The walks aren't a problem it's the cleaning up afterwards.
A 45 min walk followed by a half hour cleaning session x 3 times a day and that's half a day gone this isn't accounting for the time taken to wash wellingtons and muddy clothes.

The mud is over my ankles in the field gateway and although Chloe will walk through the shallow flooded stream she won't walk in the deep mud having once got stuck so I have to carry her across and get another layer of mud on myself . I have never known the mud to be as bad as it is this year due to the fact it has rained practically every day since the end of October.

Roll on spring, only three months to go

I know where you are coming from Pidge and used to often feel quite overwhelmed with the amount to be done in such a short space of time when I lived alone and worked full time. Thankfully, since getting married, moving to the farm and giving up work I do have a little more breathing space - although Ben and the dogs still take up just about all of my time and the house is never as clean and tidy as I would like it!

It's really dark on the canal unless it's a full moon, but I do it coz the dogs get 30 mins off lead on the canal, then we go on the road. They are lit up with flashing things on their collars and I have a torch, Mark goes mad at me going on the canal but I do bump into the same people going to work on their bikes every morning and the odd dog walker so I'm not totally alone.
Much prefer walking in daylight though, the amount of poo I stand in on the canal is disgusting
I guess now my daughter has grown up apart from my hubby the only joy I have is the dogs and as I work full time I just would feel so bad if I didn't walk them coz it's dark if that makes sense. They are so good when left too. At weekends they are more than happy with 2 walks spread out over the day, they are so lazy and half the time I come back at lunch they are asleep
Roll on Summer though (fingers crossed we get one next year)

Our routine in the winter is the same as it is all year round. We just get on with it really.

I work full time and get up at 5.45am and take the dogs straight out for a 20 minute walk round the block for the toilet and to stretch their legs, then they get their breakfast. I then get ready for work.

My granpa then takes them out for about an hour in the morning, and around the block at lunchtime. Sometimes he takes them for a longer walk up the hill or a longer lunch time walk as well.

In the evenings, I give them their tea when I get home from work and about 1.5 to 2 hours after that, I walk them again for 45 minutes to an hour usually, sometimes it's only half an hour though, depending on the exercise they've had during the day. In the cold dark days/nights they have their Equafleeces on and their disco light dog tags, and we are well wrapped up too.

Last week I was up at 5am all week as I was working a 48 hour week.

At the weekend I take them for their longer walk in the mornings, and in the afternoons/evenings.

They get loads of play and training in between too.

Between my granpa and I, we have got a good routine established and the dogs always take priority over ourselves. Even for him at 74, they do. He doesn't mind the bad weather at all, and up here in Scotland we get a lot of that.

Oh, and don't forget the cleaning and washing in between!

I don't always like the bad weather, but we just get on with it.

It's all just part of dog ownership and you just have to do it, no choice. The dirt/mud/hair is all just part of it and I find two dogs very easy to deal with, even in winter, and I would love a third dog.

So, to summarise, our winter dog ownership is near enough the same as it is in the spring/summer.

Paul does the early and late walk and I do two more in the daytime. I'm the lucky one as I get to do the farm walks and I love it.
I don't know how she does it, but nothing seems to stick to Missy. Must be a self -whitening coat

Sounds like here actually. The only bit winter affects here is that if I take them to the beach I need to do it before it gets really dark, only because I need to see the ground properly as cannot risk going over in the shingle or getting hung up on fishing line.

I have two dogs, small ones yes, and cream carpets but there is no problem. I haven't washed my hall floor ever, not since the house was built in 2004 lol. I have dirtrapper mats at the front door and the back door.

In winter they just are't allowed to use the big patio doors as the dining room is carpetted.

Oh, and having Reynaud's (which means my hands cannot get cold or it is very painful) I have to make sure I am wearing my sheepskin leather gloves as always. So all it means is I can't take as many pics for you lot as can't push the buttons with my gloves on lol.

If anything here they get a better lot of walks as can go on the main beach, whereas in the summer they can't.

Cards, baking, me time has to come after my dogs. Same as when I had horses, the animals come first.

In fact here are my two winter doglets, right now. Lying in front of the fire, pooped after our third walk today, as I drink my cuppa. Scuse my pink trousers and Eddie's pink balls.

Winters a doddle when you have a fire say the dogs.

I don't mind it...... it's a good job really living with Cosmo, but it really doesn't get me down or bother me in the slightest, I prefer it to walking in the heat.

Only another 12 or so more years of that to go then.

I have to say that it doesn't bother me. On a lot of mornings in winter the ground is frozen, so no mud. Also my Lab will swim of his own free will year round so rarely comes home caked in mud. His coat means that doesn't get soaked through either. I don't bother drying him most of the time as he doesn't nead it.

My Bo is a leggy girl and doesn't get too muddy on her undercarriage either. Her very short fur means that mud can't really stick either. Even if it does, it falls straight off when it dries.

Tilly is walked separately from the other two every day. She isn't a fan of mud or cold so I tend to do the same walk with her up one of the local farm tracks; no mud. She is in season though at the moment and is staying in, anyway.

I'm lucky that if I have to walk them in the dark, I can just let them off on the single-track road (with one house at the top) just a few minutes from my house. It is a long track with fields and woods on either side and is quite well illuminated.

Good grief! Have you been sticking Edward in a grow bag every night! Look at the size of him! And his pink hairless balls!

Yep, the dogs always come first in this house too.

Are the dirttrapper mats any good?

my lot are hibernating

when I do drag them out they avoid mud like the plague if they can, but on the odd day its unavoidable, but hey ho thats life,

lol pidge there was me thinking your were the queen of organised as well.

when you think about it, you should really have more time for yourself in the evening? I tend to think we spend more time out and about with the dogs in the summer when the nights are lighter?

or maybe thats just me, when my lot come out of hibernation lol.