i would agree with quality over quantity. now it's dark i have the choice of walking around the pavements, which i could do for hours if i choose too or to go to a local small park that is right next to the sports centre. the astroturf is floodlit and illuminates the park quite well. we spent about 45 minutes there last night kicking a ball around and playing chase (much to the amusement of the footballers ).

I wonder how much the season or the weather effects our walks. Clearly in Summer, long evening walks are a “must” but should it really change in Autumn or Winter? How many people cut short a walk because it is raining, or frosty or cold or just downright dismal? How many hour walks get reduced to 30mins because it is pouring down with rain. How many dogs get fatter over Winter?

personally i still take my dogs out whether it's cold, raining or frosty. but i have to think of our safety in the winter. our normal walks are in isolated areas, fine in daylight as other dog walkers are around, not so good when it's pitch black. plus i like to be able to see my dogs and know exactely where they are. that isn't possible in the dark!

I think its us humans who tend to beat ourselves up if WE feel the dogs haven't been out long enough, I know I do...OH walks my 2 in the morning for about 40 mins, this really grates me as I feel its not long enough, especially cause we both work, madam though doesn't really enjoy being walked she is more made to do it, Inka on the other hand could run all day, when I take them out in the evening I make sure we're out for a good hour and a half, missus chases her ball for the most of that and Inka the rabbits n squirrlies, they have an odd treat and a cuddle on the way just so they realise I'm still there lol, I FEEL BETTER KNOWING THEY'VE BEEN OUT, I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY DO ! when we get back, its dried off, then prepare their dins, you would think because the wee one isn't too keen on being out she'd be knackered after a good run but no, its attention attention attention till 9 o clock, if we ignore she tries to chew the new glass t.v shelves, replaced twice cause she wrecked the original plastic one, got a cheap one just incase she hadn't grew out of that stage yet, went on to eat that one, now have a glass one, she hates it, sits in front of it whining, tries to get in between the shelves, knocks the phone off the hook, it seems to be her focus point in the livingroom, when we're in the kitchen usually she will settle and lie either in her crate or on the floor, even if we are just sitting chatting at the table so its not like because I'm cooking or being busy and ignoring her she is settleing , she turned 2 on the 19th OCT you'd think that lazy bullie switch would have turned on by now lol
To get back to walks as John says it depends on the individual, but if anyone can throw in a way of getting Toro to settle at night that would be great too lolllll

The season definitely affects my walks!! In spring/summer I can go on the beach every morning and evening, and don't have to tramp around the pavements.

In the autumn/winter, I have no choice but to do pavement walks, round the houses where we live. There is nowhere to give the dogs a run when it is dark.

Coupled with the fact that my dogs hate pavement walking, refuse to go out in the rain or very cold weather, means that if I insist on taking them out, I'd have to physically drag 10 stone of Boxers round for a couple of miles on their bottoms! Not fun for anyone

Instead, we play games in the garden and house, and they can have a run around then!

i am feeling guilty this week over this, am down with the flu, and i physically don't have the energy to take the dogs out, on the plus side i have been at home the last couple of days and we have had lots of play and training around the house. The dogs don't seem any more hyper for it, and are currently all calm and crashed out, i will make it up to them at the weekend when they are all off to Druridge for NESSR's halloween do, so will be able to romp on the beach to their hearts content.

When normal service is resumed mine get around 30mins in the morning on lead around the streets and then about an hr off lead running up the woods on an evening (head torches are great inventions), i also make a point of giving them 1 day off a week as, as is the case this week you don't know when circumstances are going to dictate you can't do it, and you need them to be able to settle this works for us and i don't have hyper monstrous dogs.

Well our pair go to the park everynight for 40mins of running round and letting off steam. this can be a bit longer in the light nights for the simple reason there are more people about and we stop more often. The morning walks stop in the dark mornings because i just dont feel safe walking in the woods on my own in the dark! Instead we have garden play time which they both prefer to lead pavement walking which just seems to wind them both up.

Of a weekend we go somewhere different for a longer walk in the day and they still have an evening run round the park if we have time and they feel up for it.

Esme,
All these posts give sound advice. But you must measure what is possible and what is not. A dogs life depends on what the owner is capable of in terms of age and facilities.
Textbook stuff is for the classroom not practice.

I also live in a world of compromise. There are no nice woodland walkies for my dogs round here, no Yellow Brick Road to visit the Wizard of Oz, just walkies.

I would also love to live in a rural setting where all is beautiful, but I live in a concrete jungle and so do my dogs like countless millions of others. We are happy in life, nothing is perfect.

So, I give my dogs the best I can and we all live happily ever after like Little Red Riding Hood.

Like I said, do what you are able to, don`t worry, nobody is going to die through lack of exercise. In fact they may benifit. Machines that go flat out all the time, go bust long before those that tick over gracefully.

John Bull

for my lot its quality, they love new places, so I try to give them varied walks, in diff places, where they meet diff dogs, see diff animals in the fields and so on,

Well, I think there has to be a balance between quality and quantity but if our dogs are relaxed and happy I'd say we have the balance right.


My standard walks are the same length, winter or summer and don't get cut short for weather (actually yes they do - in for extreme heat, not that that happens often where I stay).

But the dogs do get extra exercise in the summer for two main reasons (1) if its a nice evening I'll often take them out for an additional walk (2) Hoki in particular does a lot of swimming in the summer but I don't like her going in the river over much of the winter - not always because its too cold, but because of the force of the current with the extra rain.