to the lowest common denominator.

This is the kind of comment that upsets people - not walking your dog three times a day for hours doesn't mean you're "working to the lowest common denominator" nor does it mean you're not a committed owner.

The vast majority of pet dogs do not need hours and hours of exercise.

We have a 14 month old Weimaraner who can never have too much exercise!
Generally I'll walk him for 90 minutes in the morning and DH will take him out for 2 hours late afternoon.
We're lucky that we live close to fields and woodland.
Always off lead except on the bridle way to the fields.
Lots of recall and directional training while he runs free.
Any less and he's a nightmare in the house.
Any more and he's ecstatic 🤩
He has boundless energy so needs it.
TBH most of the time it's a chore to get up and out with the faff of getting boots on, harness on, poopy bags and treats ready to go.
Usually the mornings involve me ringing DH to find the bloody whistle that he undoubtedly wouldn't have hung up the evening before.
How hard is it to put it back on its hook! 😡
Having said that, once we're out I can feel the endorphins kick in!

I’m glad there’s a mix of responses on this thread!

we have a just turned 5 year old lab/pointer. He gets somewhere between 45 mins - 1.5 hrs a day during the week, depends on if the stars are aligned. At weekend it will be 1.5 hours or 3-4 hours depending on what we do. He bounces around with the kids a fair bit and sniffs around the (large) garden.

Meanwhile living rurally I know a fair few people who never ‘walk’ their dogs!

and why such an issue now? if you’ve had the dog for 5 years

I have a perfectly well exercised dog - we’re at the beach or forest as well as the stables visiting the horses nearly everyday. This thread is just a prime example of owners needlessly over exercising their dogs and wanting the world to know about it. For lots of breeds walking + running for miles every single day is just asking for joint problems, it’s not necessary or recommended. Mental stimulation is so much more beneficial than pure exercise alone and most owners on this thread seem to be forgetting this - there is a happy medium.

Very well said. Quite a few getting their knickers in a twist! I must go and tell DDog that she’s neglected as I’m not dragging her out with me 3x per day..

i should have explained, my terrier is 11 and so i was concerned re your terrier, that i was doing wrong, i guess she would tell me, and understood it was over exercising in puppies that was the issue.
sometimes we go 3 miles down a cycle path and back but it knackers her

I don’t, really.. altho that honestly isn’t as bad as it sounds. They follow me around the farm/stables whenever I’m out doing jobs, which is much of the time, but there are no dedicated walks as such.
Both my ‘indoor’ dogs (11 yo cockapoo and 2 yo cavapoo) are very lazy, and will decline my invitation to join me outside whenever the weather is anything less than ideal… idiots 🤣 whereas my three farm dogs (nz huntaways) are like glue… unless the farrier has just been then they’re sneaking off all over the shop with bits of hoof!