Walks

[ineedtostopbeingdramaticfirst]

Do you do different routes/places everyday or literally the same walk day in day out?

We are fortunate to live near a wood/canal/field. There's probably about 4 different routes you can take. We do this probably 10 out of 14 walks. The others are either dog walker or when we go out a bit further at a weekend. I just wondered if I should be mixing it up more. Dog is3.

We rotate through 6 or 7 regular places for main, off lead walks (daily). Each place has 3 or 4 routes so you can adjust the length/or difficulty.

Edited to add - they are all interesting places - forests, hills, nature reserves (well behaved dogs are allowed off lead), riverside. Lots of swimming and sniffy enrichment exploring opportunities for the dog.

Sounds fine. I think that if you do what works for you, and comes naturally for you, you are likely to be enjoining your walks more, which in turn filters through to your dog's enjoyment. Partly because you are more relaxed and partly because you are likely to spend longer walking if the set up is straightforward, relaxed and local.

We mix it up a bit. I don't drive and I live in a town centre, so all walks begin on my street. We can go left or right to start.

He needs about 20 minutes to empty his bladder and have a poo. We walk up the high street to a particular monument then back to achieve that. If I have time we can walk to one of a few parks not far away. This can take an hour or two. One park is fantastic and full of well-behaved dogs. There's a lake and some wooded trails.

I have never let my dog off lead. I am planning to do it soon, in coordination with a doggy friend in the building.

In the week we rotate through 4 different routes, we do more interesting stuff every weekend.
Easiest way to add “enrichment” for your dog is to change the route up a bit

During the week I do the same three walks: one along the beach in the morning, one through fields at lunch and one through woods (although I do a different version of the same loop, if that makes sense).

But on the weekend I make a point of taking my dogs to different places, even if that means driving an hour away to do different walks. I'll then stop on the way back and walk them around the town/get a coffee etc to drag it out. As PP saids it's a good way to socialise them and stimulate them

We rotate through about ten different walks on a regular basis, but will go further afield on nice weekends or if we're off work.

I try not to do the same walk more than two days in a row as I find if I do, he doesn't enjoy it as much and he doesn't seem to get as tired or as stimulated.

We're really lucky to be surrounded by tons of open space, beaches and woodland for walks though - it would be harder if we lived somewhere more urban.

We mix it up to a certain extent.

We have a youngish (2yr old) rescue who is still a work in progress so it's good for her to stretch

We live rurally so most days her walk is in fields, so it's helpful to walk in busy places, onlead/off lead, near cars etc to keep her skills up

We also find that she is used to bombing around in our field and it gives her bad habits if we don't mix it up. Even silly stuff that it helps keep her nails down as she's not walking on pavements enough. She started chasing bikes etc once she hadn't seen them for a few weeks.

Something like walking through town, walking round pets at home etc is much more mentally tiring for her but she does need some distance walks a few times a week

We do a similar route but there are options to take different paths off it. It's also a circular walk, so I will go one way one day and the other way the next time. I used to do the same walk every morning but I think my dog got a bit bored with it and would start to go off looking for things that would interest her (ie find stuff to eat).

Same walk that he loves most days combined with two other walks he’s not quite as excited about (he’ll try to pull to go the normal way, there’s rabbits,foxes dogs and cats and no doubt he’s got a new scent daily there!!) and on the weekend somewhere we have to drive to that’s newer for him

I have about 7/8 walks which I do regularly during the week but weekends we try to either go somewhere new or a further afield walk we don’t do too often. Mine needs the variation, he’s a young high energy dog so would struggle with same walks everyday

We let the Ddogs choose their own walk most days.
We live on the edge of town with countryside right on our doorstep (literally) so plenty of paths & byways giving them lots of choice.
Yesterday we went across a hill & fields with lovely views whereas Saturday they chose to go to a local park. Friday they just wanted to wander the footpaths and have a good sniff.🐶

We have about 8 routes for the daily walk and then aim to go somewhere different at the weekend.
They love new places and they definitely enjoy it more.
They are much naughtier in our local park that they have their second short walk in most days.

We mix it up, but if I let her have her choice she'd just drag me to the very same field each and every time.

I am fortunate that we have many different routes through the forest.

I try to vary the areas we walk so that we never do the same next day and often reverse the walk.

I sometimes do walks where I let him dictate the route even if we end up having to backtrack a bit because he love these as he gets to follow his nose.

I'm wary of livestock in fields so tend to stick to same handful.

I have 4 regular walks, and I let him choose. We go out at the same time each morning and he meets a couple of friends on one of the walks, so that tends to be his preference. Mostly off lead for about an hour and a half, including a swim and woods, so lots of tail wagging. I do wonder if I should give him more variety, but he's happy.

We mainly go to 3 places and then take different routes when we get there .

One walk every day is in our immediate neighbourhood and we have a few options. Two or three times a week we take one particular route and for some reason my dog loves that walk.

We also do a longer off-lead walk every day and we have quite a few possibilities: fields, woods, etc. For instance, yesterday we went to a gorgeous hilly area with trails, much beloved by horse riders and mountain bikers. My dog had a wonderful time running about (not near either the riders or the cyclists, of course!). One thing we take into consideration when planning a walk is whether there is a river or stream or whatever. My dog loves to swim so we have to decide whether a swim is something we want to incorporate into the walk that day.

We do the same walk every morning, the evening walk is a bit more varied.

In the summer it's easier to do some different routes in the evening because it's lighter and I'm not as nervous about getting mugged 🙈

He gets longer more interesting walks on the weekends.

I think ours would go to the same glen every day given the choice. There’s sticks, a river, sniffs, what’s not to like?

it tends to be more about our boredom that we go elsewhere.

she’s not keen on a sniffy walk round the block…

Weekday walks (3 a day) are one of a few routes from the house, but he dictates which one we're taking! Weekends we mix it up more and will drive somewhere for a much longer walk so he'll just have one and a quick evening one around the block for him to pee and pop again as won't go in our garden!

I let our dog choose his walk too. Sometimes he sticks to the woods near the house, other times he wants to go round the streets as well as the woods. Lots of sniffing, whichever route he chooses!

I like to mix it up. In the week it always starts from our house, but at the weekend we'll usually get in the car to go further afield. I'm very lucky that we can be in proper woodland in 20 minutes of walking, open fields in under 5 - or into our little town in 15 so lots of options

I mix it up but have a few regular ones. He gets 20 mins round the block on lead some days, but I do (on lead) pack walks, off lead woods and fields on his own, off lead with friends, and some longer on lead walks, all an hour or more, one each day. I like the variety and I think he does too. Lucky to have a good choice!

Weekdays I have 3 regular walks to country parks/ a dog friendly field. Which we do in the mornings and then have a shorter on lead street walk in the evenings. All of those I can vary the routes within them to some degree.

Weekends we'll always go a bit further afield either walk longer routes or go somewhere in the car. He loves to go somewhere new. He is always really enthusiastic to go in the car in case it's a new walk. Even a new car park he gets really excited over.

Some people I've noticed do appear to do the exact same circuit once or twice a day every day which I have no idea how they can stand that. I would be so bored let alone the dog. Maybe it's a sort of zoning out Zen thing pacing the same route repeatedly but it would not be for me. I love to find new walks and am always scoping out new places to go.