There are lots of studies done why dogs bite. Dog who are nervous bite, dogs who are supremly confident do not feel threatened and therefore do not feel the need to bite. Dogs react with fear to situations that they are not familiar with, so socialization should cover as many situations as possible. A well socialized dog is a confident dog who has experienced lots of things and also knows that they can trust their owners judgement on new situations.

Therefore it is logical that a dog who has not been taken out and socialized will be nervous of many situations, has not learnt that things can be new but not scary and are therefor more likely to bite when they feel scared.

There is a lot of reasearch that has shown the importance of socialization.

I sort of agree but that assumes all dogs start in their homes from the same point in their development and the home they are in is all they have ever known, all my dogs have been rescues. They come with baggage and between us we work out what they need and make them as happy as possible. One of mine hates walks even before I became disabled she loathed walking but give her a ball and she will run and retrieve for hours. The other doesn't like people and given what he may have been through I understand his mind set. Why upset them both by forcing them to walk when they love their lives anyway.

Dod walkers have been mentioned at nearly £20 an hour when I earn minimum wage that is completely not going to happen. Not that I would trust anyone else with them anyway !

I'm not aiming my comments about walking dogs at you...especially as i did not see your original post. But i think if you have a pup then it is your responsibilty to walk and socialize them so that they become well rounded dogs. of course dogs come with baggage, but where ever possible i think they should be walked and it can help with problems that they have.

Not all dog walkers cost that much. I shopped around looking for someone to walk Tonks on a friday when i have to go into work and the most important thing was finding someone who was as passionate about using positive methods as i am. The person i found turned out to be cheaper than most at only £10 a walk.

I put off getting a dog until i had a partner who could share the costs as i decided that i could not afford a dog by myself. Of course very individual is different, but where ever possible i think dogs should be walked regularly.

My bitch can be agressive (through fear) and it is totally because she was not walked, exercised, socialised for the first 5 yrs of her life, she was shut in a house, ... there is no other explanation!

Julie, I`m not making a personal attack on you or criticising you - I don`t know you or your circumstances, and anyway - why should you care what I think! I simply believe dogs should be walked. Of course there are situations where they can`t be - for instance when too old or too aggressive - but surely you will agree this is less than ideal?

I wasn't taking it as a personal attack, thought we were just having a discussion

All I am trying to say is it depends on the dog and the owner, saying it is wrong and people should not have dogs if they can't walk them would throw so many animals into rescue and break so many dogs hearts and their owners too I felt I needed to put the other side of the argument.

We don't live in an ideal world if we did I would be able to walk everyday so we all have to do our best at the end of the day.

Making blanket statements saying people are bad for wanting a dog if they can't walk them helps no one least of all the dogs that condemns to kennels and euthanasia.

My next door neighbours have 4 dogs, and they are never walked.

They are let out to run round their land (about 1.5 acres) and sometimes taken to the stables with her, but that is it.

They have 4 "active" breeds as well - a Springer, a Cocker, a Border Terrier and Jack Russell

I'd say that 70% of the time the dogs are locked in the garage/workshop at the bottom of the garden, even when the owners are in the house. I can hear them barking when I go to sort out my chickens.

Of course, the fact that they get to run round their land is better than nothing, but none of their dogs knows how to behave with other dogs who aren't from their pack.

Well Dax is not walked now because he can't. Hannah is walked 3 times a week & goes swimming omce a week. As she's younger & fitter I thought long & hard before I had her but it was pointed out that she would have more of a life with me than in a kennel for 23 & a half hours & a half hour walk on the lead from the kennel staff. On the days when she is neither walked or swum I play ball with her in the garden, takes a long time as she won't give it straight back but we get there. Much as I'd have loved a puppy I know I'm not fit enough to manage one.
My previous bitch would only exercise in dry weather, I had to force her out even to toilet if it was raining, but she was happy & well ajusted.
I do know of one dog who would not be walked. The only way she would walk was to be carried a hundred yards down the road & then she would reluctantly walk back. She would also only go in the garden if accompanied & after doing what was neccessary would take herself back in & wait for her owners to join her. A most odd little Griffin, she didn't play wouldn't eat treats, totally blanked their other more active dog but lived to 17 & apart from her boosters the only time she spent at the vets was trying to find why she wouldn't walk.

And maybe they know their dogs better than you?

That’s rather a huge assumption there isn’t it? I presume you know she got it from a byb?

Surely for one thing any dog could outlive its owner especially if they are elderly. Thing is we’ve now gone from dogs being walked to not being homed by people who might not outlive the dog??


Excellently put why should your dogs suffer or you have your dogs taken away to be replaced by a goldfish?? You know your dogs and how they are – and you are doing the right thing by them!

And what would happen to the dog if your partner was not around anymore and you couldn’t afford the dog walker?



[QUOTE=Julie;1507792]I wasn't taking it as a personal attack, thought we were just having a discussion

All I am trying to say is it depends on the dog and the owner, saying it is wrong and people should not have dogs if they can't walk them would throw so many animals into rescue and break so many dogs hearts and their owners too I felt I needed to put the other side of the argument.

We don't live in an ideal world if we did I would be able to walk everyday so we all have to do our best at the end of the day.

Making blanket statements saying people are bad for wanting a dog if they can't walk them helps no one least of all the dogs that condemns to kennels and euthanasia.[QUOTE]

Well said

What would i do if my partner were not around and i could not walk Tonks?

Like i have said, i believe it is our responsibility to do the best by our dog. having found a cheap dog walker who is very good i would use her.

I also have friends and other dog trainers who would walk her, but i would also advertise for volunteer dog walkers if i couldn't afford to pay someone to do it.

If worst came to the worst and there were no way Tonks could get walked while living with me, and it was detrimental to her I would have to rehome her, for the good of me not for her.

I am not expecting everyone to walk all their dogs in all circumstances but i do feel that people should make all efforts possible to walk their dogs.