All dogs need walking, don’t they?

[BruFord]

I only have experience of our current small breed dog so I have limited knowledge of how much exercise dogs need. But all of them need walking, don’t they? A quick online search tells me that they do, to a greater or lesser extent.

I’m wondering after a conversation with a friend who has two Lab mixes. Apparently, she doesn’t walk them, they run around in her large garden. They keep escaping though and my guess is that they’re bored and need more exercise.

We’ve always walked our small dog, he tires more easily now he’s older, but definitely still needs it. I find it bizarre not to walk a dog or use a dog walker if you can’t do it. Surely that’s the norm?

Well tbf an enclosed dog field isn’t much better for them than their own large garden, although it’s probably a change of scenery.

i used to watch some TV programme now heavily criticized, showing americans putting their dogs on a treadmill, instead of walking them outside

dogs need a sniffy walk also

For mental health, all dogs need walking. I do know a couple of ppl, friends of friends) who have a dog and they do not walk the dog ever. (2 different ppl and they don't know each other)

So both situations their dogs life is just in the house and garden. i do feel sorry for the dogs, what life they have. And both these owners are fit and healthy, one doesn't work. Its just laziness. Unfortunately like children cannot pick their parents,dogs cannot pick their owners. Those dogs have a sad life.

My dog looks forward to her walk all day and the thought of never taking her out ever / I wouldn't do that to her. Why give a dog a sad life 🙁

Have you tried talking to her? I’m afraid I’d be quite blunt about this, it’s a boring life for them.
My 12 yr old wee dog has lost his sight in the last few months and still enjoys a wander for his sniffs, it’s slow going but it brings him joy so off we go every morning.

I adopted an 8 year old dog last year who’d been confined to one room or a tiny g for the whole of her life. Never walked, vaccinated, socialised etc.
She absolutely loves her walks; because of zero recall I have her on a 10m longline. I throw her breakfast kibble for her to search out and she is a very happy little dog.

The basic tenets - literally the most fundamental things about dog ownership - are dogs need walking, food and love.

She's not 'odd', she's negligent and abusive - because failing to walk a high energy breed (labs are gundogs, it doesn't matter if it's a cross - it's still going to be energetic) is abuse - and quite honestly, I couldn't be friends with someone like that.

I hate to think about the sort of life those poor sosa are living. 🙁

Your friend is being mean and lazy @BruFord

Dogs love walks and it's good for their mental and physical health (& their owners, though your friend wouldn't know about that).

I would honestly go right off someone if I found out they never walked their dogs, it's a complete lack of empathy towards creatures that rely on their owners to give them a decent life.

Labs are the best.They come half trained so as long as you work on training every day they are a pleasure to walk and make the best companions in my opinion! Mine is the best running buddy and he's obsessed with water so I have to take him swimming at least a few times a week. You're lucky to have one.

Even my tiny 6kg dog needs a decent walk everyday. It's as much for mental stimulation as physical. She's not that interested in the garden, it's pretty boring to her but loves walks, sniffing, following scent trails, running around some woods, meeting other people and dogs. It's not always easy, I have a lot of health issues but it's always my priority.

I think whether a dog needs to be walked everyday or not is very lifestyle and breed dependent. Unfortunately the majority of dogs are shut up in houses most of their lives and their only chance to get exercise and stimulation is when we choose to take them out - so of course in that scenario a walk is essential.

But there are people who have lots of land or a very rural lifestyle and whose dogs don’t necessarily need to be walked everyday. I’m thinking about people who take their dogs to the stables and let them have free rein for a few hours, or farmers.

Your friend does sound like she’s lazy but there are many countries where daily dog walks aren’t the norm and there isn’t some kind of major epidemic of bad behaviour - so I think there are lots of ways you can raise a dog and it’s not as simple as “you need to walk them x times a day or you’re a bad owner.”

That’s a different scenario re farmers etc.

OPs friend just has a house with a garden and is being cruel, even if unintentionally.

absolutely all dogs need mental and physical exercise every day. I am of the slightly controversial opinion that if you can’t commit to walking your dog every day and you can’t commit to playing with your dog and giving it mental stimulation every day you shouldn’t have a dog. I say this is a person with limited mobility due to an ill illness, but I prioritise his exercise and it is actually really made a difference in my fitness. He has walked for a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour a day either at the beach in a plantation or out in the wild countryside. he then also plays outside every day and uses things like snuffle mats, et cetera he plays inside with the children and with us throughout the day his crate trained so spend some time sleeping in his crate when we are not at home a dog isn’t an accessory a person or a friend of course it can be a friend but first it is a dog and has needs that as the person who bought the dog you have responsibilities to maintain. It makes me so sad to hear about these labs, just running around in a garden. Labs needs so much stimulation and exercise they’re amazing dogs but the reason those dogs are escaping is because they’re bored stiff and I have too much energy.

Yes! My dog is never bothered about going out for walks, he was under house arrest for six weeks after surgery and he LOVED it, but he is otherwise walked twice daily. The only time he’s allowed to skip a walk is when it’s pissing with rain, because he really hates it.

By British standards, yes - but in many countries, daily walks aren’t a “thing” in the way they are here - the idea of dogs needing x amount of walks a day whatever the weather just doesn’t exist in a lot of places and the dogs are absolutely fine.

I’m not trying to be antagonistic and I’m not defending OP’s friend but I think this forum in particular can be really rigid when it comes to raising dogs and several walks a day often aren’t necessary and can even be problematic for anxious or reactive dogs.

I've known a lot of ppl who didn't regularly (or maybe ever) walk their dogs. Including large high energy dogs.

Most of the owners fall into 2 categories: Either very busy with work+ life or too disabled. One couple have time and a large piece of land yet still don't have the walkies routine.

Almost all of their dogs were pleasant and seemed as healthy as other dogs, tbh.

Am not defending their choices but I can't form strong opinions against their choices either because I can see that their individual dogs are as well as regularly-walked dogs .... except one of the disabled ladies, her small dog got quite porky & constipated. She got in Cinnamon Trust eventually, on Vet advice. One of the large dogs is quite territorial and goes for strangers, never learned to deal with them, so that's not good either.

I don't agree as think at least one daily walk is necessary for a well rounded dog. Other countries may not do that but that doesn't make them right and the UK wrong - plus we have a climate that makes it fairly easy.

My take on it is that dogs don't generally become anxious or reactive if they are properly socialised in the first place. And that socialisation involves giving them access to the outside world as puppies and allowing them to interact with other dogs and people - something they won't get being shut in their garden every day.

My dog is walked daily but he absolutely hates the rain/ wind and doesn’t want to go out in it. On those days we do brain games at home and he has our large garden to run around. Growing up though I lived in the country and we had 2 dogs that had free rein of our fields. I don’t remember them being walked that often.

I don't think it's as cut and dried as all dogs need walks.
I think reactive dogs can benefit from not going for walks. Not every day at least and not until they are ready.
It's the easier option to take them for a walk because I'm not suggesting you do nothing with them. But building confidence, giving them brain workouts can be harder than taking the for a walk.

The two cockerpoos that have recently moved to my area would be better off not being walked right now imo. Their owners are doing them nor the neighbourhood any favours by walking them, especially the late night walk. The barking is non-stop.
And I really didn't appreciate the one being allowed off-lead so it could run towards my dog barking its head off, causing her stress. And I doubt the boys riding their bikes thought much of it either.
Obviously they need to be desensitized so they can go out on walks but their owners clearly aren't going to be able to get them to that point. Don't know what the answer is.

What’s not to get? Your “ friend” is a lazy cow. Those dogs need to be walked. We have dogs and a huge garden but they get walked daily. I couldn’t be friends someone like that.

Me and DH have always walked our dogs no matter what the weather.

Our present rescue dog lived on a farm and was never taken out. They had a lot of land so he could run around and they did seem to love him (seemed upset when we took him).

When we first got him though he was scared of other dogs, people, cars, buses etc etc. He would sometimes shake and hide behind one of us. We gradually got him used to going out and now he loves his walks plus we often take him to cafes and restaurants and he is now so relaxed he will lay out on the floor of them and sometimes even fall asleep!

He gets at least 2 walks a day and gets excited when he know he is going out.

Our neighbour on the other hand has 3 dogs and never ever walks them. Our gardens are not that big but that is all they get. Two of them are always escaping as he can't be bothered to secure his garden properly. They must be bored out of their minds

yeah, occaisonally if there is really bad weather (like high winds that are considered danger to life) then there are other ways of providing mental stimulation. Physical exercise on its own doesn't necessarily tire them out. We play scenting games indoors.

I have a spaniel. I don't think I need to say anything more.

No, I’ve got a 100% hairless pug. She’sa rescue and incredibly traumatised. She needs to be kept warm and lived in a pile of blankets in my living room or bedroom. There isn’t a dog outdoor that exists that could keep her warm enough. Not to mention that she’s incredibly reactive of strangers. So she goes in a covered section of the garden to toilet and goes in car trips. In the height of summer she may sun bathe in the garden and we take her for occasional walks but she loathes being slathered in sun block so that also comes with challenges. She goes to my sisters house to see her dogs but she pretty much is a complete and utter lap dog. She plays with the other dogs, loves watching animals on tv and is very happy at home ….. outside she is a neurological mess that trails tribe and constantly screams and yaps and lunges. She’s 11 now and I gave her 8 extra years. She’s happy.

I think that’s all really easy to say if you own a dog that’s not reactive as a result of something that happened to them on walk. My dog was perfectly well socialised until two off-lead dogs attacked him, pinned him to the floor and bit him multiple times.

So while he enjoys his walks, he still finds it stressful if we meet certain breeds and really benefits from
a day or two off afterwards so he can decompress.

This next bit will be controversial but if people didn’t insist on locking their dogs up at home all day with no company or stimulation while they work, they wouldn’t need to rely on daily walks to keep their animals entertained.