Why should I walk my dog?

Glenda, I'm sure once I have my four acres, there will be lots of wandering for me and my dogs []
 
I will say, though, that I will likely continue walks with them on a regular basis just because I enjoy it as much as they do - it's good for all of us.  I say this now, but, we'll see how long that lasts when I have my big yard - I'm not afraid to admit that I might be inclined to let them run and play in the yard and forgo a walk or two as much as I don't want to.

Well, I'm probably going to get reemed for this but - I WISH I didn't have to walk Slick as much as I do.  I WISH I had a backyard for the 11PM and 5AM potty..  Living in NYC, there is no option but to walk.  We walk, on leash 5-6 times a day in all weather conditions.  One of those walks is to Central Park for at least one hour of off-leash fetch and/or romping with friends.  That's the good stuff, that's the real exercise.  But the rest of it - well, we're just wandering around the neighborhood, walking the streets, looking for suitable spots to go potty    I could certainly do without a few of those! 

Chase gets 2 walks a day, a mixture of off-leash and on-leash.  I like to take him out for 30 minute on-leash walks on a regular basis, without letting him off to play, because it's important to me that he learn that walks aren't always about playing fetch and romping with other dogs.  He's now quite happy to trot along on-leash and then to come home.  It doesn't tire him out, and he definitely needs some off-leash play time, but if it were ever to happen that I couldn't take him to a park for a long romp (maybe he's injured or I'm sick or the weather's really nasty), I could just take him out on-leash for a bit and I think he'd be satisfied.    He actually loves his sniffy walks, so long as he also gets plenty of time to run at other times.  I think it's great training and socialization and that it provides him with the opportunity to learn some self-control (No, I can't run after that squirrel.  No, I can't jump in the ocean.  No, I can't wrestle with that dog right now.)
 
I used to walk him A LOT (mostly off-leash).  Like 3-4 hours per day.  But now I'm trying to keep it around 90 minutes daily broken into 2 walks (usually an hour off-leash and half an hour on leash), mainly because of reading about how dogs will start needing the amount of exercise that they're used to.  Life happens, and there's no way that I can spend 4 hours walking every day for the rest of my life.  My dog gets lots of mental stimulation (kongs, rec bones, doggy daycare once or twice a week, weekly training class and short daily sessions).  I don't want to wear him out through physical activity alone, mainly because I realized that when I walked him so much he mostly just slept ALL THE TIME when we were home.  There was no way to know if he *really* had good manners, or if he was just too exhausted to get into trouble.  I don't want him to suddenly become destructive or anxious just because we don't have 3 hours to run one day.
 
So all that to say that, for me, a mixture of on-leash and off-leash walks is best.  While I certainly wouldn't exclusively leash-walk for exercise purposes, I also wouldn't want to rely solely on off-leash playtime.  I think that my dog and I have settled into a routine that works for both of us.  We have lots of fun on our walks and he's really learned to settle down in the house. 

Exactly, dasher.  A dog on a leash can't go any faster than the person holding the other end.  I'm sure Max would have loved being adopted by a jogger, a bicyclist, a roller blader or a skate boarder. Alas, my roller blading/skate boarding days are long, long behind me.[] So for real  exercise, we  try to hit the dog park a two or three times a week, weather permitting. And on other days, he enjoys his liesurely stroll around the greenbelt, greeting other dogs and getting lots of pats & ear scratches from his human friends. And on rainy days, like today, he stays curled up on his warm little blanket on the sofa that he claimed for his own his first day here.  He's very adaptable.

The main reason I don't take my dogs elsewhere to walk them is b/c there isn't anywhere else. Yes, there are shops and sidewalks. They are crowded. Teenie gets stressed out, completely in those situations, as does Emma. It has already proven unsafe for Emma. She bit someone in a pet store, and bit someone I worked with. Teenie has not bitten anyone, aside from me, once, but she is extremely fearful. No amount of training or work is going to fully get her over that. Yes, I work on it. Every day? No. She's HAPPY. She's doing incredibly well, aside from being afraid of new people. She's been back and forth to the vet for no reason, and she's.... ok... with the vet. He knows how to handle her. She's been to basic obedience, where she learned to sit. That's the only command she figured out in class, b/c she was so upset at the other dogs being there. I don't feel like she needs to be surrounded by people and be out and about all the time to have a full life. To her, being in a family situation, with other dogs, is a whole new world.

So, I walk them in my yard. They trail deer, chase rabbits, and squirrels. Emma plays frisbee. They swim in the pond. They have a blast.

I think everyone has to do what is right for his/her situation.  I haven't missed a walk with Shari in 8 years - up until a year ago it was 2 x per day.  We lived in the country at one time and she had a dog sibling who she'd play with sometimes, but she always enjoyed checking stuff out and walking.  Shari has never fetched anything- she doesn't seem to know how (or is it care?).  We moved to an apartment where we lived for 4 1/2 years, so there were potty breaks, but she always knew her walk times.  I never trusted her off-lead because she IS a husky.  I always said she wasn't very street-smart (why don't cars stop for us, mom?).  When she's been off-lead, it was always in a fenced area w/supervision.
 
Now, at age 15, she still goes for a morning walk.  Our backyard is fenced so she can go potty or wander around.  I've had to adapt because she is slow now, but we still enjoy that time together.  I know it makes her happy to get out and smell other smells.  And even though it's not a lot of exercise for me anymore, I still enjoy the time away from the house - just us girls.

Thank you Twelvepaws []

I still think it totally depends on the dog, the breed and exercise needs of that breed.  I also think that as far as walking in all weather to me, that would also depend on the breed.  Willow is fine in really cold weather but I'm sure some of these little short coated breeds would be absolutely freezing.   

Yikes!  Like a poor little min pin?  Oh they would FREEZE!
 
My guys have those thick, heavy coats, but they still don't LIKE going out in weather like we had today.  When we took Tyler to the vet he kept trying to go back INSIDE....no mom!! Nooooo!!!  I don't WANNA go out in the wind!!!  Pottying was at record speed today!

O.K. it took me forever, but I finally read through this entire thread. []
 
I don't have a dog park or anything near me to let Ash off lead. I wish I did. She doesn't have a good recall, so I don't feel comfortable letting her walk beside me off lead. I take her for walks in the morning and when I get home from work, but she's never tired. She could go forever.
 
One morning, I was walking by the high school football stadium and we went in ran up and down the stadium stairs. This tired her out, but she loved it. I mean, she LOVED it. It was like a race to her. I, on the otherhand, regretted the decision to do the stair climbing almost immediately. It was so hard! If I did that every morning, I have no doubt that within a month I could lose the 20 lbs. I've been wanting to lose. We only did this for 20 minutes and she was knocked out for the next 2 hours after that. Much better than walking her for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.
 
I tried going back the next day, despite my near death experience the day before, but the stadium was locked. It's been locked every morning since then. Back to the walking until I can find something else.

Ok I hope this doesn't come back to bite me......But we can't walk the hounds every day.  They do get yard time, but we want them to hunt when they are let loose.  We have found if we let them have too much free time then the drive to hunt just isn't there. My dogs are well cared for, happy and wonderful hunters. So am I bad that I don't walk them multiple times a day?  I hope not. 
 
(ok I have on my helmet I am ready for the firestorm...[])

My guys have those thick, heavy coats, but they still don't LIKE going out in weather like we had today. When we took Tyler to the vet he kept trying to go back INSIDE....no mom!! Nooooo!!! I don't WANNA go out in the wind!!! Pottying was at record speed today!

LOL Glenda....must be genetics. Molly wouldn't pee this morning cause of the wind and rain. She stood there with her ears nearly straight down and looked at me "you can't possibly expect me to pee in this weather!!!" Lunchtime the rain had stopped and boy did that girl have to pee LOL

Shane, believe it or not, I understand I like mine to hunt, too. Emma's pretty drivey, and Teenie's found her drive. I *encourage* chasing birds, fish, bugs, cute little bunnies, and rodents. It tires them out. They win the ultimate prize if they do well (FREE LUNCH!!!). I never have a problem with pests, even living in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by acres of feilds and woods. My neighbors occasionally have mice come into their house, but NEVER here.

Emma is *so* drivey, that she found a patch of sweet potatoes in the pasture, LOL. It's food drive, more than prey drive, but whatever works.

They are pets, but they are pest control as well. We don't use any pesticides, ever, especially with Emma being sickly. The dogs take care of it.I'm happy for them to do what they're bred for, and they're quite pleased to oblige me.

I walk Shadow every day for a mile or two. According to some huskies sites and sources, you don't have to walk your dog that much. Normal play and cavorting about can be enough.
 
Given a choice, I would have a dog cart and have him pull me. That would definitely increase the intensity of exercise. Fortunately, for most huskies, their appetite is keyed into exercise or work and they tend to self-regulate. And they are rank-oriented. I can leavea full bowl of food and Shadow won't eat a full portion unless I am there.
 
So, huskymom, I wouldn't worry if you're not walking miles every day. Just the general play and carousing that you do should be enough. Besides, if you got them into pulling sleds, you'd end up going to high protein/fat ratio food.
 

Hey Sylvia, does ash like to retrieve stuff?  Next time if the stadium is open bring a ball and throw it up the steps?  Could extend the playtime if you get tired ;o) I am impressed 20 minutes of running up and down stairs is not easy!