Agree totally...

Just because I don't walk the dogs one day doesn't mean I totally ignore them!

We always have a short training session, or a fetch game, or a chase in the garden etc, regardless of whether they've been walked.

Max and Murphy have a huge garden and field to chase around in, dig in the dirt pile, roll in the mud if they want.

It's not all about being "walked" every single day...

I could take/drag mine out in the rain. They wouldn't enjoy it (I know this as i've tried on multiple occasions) but yes, I could do it.

Maddy darts about like her ass is on fire, tail between legs and constantly looking for shelter and trying to 'run away' from the rain. Obviously not the sharpest tool in the box there.

Dusty parks her rump and point blank refuses to walk. She quite literally has to be dragged, If I let her offlead she won't budge.

Charlie is probably the best, he just sulks. He walks, refuses to run or play or chase or anything that constitues a 'normal' walk for him. He just walks, head down, tail low, and sulks. And then when we get home he sulks some more.

As I said in the other thread, I feel it is more the sensation of the rain falling on them and the sounds it makes that they dislike. They are better if it is snowing, reluctant but once I let them off they forget about it. That doesn't happen when it's raining, they are always conscious of it.

So yes I could take them out in the rain, but as it is evident they don't enjoy it, what exactly is the hardship in waiting 'til it stops?

I often take my mum's dog out in the rain. I'm not particularly bothered, I actually think the rain is quite romantic. Winter is actually my favourite season.

Put it this way,
Would you rarther take your dog for a walk when it wont enjoy it for whatever reason. Or stay in have fun training or games. I know what I would rarther do.

I agree that there is people who dont take their dogs just because because they are lazy, but lets not tar everyone with the same brush as with many things in life it is not black and white.

Come to think of it, when I had my horse, Cassie never actually got a proper walk of her own??!! She always just came up to the horse with me 2 or maybe 3 times a day, sometimes she'd come with me if I rode out, sometimes she was just happy following me around the field poo picking, running around, playing with some of the puppies up at the yard, but she never got an actual walk that was hers. When the horse went, then we started taking her out on proper walks every morning, but you could never say she wasn't a happy, healthy, agile dog through lack of having her own specific walkies! Blimey, there's no way I would have had the time (or the inclination) to have come home from an hour's hard graft mucking out, before getting changed to go to work, and taken her out for a walk, no way!

What about the poor people who's circumstances might have changed too with their dog? i.e. maybe they've become ill or disabled and can no longer walk their dog on a daily basis, and can't afford to pay somebody else for the priveledge, are you going to condemn them, and suggest maybe they get rid of the dog coz they shouldn't have it any more? In these circumstances, as long as they have a big garden, and especially if they have more than one dog, that's fine by me.

I could think of a lot worse going on in the world about people having dogs who shouldn't have them, far more upsetting to me than a dog that isn't walked regularly on a proper 2 mile hike every day!

I have met people who have never, ever ridden healthy young horses, they're just looked after as pets and left in a field or stable all day!!! Now that IS wrong, but I really can't see it's wrong not to walk a dog every day come rain or shine if you've got a massive big garden and the time to have a game with them, even more so if you've got two and they can have a good run around together. Horses for courses imo.

I dont have the luxery of having an extremely large garden its only 60ft, I do work f/t, my dogs dont mind the rain they will lie outside in it if the door is open, they also love the snow. Mine do get walked aswell as trained daily before work after work and before bed, unless its summer then I miss the tea time walk. At one stage I was studying F/T working P/t and looking after a terminal ill husband and my dogs still got out more than once a day. I take some of your points it depends on the breed, but in mine unless from pet lines they need it daily both excercise and training due to high drives, after all its heritage is herding and often would cover over 20miles a day, part of the training includes a 12mile endurance test.

Hi there

I've got 5 dogs and mine dont run around chasing each other in the garden!!! They go out and do their business and come back in again. They prefer to be where I am. If I close the door they stand at the back door whining to come back in again.

However, when they are out in the fields they will chase each other and play but dont do it in the garden - and its just over the hedge!!!! They just dont seem to see the garden as a play area.

I have high energy dogs; none of them dislike the rain; they all love the snow and the sun. In fact, they dont care what the weather is like as long as they get out to play and run around!!!!

I suppose I'm quite lucky really. Sometimes I could see going out far enough when its pouring down but I just love to see my dogs running around enjoying themselves so when I get out I just dont care. If they didnt like the rain I dont know what Id do really. I wouldnt want to drag a dog around when they werent enjoying themselves.

No, I am one of those sad folks that walks my dogs come hail or shine. If I didnt my life wouldnt be worth living. I do think its what your dogs get used to though. If I had started with not to much of a routine I think they wouldnt be as bad!!! Made a rod for my own back me thinks. (wink!)

Spettadog

How true that is, about the rod for your own back! I did that with Cassie, as I had to do my horse at 5.30 am. even in the winter months, so when he went, she still wanted to go out of the door at 5.30 am in the rain and cold in the winter, and there was no way I could retrain her!!!

Strange about how your dogs react to your garden, as mine were the complete opposites. They never, ever played together when we were out, and in fact, they quite kept their distance from each other too, and yet as soon as I let them out in the garden, all hell would break loose and they'd play for hours, play fighting as well as running amock! Lol! I never understood though exactly WHY they never attempted to play with each other when we were out, even if I started to instigate play with them, they just weren't interested. Only interested in sniffing everywhere and just ambling along. Quite strange isn't it how they all differ.

Mine get 1 hr every morning and 2 at night, I consider my self lucky having the time to fit it in, I realise some folk don't but IMO it is possible for dogs to get used to certain routines, like some peeps will take them short walks while they work but on the weekend when they're off maybe they would go for longer walks.

I walk Shanook everyday at least twice but she has as many as four walks sometimes, on the days I work she has two walks one long one and one short one. Because I work three days on three days off I can on my three days off take her on extra walks, if I couldn't give enough time to her for walks I would never have got her. Reef out Neo mastiff on the other hand hates walking and if it's raining you have no chance of getting him out the door!!!.