Re: More people should get a dog

I hope you had a dog during that time?

Just think of the extra exercise you had with all the bending and poo picking ...Got to be worth a few extra fitness points..lol

Re: More people should get a dog

LOL...What a wag!...Aye I certainly was fitter then as She needed walked 3 times a day,but don't miss going out in the wind,rain and now snow brrr ;~)

Re: More people should get a dog

It's the mud gets to me even last quick dash out for their wee at night they have to be sluiced down and dried before bed. Rest of the weather with a good coat I can manage fairly well.

Re: More people should get a dog

As much as I'd love a dog, I work, so I can't.

It's walking and swimming for me for as long as I can manage it!

Re: More people should get a dog

Don't think there is a set time a Dog needs to be walked for, I took the dog to the next village yesterday to a field the size of four football pitches, she was as usual off the lead, she runs and dashes everywhere, she sniffs in the long grass around the perimeter allowing me to get about 100 yards ahead then sprints to catch up, I would deem 20 mins of this activity quite sufficient for the animal.

Re: More people should get a dog

No there is no set time, mine get what is appropriate and what is convenient each day, varies a lot from not very much to miles. I just keep an eye on how they are doing to judge it.

Re: More people should get a dog

Two 20 minute walks a day are more than sufficient for some breeds. Some breeds require more mental stimulation, some, physical. As Spitfire points out, personal circumstances are relevant too - you can mix things up by walking to a field and letting the dog run off lead for example. You could even drive to a park and let the dog run about while you do a lap or two around it (like my dad used to). So there are no hard or fast rules, just takes a bit of good sense.

Re: More people should get a dog

Absolutly true that one breed will need more stimulation than another.. But all dogs need toilet breaks..

I now have a jack russel cross ( the prize still there if you can guess what hes crossed with) and a beagle. Beagles are noses on legs and can get very destructive if they get bored..
We used to have a Border collie too and he was great at amusing himself.

My dogs get about 4 different types and locations of walk each week , from the local park on lead walk to a roam on a small out of town island with several streams to cross via a bridge plank or just by wading across. My beagle is nearly 14 and he is blind now but he is still allowed off lead when we do this walk because he knows it so well..

I do think encouraging people to get a dog hoping that it will encourage the people to walk is a bit silly and dogs bought for this purpose have a great chance of ending up in rescue once the owners resolve waivers.

Re: More people should get a dog

My little Dog gets plenty of walks and he’s as fit as a flea. He also gets plenty of mental stimulation as I’m teaching him Gaelic in the evenings, he can relax after his lesson when he has a saucer of Guinness for strength and then I tell him a few jokes before he hits the sack, a happy little chap is my Rocky II.

Re: More people should get a dog

LOL Elsie is learning to read we reckon, when we read a bedtime story to Grace Elsie lays next to her seeming to read every word along with us ! Mind if she did start talking we could be in the money