Do you walk your dog when it’s pouring all day?

[moodiemoo]

It’s pouring with rain so I don’t want to go out, but I’m feeling guilty. I have a doggy raincoat I can pop on him so that’s no issue, I’m just feeling bleh and the rain isn’t exactly motivating. Do you trudge out regardless?

Sorry @Killingoffmyflowersonebyone you're quite right! I was reading one post and responding to another in my head 😂

Our dog needs encouragement to go out in the rain and hates to wear a coat. He also will refuse to go out when it’s very hot by refusing to move until you take him back in. Absolutely loves a frosty morning or a snowy day. But the rain & heat no! I think it’s fine not to do something your dog doesn’t like.

It depends on the dog! I wouldn't feel particularly guilty about them missing the odd walk, as long as they are the type of dog that is happy pottering at home.

Of course.

and yes my dogs have coats - ' summer ' rain coats i.e. waterproof but not warm, ' spring/autumn ' rain coats i.e. waterproof and lined for a bit of warmth and ' winter ' raincoats - fleecy lined waterproof and winter coats just for the cold but not waterproof.

Just like I have ' dog walking ' coats for all seasons too.

So yes my dogs have 2 good walks twice a day, the only exception is if it is too warm for the 2nd one, if so we go out much later i.e. 8pm.

It's just part of my life and has been for 30 years - different dogs of course.

See this just shows that different dogs, even within the same or closely related breeds like & dislike different things, because my spaniel won't even walk through a puddle unless she absolutely has to! Yet spaniels are renowned for being 'water dogs'.
She's not bothered in the rain but will only go in any water, and then reluctantly, if I do, or if she is going in after a ball or there's something on the other side she wants like a small furry or a bird. And even then she'll stand and whine at the edge until she realises if she wants it, she's going to have to get in!

If she hasn’t had a walk the previous day then yes, but it’s usually a quick one! The beach in pouring rain is quite invigorating, plus nobody else is there so she can have a good run. We have a golden retriever who’s generally not too fussed about walks as long as she has human company. She’s quite happy to just do whatever we’re doing, if that’s chilling on the sofa then she’ll be happily sitting beside us all day chewing on a bone. She’s easy going!

My MN unpopular opinion is that most dogs don’t need walked every single day! A trainer of ours actively encouraged a rest day with sniffy activities, training etc at home to keep their brain busy instead.

My dog refuses to go out in the rain. Its rare that it's raining literally all day though.

It depends on the breed- my dog hates the rain, makes no difference to her behaviour etc, and doesn't like a rainy walk- the friends dog I look after when they go away on the other hand, rain or shine needs two good walks a day, and would climb the walls otherwise. I do it diligently when dog sitting- but I agree with my dog, a cuddle on the sofa is much better in the rain! In fairness where I live though is pretty mild- so there would normally be even on a wet day a bit of dry time to pop out for a short sniffy walk

Dog hates rain - I just wrestle him into his raincoat and he sulks beside me. Have a towel ready for when you get back to avoid having your hallway spattered with dog droplets ;-)

Nope. My dog hates the rain. And sometimes, I skip a day (so what?)
My dog is happy, healthy and gets lots of stimulation at home so I don't feel the need to walk him every day.

Mine hated the rain would literally hold her owe till she couldn't anymore and had to go out in the rain would of been no chance of getting her to go for a walk . I wouldn't feel guilty for not going unless you have a very high energy dogs that needs to burn it off

I have a tidy, self-cleaning border terrier who thinks it is abject cruelty to go out in the wind/rain. He won't bear the indignity of a coat and will happily miss a walk in favour of a little game of keep-away, and maybe having one of his meals rolled up in a towel to keep him busy.

Regrettably I also have a curly-coated sponge cockapoo who needs a good run off lead daily to stop him getting into mischief and being a massive PITA. He'll wear whatever wet weather gear I can get onto him but he'll soak up gallons of muddy water anyway.

If it's light rain I do our usual field walk and just wear the right gear - but if it's really hammering down, it might be a 15 min gallop round the village. Which the curly fool will spend mostly objecting to being on a lead by barking, cavorting, plunging and pulling like a knobhead whilst the terrier cowers in the rain and pretends he doesn't know either of us.

All I can say is, that's not how they see it: they know when the day starts and ends, and they understand their routine. It keeps them settled. They're out at least once a day, almost always at least twice, and often 3 times.

How much they get is variable. Some days they might only get 50 mins total. Other days they might get three hours. Usually they get somewhere between 90 mins and two hours.

It's a bit like training. I do a little bit on almost every walk I take them on, plus usually a 10-30 minute session each day, which I find more beneficial than having one long session a week.

It's not just the amount, it's how it's distributed.

These threads are like the sleep threads for babies.

A group of posters who thinks you ‘just’ need (or have to) to do <insert activity>.
And the other group saying ‘it’s more complicated. Not all dogs/babies are the same’.
With a nice layer of judgemental attitude from the first group.

😁😁😁

We actually did end up going out when it seemed like there was a pause in the rain, the pause lasted exactly until we were past the front gate. I appreciate the nuanced responses. My guilt became too strong when I saw the break in the rain (not guilt from posters but my own guilt from nowhere 😅), but I kept the walk short as I have little energy today. He’s now back to snoozing. He was happy to go but I think he would have been happy either way 🤷🏻‍♀️

See, this is what I've been led to believe too.

I purposefully never gave my dog a set routine because I didn't want to be in a situation where they were whining or pestering or unable to settle because I couldn't walk them at a set time for whatever reason.

It means at weekends he's happy to lie in until 11am even though he's up at 6am in the week. He doesn't mind if we don't go out for a walk until after lunch but he's equally happy if I take him out before he has his breakfast.

@EdithStourton see, i purposefully never did any kind of routine because I didn't want a dog who could only settle if we'd done certain things at certain times.

If the dog is up for it, ours was, we would. Once you are soaked through you can't get any wetter and skin is waterproof anyway! 😂

Dog walking isn't easy - wet weather, very early mornings/late nights when too hot, walking about fields in the dark in autumn/winter, sometimes snow....... and all carrying a bag of shit around! Then there are the piles and piles of dog towels to dry off wet dog 2-3 times a day.

Miss it all so much since our old boy died last year!

I agree.

My dog absolutely hates the rain and sometimes I have to override my guilt and do what’s best for her by not making her go out for a walk.

I love walking in the rain but I’m not going to make my dog suffer if it’s too wet, too hot or too cold just to appease my own guilt.

I think you did the right thing by a short walk when it stopped raining.

Judging fair weather dog walkers? I’ve heard it all now.

We do take ours out in the rain. He’s a golden retriever, a breed quite well known for not liking to toilet in their own back garden. They don’t tell you THAT in the puppy books.

I would, but she absolutely hates the rain and it's all I can do to get her out for a wee. I've never been a fair-weather walker and all our previous dogs were fine in wet weather, but our current dog gains nothing from plodding round after me with a face like thunder.

No longer a dog owner but, yes, we walked her in all weathers. If you're not feeling well could someone walk it for you?

One of ours won't pee or poo in our garden so you have to walk him no matter the weather so he'll go. He's a rescue street dog so he doesn't mind being out in any weather and he loves getting towel dried when he gets home on a wet day because it's extra cuddles.

My dogs have always usually liked a rainy walk. If you have the right clothes it’s fine. Fewer people about too, which is a bonus. Depends on the dog though - you know if they’re hyped up and need to burn off energy.

We had jobs and DC so we had no choice. The dog walks had to be slotted in. We quite like a routine ourselves, though it does change with the seasons, and the dogs aren't so rigid that they can't handle being walked at 8.30 rather than 7, or 2pm rather than noon. There's just a pattern to their day, which has a degree of flex and variability to it.

And yeah, I do judge people who only walk their dogs when it's above 10C and not raining....