Walking the dogs

[walt]

Hi, I was wodering if you can advise me on how long, in time, walking the dogs are needed for there fitness? I read somewere that dogs should be walked for 2 and a half hours a day twice a day. As my wife and I are both disabled and we have not got the energy to do that. We street walk the dogs twice a day for about half an hour each trip and try to take them out to the forest about once a week.  One dog is a Goldey  and the other is a colley cross spanial. Both dogs go to the vet regularly and they are both in good health. I would like to take them out longer in the day, but it is not possible as our energy levels are not what they should be.
Walt >:(

[Izzie]

Do you do any thing else with them?

training, stuffed kongs etc?

[*Nick*]

Walt, don’t fret about that 5 hours a day malarkey…I have an extremely active breed and she doesn’t get, nor does she need that.

You love your dogs yes? You do what you can for them yes? You manage their weight according to their exercise levels?

Mental exercise is just as  important and is something that can be done at home with you sitting comfortably  🙂

Enjoy your dogs  :ok:

[SuzAndTheDiva]

Yep I agree, Claire might be a good one to answer this as she cant always get her dogs out – and believe me they fine in body and mind. You can do tons of stuff at home hide treats and toys play fetch training stuff etc etc  😉

[kizkiznobite]

loads and loads and loads of stuff…..even my other half can do stuff at home  😀 like now as amilou on heat so confined to house for 3 weeks….and she normally gets lots of exercise  🙂

let us know what you have done with them to date training wise and mental play wise and we will come up with some ideas

they make you happy…they will be happy xxx

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

welcome to the board 🙂

I have 2 dogs, a 4yr border collie x whippet and a 9yr border collie x terrier.  They are both fit active dogs but are not usually walked every day, when they are walked it would be between 30 – 60mins of road/off-lead walking.

do they “seem” happy to you – they’re your dogs and only you can really know that they accept and love their lives with you.

walks are not everything to a dog – the first thing i would be looking at is weight and feeding.  do the dogs look a ‘good weight’ for their breed/type and are you feeding a low protein ‘maintenance’ type diet which will keep them that way ?  they’ll probably need alot less than the packet says if you feed commercial dog food – especially if neutered 😉  .. from your post this doesnt sound a problem, so great!

next – look at it positively, you are walking them twice a day for 30 mins which is great !  they get “out and about” and get to sniff and fresh air.

lastly, there are lots of mental tricks you can teach them with very little physical exertion on your part 😉  one ‘trick’ i have is to put part of their food allowance into kongs and make them work for their meals !

oh and be happy, enjoy your dogs and dont feel guilty – guilt brings you down and that will bring your dogs down too so shoosh it away and get on loving them 🙂

can they be let off lead ?  if not and you have some open land near by you could consider a flexi-lead and harness but you need a proper rugged flexi – the little supermarket ones will snap if your dog bolts and also the harness is coz i wouldnt use it round their neck 🙂  it might just let them have a little more freedom and they will be “walking” further than you – you could just walk to the nearest bench or carry a shooting stick / seat 🙂

Claire x

[Author]

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