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?

I also think the same about people who have dogs but are out of the house all day. Unfair on the dog and the reason I haven't got one!

I have 2 dogs. One loves his walks but, due to age, he only wants 30 mins. The other is reactive and, unless you have truly had a reactive dog, you cannot understand the stress he has going out the front door. He is a border collie, his mum was a pet but his dad was a worker. He needs to work and his job is herding squirrels, planes and birds. He exhausts himself with his job. He is obsessed with water and has to go inside after 15 minutes with a hose on to stop him collapsing. He has training which he loves and games like "go find". 7pm every evening he puts himself to bed as he is fully satisfied with his days work and play. He is now 5 and hasnt been walked for 3 1/2 years. Until this boy id never had a truly reactive dog before and i would have agreed all dogs need walks but now i see its not so simple

The poor dogs. My previous dog lived until he was 14 and in the last couple of years he had arthritis in hospital back legs but he still loved his walks. He was out every day until he died, it was only 10 minutes towards the end but he would cry to go out. I think it's more about the mental stimulation than physical.

The dog I have now is a Chihuahua mix so very small but energetic and his walks are the highlight of his days. He gets at least an hour a day, sometimes off lead but he can be quite nervous and likes the security of being on a lead as he's scared of big dogs. He also runs about the garden and plays with his toys. I think it's cruel not to walk your dogs.

Labradors are intelligent retrievers. They are also highly social animals. They absolutely need new smells, new environments, new dogs to meet etc.

Daily walks are not the only way to do that though - in fact, I’d argue that walks are actually quite a lazy choice for many working breeds as they’d actually benefit more from something structured and focused.

Exactly. Too many think they have the right to own a dog regardless of their lifestyle - there are lots of ways to exercise and stimulate a dog that aren’t two prescriptive walks a day at times that fit in with human schedules.

My dog, a young terrier is walked twice a day for 45 to 60 mins per walk. He loves sniffing, nosing and barking at bins (hates bins!).
He is a rescue was rescued when he was 2. He had never been on a walk until we had him.

My boy doesn't get walked every day as he has phobias about literally everything. He is also very anxious and can't be walked around people as he acts very nasty around other dogs. But I take him to a nearby park and I pay for 30 mins exclusive use. He doesn't really play anymore as he is old, but he walks around it, surgically attached to my leg as he is too scared to run on his own. But I take him 3 days a week. When we get there I have to literally drag him out the car - but once behind the gates and in the field - I think he enjoys it.

Tbf, if there are 2 of them they will get plenty of stimulation and exercise, so long as the garden is a good size.

BUT some Labs are like Houdini, always looking for ways to escape.

We used to have one who would come back from a walk and immediately check that the gate had been closed properly in case she could get through it and go off on her own. She was one of a pair and the other would sometimes go with her but wasn't bothered about escaping herself.

I don't walk my 16 year old pom any more. He's arthritic and happy with a slow potter around the garden. He hides when you get his lead out and refuses to move if you do get him out the front door. It interrupts his napping too much!

Exactly. Yet it should meet the threshold imo.
I couldn't be friends with someone like that.

Agreed.

Yes, of course. Otherwise how are they going to read their pee-mails?

I had a reactive rescue and managed to train him. He was never happy inside with other dogs though so couldn't take him to the pub. The rescue totally minimised his reactiveness. They probably just wanted rid. I trained him within a couple of weeks as had the time. No one thought I could when they saw how he behaved. Hysterical when he even saw a dog in the distance. I had him until he was 16. He was the most loyal intelligent boy. Loved his walks and his family.

I emphasise with you. It's so stressful.

My current Lab is gun-shy so doesn't work in the true sense although I very much do 'work' him as they do need to still get the stimulation and satisfaction from work. Mine's excellent at water retrieval so I'll run several KM up the canal towpaths and have him work on his retrieval all the way back down. He loves the water and the satisfaction of retrieving as that's what he was bred for. He's also very keen to please, as are most Labs. Having a well trained dog also means they are a pleasure to walk as you don't need to worry about them running away and can trust their recall.

We walk our dog every day, sometimes twice a day and often. The minimum time we walk with him (during the winter) would be an hour.

I don't understand people who get dogs but don't walk them. Unless the dog is injured or elderly or doesn't want to walk.

We walk our dog in summer, too in the shaded woods nearby.

Someone once said to me (long before we had dogs!) that walks are the best part of a dogs day and they look forward to going out so much. We (as humans) have our own freewill to come and go as we please but dogs can only do what we do with them.

So even when I absolutely cannot be arsed to get my waterproofs on, get the dogs all ready and go out in the freezing cold, rainy, miserable UK (3 times a day!), I know that it's non negotiable and the choice I made when I took on 3 dogs.

Without exception, once we are out and I see them running around, tails wagging, sniffing, jumping in rivers and digging holes, it makes me so happy (even if I know the house is going to be filthy and stinky with wet dogs and muddy paws when we get back).

If you don't take them out (when you're able and capable of going out yourself) then I would class that as abuse.

And lab mixes too.... Fucking cruel.

It is because it's full of interesting smells & often another dog in the next field they enjoy running up & down the fence line with.

Well yes, they definitely need exercising. My dad has a disability and he couldn’t walk the dog but they would go down to a nearby field and he would use a ball thrower so the dog got lots of exercise. Doggo would also enjoy a lovely meander round the edges of the field so he got plenty of stimulation.

I don’t really understand why you’d have a dog if you weren’t prepared to give it daily exercise.

I have two "truly reactive dogs" (both rescues) and they still get walked 2-3 times a day. They both come from working backgrounds. One is an ex hunting dog and the other is a gun dog.

Until this boy id never had a truly reactive dog before and i would have agreed all dogs need walks but now i see its not so simple

It's not simple. In the early days we had to walk all our (3) dogs separately as it was too much walking them together. We also spent a lot of time and money on training. Now they can all be walked together and yes, it's fucking ridiculously difficult at times (especially if one sees something of "prey" or hears a car backfire / gunshot on the moors) but "playing with a hose pipe" and ""herding planes" is not sufficient stimulation and exercise for any dog. Never mind a border collie.

I cannot believe you haven't walked him in 3.5 years. Fucking hell.

Because they want a cute puppy / dog to take photos of for Instagram probably.

It's such an odd thing. I like dogs but I personally can't be bothered with the effort of looking after a dog. So I don't have one. Simple.
I don't understand why anyone who doesn't want to put in the effort would get a dog. It's so unfair and cruel to the dog. Yet so many people do it!!

That's why I used the word "usually" to indicate that there can be other reasons for dogs to become reactive but it's often the fault of poor early socialisation.

I don't know about the last paragraph - I don't work but still think my puppy would get bored with only me for company all day. I'm a big part of his world but I also want to teach him there's a big other world out there.

We kept collies when I was growing up and I'm not convinced they make good pets at all. They're working 'one man' dogs best suited for farmers and people who lead very outdoorsy lifestyles. My husband and I have discussed having one in the future when the kids have left home and we have more time to spend in the great outdoors but wouldn't consider it otherwise. I don't generally think it's fair on the dogs. I'd also include huskies here. Bred for pulling sleds over very long distances, not for having a potter through a housing estate up to the local park.

@kaylot
Ive worked and had my own reactive dog, not walking him in 3 yrs is very poor. The planes and hoses are only fuelling anxiety, the aim with reactive dogs is to integrate them out into the world, what you’re doing is just lazy avoidance. He’s collapsing exhausted because he’s over stimulated, get your dog some proper help, poor boy.