I wasn't one of those who said to get a cat. However, I can understand the sentiment (in certain circumstances) as you can have a cat and let it roam at will outdoors. I don't think anyone is saying get a cat and keep it indoors. I know some people have indoor cats that never go out, but I don't really agree with that.

That is so true ... if you lived on the West Coast of Scotland (or in fact the NW of England as I used to) you would NEVER walk your dog if it didn't like going out in the rain

I wouldn't say it is necessarily *cruel* as such, but it wouldn't be for me. If I had a cat again, it would definitely get to roam outdoors.

I also don't really like caged birds ... but that is just me.

I wish people wouldn't bow out of discussions, or feel they have to. The fact that we all have differing opinions is what makes a forum lively and interesting. If we all agreed all of the time it would be incredibly dull!

I don't really think that's fair Luke, I couldn't find anything in that post that was patronising. I really do think this was just a case of one person trying to help another.

I do agree that if you persevere, you can convince a dog to like wet walks. Pickles was always one to hate walking in the rain. I think if he had his way, he would never have gone out when it was raining. Truth be told though, I think those regular wet walks was part of the reason he lived to be 15 (ish). He had such a dodgy heart that had he not gone out 3-4 times a day without fail, he would've left us a lot earlier than he did. In his older years I bought him a rain coat, he wasn't impressed, but I really do believe that sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind.

What's not fair about it? To me, and others whom i've spoke too via PM, it seemed patronising. As was mentioned earlier we all have different opinions and views on things
What I do not think is fair is almost looking down upon or criticising a situation or lifestyle which one can only observe via what they are told on the net. I read many posts about the way other members keep their dogs etc etc which make me raise an eyebrow as personally i'd disagree, but I feel it not my place to pry beyond the realms of how personal a forum should get
But again, just my opinion which Im entitled too. Just as others are theres, that I should drag a dog out who will scream her head off and cling to the ground when offlead, and run home if I let her off..in the rain. However, forcing a dog to do anything is not for me. Thanks

My Westie hated rain and in the past, given the choice, she wouldn't have went out and probably wouldn't be as healthy as she is now (sorry if I'm repeating myself).

I persevered by encouraging her out in the rain and giving her treats and praise when out. Also doing her tricks while out in the rain, followed by treat and praise and eventually, not after long, she was fine once she was out and actually enjoys running through the puddles now.

They now have a couple of Equafleeces which are fantastic as they keep the dogs dry inside and they're able to run around with them on without them hanging off. They wash up brilliantly and dry so quickly. Best coats I've ever bought them.

It was so funny when Roxy wore the coats with the velcro strap undereath. She ran riot and eventually the strap underneath came loose and she looked like Batdog. I ended up taking the thing off her.

Now, she loves nothing better than to go in the dams, in the rain, with her Equafleece on. Much to my displeasure but it's so funny to watch. She's a nutter!

Running through big puddles like a nutter, complete with Equafleeces on, is also now a favourite of my two, I have since discovered. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

What I won't do is mollycoddle my dogs to the point where they decide when they want to go out, or not, as the case may be, which is possible with Molly. In reality, every walk won't be a dry one so she'll just have to put up with the rain, I'm afraid. It's only water and she'll be dried up when she gets in. Plus we won't be out for hours if it's teaming down.

If it's really wet and I have the time to wait for the rain to ease a bit before a walk, then I will but that's not always possible so sometimes our walks are in the rain.

Walking in the rain doesn't even bother my 73 year old granpa, he just gets his waterproofs on and goes. He hates fairweather dogs walkers as much as me! Also, if he has the time to wait for the rain to ease, he will, but again, it isn't always possible with him either!

It's easy for some dogs not to want to go out in the rain, but if you stick at it from day one then hopefully they won't mind the rain, or at least learn to put up and shut up!

Hmmm...based on your posts I somehow doubt this


I enjoy walking in the rain as do my thick coated dogs. However, I should imagine that dogs who hate the rain find even less pleasure in it when they are dragged along until their paws are raw, which some previous posters have indicated.

Good post, marred latterly , as many are, by extremists.

Nah, we live in Scotland, it's called reality! If I didn't walk the dogs every time it rained, they wouldn't be walked enough. Walking a dog in the rain isn't extreme and like I've said, if I had time to wait until it maybe eased a bit, I would do, but unfortunately that isn't always the case.

It's easy to pamper a dog to the point where Precious doesn't want to go out in the rain. Now, I'm not including dogs who have possible genuine fears of the rain, such as associations with rain while living rough on the streets. Obviously other factors are involved that we may never know of and can only take a guess at.

For example, my Roxy who was a stray for a while before I took her in refused to go out in the dark at night. We can only assume that it's because she was perhaps chucked out at night and left. We'll never know. At first, I picked her up and took her out (probably the wrong thing but hey ho).

I sat outside for ages in the dark with her, gave her treats, cuddles and just sat and spoke to her to try and help her realise that she was being brought back inside with me and that she wasn't going to get put out the house.

After about a week (can't remember exactly), Roxy willingly went outside and the first time she did that she got so much praise she leaped in to the air and was really happy. A proud owner moment, that was!

Sometimes now at night she's just a lazy buggar and takes her time to shift her backside off my bed to go for her last tiddles of the day. Once she's up and out she's fine.

Well if Dusty goes out in the rain for too long all her undercarriage gets soaked, literally like a sponge and she sit by the fire shivering when she gets in, most coats for her are a pain in the ass and slip over her short forelegs if she tired so much as to move faster than normal walking pace, she has clothes but ever single item i have had to tailor to fit her myself, take it in (as if it fits her deep chest its too short for her long body, if it fits her long body it's far to baggy) so quite frankly i'm not fussed about teaching her to like it.

As for the others, they will go out in it and trot along beside me, but they don't play or chase or have fun when I let them off, they just walk beside me, i'd rather wait 'til it stops so they have a good play about, maybe just me but that's what I do.

Bear is different, you have to body barge him out in the rain but once he's been out for about 10 minutes he forgets it is raining and will have a play about, but seeing as he's the only one - it's a play about he has on his own.

Sadie is old and unwell and her maximum walks now are about 20 mins, and I don't particularly want her going out in the rain and getting soaked through if i'm honest.

Every dog is an individual, if they don't like it they don't bloody like it, end of.

As an afterthought and a bit of a brag, my 3 and Bear were at the vet last week for their annual check up (all 4 together, never again, what a palava) and the vet commented on how fit they all were and how nice it was to see dogs which were not overweight, especially spayed/neutered dogs as this is when it tends to creep on.

On another note she also commented on how nice it was to see such a variety of breeds and all getting on so well, I said it's easy for you to say that now they know I have a pocket full of hotdogs and you don't live with the monsters! Have you ever seen an adolescent male Rottweiler trying to hump a weim, a mini dach and a border/springer cross all at once?