Why should I walk my dog?

Jennie-How big is your yard that you are able to walk your dogs in it? My girls hate big crowds too,especially emma,she freaks out.I never take them to big events and i never walk them near the road,too much loud traffic and pollution,not the most enjoyable place i can think of to take them!

Tophounz what do your dogs hunt and why? Do you do it professionally or something? Is it for their pleasure or yours? I;m not quite understanding your reason for not walking them coz you want them to hunt??Is watching them hunt more important than daily stimulation and outside exercise?

FTR there is no such things as dog parks here,well not in my state anyway,i've never seen or heard of one.We never walk in our neighbourhood,except for the school,we drive to all of our walks,some places are 1/2 hour away or more,we go down to the river which has a hundred plus miles of walking trails,the beach,anywhere where there's no roads and i can let them off leash safely,if it makes my dogs happy,i'm happy.Walking or playing in the backyard just wouldnt cut it for them,somehow.It's just not the same,no matter what way you look at it.,I dont care what it takes,when it comes to them i am completely unselfish,sometimes i think i go to far for them,my whole world pretty much revolves around them as it has done for all of my dogs in the past, and making sure they are happy and content. 

Jennie-How big is your yard that you are able to walk your dogs in it?

Five acres. We do laps, then I let them out on the long lines and they dig and sniff and chase and roll and have fun fun fun.

I'm with you on the getting out and about, Christine. I'm a freak about it. People shake their heads at me, but like I said, it's more than exercise in this family--it's about routines, about training (we are doing Rally O), about being in the fresh air, about listening to me sing and talk to them, and about meeting neighbors.
 
It's my lifesaver for sure.

It isn't fair to imply that if you don't load your dogs up in the car and drive them someplace for a walk that they are not happy.  Structured walks are wonderful for training and routine.  But there is no reason to try to make us feel like lesser parents if we don't do the same.
 
Christine you have SMALL dogs who are likely well exercised with even a leash walk.  The original question was, are dogs able to get the exercise they need on leash walks.  Mine are not.  Many here have LARGE dogs who are NOT satisfied with the amount of walking on lead a human can handle.  I could WALK my dogs from sun up to sun down and not make much dent in their energy levels.
 
I don't just open the door and turn my crew out to run in the fields.  I TAKE them for their run.  We play fetch, we practice obedience and recall, but mostly I let them run and play to their hearts content.  And THEY are the ones who head for the door when they've had enough.  Shadow got his dad to actually jog with him the other day.....anyone who can get that man moving faster than a walk gets extra liver treats!!
 
My entire life is pretty well devoted to my dogs, but if it makes you feel somehow morally superior to make comments that if I'm not willing to devote ALL of it to the dogs that I shouldn't have any, well, go ahead.  I know that my dogs are happy and content, and I don't have to try to justify my life to anyone.

A friend of mine lives in south australia.  They have dog parks there.  She took video of the beach dog park and I am completely jealous!  Your country is so gorgeous. Its too bad you do not have any dog parks. Its a great place for socialization and wonderful to train at(think of all the distractions).  The park we go to his a huge open field and miles of trails. It is over 200 acres! So I don't feel bad that my dog doesn't get enough variety in his time there. Its 200 acres! To mix it up we do meet at the state park with a friend of mine and her dogs.  And we even go up to new hampshire on occasion to my husbands grandmother who has a 200 acre property on a lake with wide open fields.  So no, I do not feel bad that my dog doesn't get walked every single day.  He has more variety than most dogs. And I think that you will find that many of the people on this board center thier lives around thier dogs.  But you have to find that balance in what works for you and doesn't take over your life. If you are content to do what you do with your dogs, then that's great. I'm happy with how our routine goes. But please don't insinuate that you know my life and you know what's best for my dog. 

But please don't insinuate that you know my life and you know what's best for my dog.

I wont,wasnt intending on doing so either [sm=happy.gif]

but if it makes you feel somehow morally superior to make comments that if I'm not willing to devote ALL of it to the dogs that I shouldn't have any, well, go ahead

There you go again,putting words in my mouth!! [sm=uhoh.gif] Ok i obviously didnt make myself clear enough when i responded to candace when she did the exact same thing! If i thought the way you say i do Glenda,this is what i would say :

" I really feel i am better than you lot because i walk my dogs everyday,glenda if you're not willing to devote all of your time to your dogs then you shouldnt have any!"

Get it???????????

I WILL say what i mean,no one need fear that i am ever insinuating anything,like i said i dont sugarcoat stuff and i will write how i feel,so please,please,please STOP reading things into my posts that just are not there!!

Glenda you keep saying you dont have to justify your life to anyone.Well,i wholeheartedly agree! I dont see anyone here asking you to post your daily routines or justify what you do with your dogs.YOUR the one who feels they have to justify themselves,because you keep doing it.

Anyway i'm done with this thread,wont bother posting on it anymore,i'm trying to give my opinions but some are making me out to be an evil  bitch who is getting personal with every poster on this thread,which was so not my intention,it doesnt seem to matter what i write,people will twist it into what they "think" i'm "trying" to say,or completely take it out of context just for the sake of being argumentitive GGGRRRR!!

Ewin could you perhaps pm the location of these dog parks,i live in South Australia(adelaide),and have never come across one before ,i'm not even sure what one would look like?? I assume it's a bit of fenced in land with doggy aparatus and such?? They sound as iff they would mostly be used by folks who's dogs cant be trusted off lead and run off,right? I probably wouldnt use it,especially if it's near the beach,as i'de go there instead,but i am really curious to have a look.

Sure thing Christine!  I'm so envious of the warm and beautiful place you live!  I will send her an email and find out for you!
I do know the beach is shared.  There's a section for people to go swimming a section for dogs and then a section for horses. Obviously that's not fenced.  And there is a park near her that she goes to, but that is not fenced. 

Dangit, where's the head smacking the forehead icon!!!!! I just went to her website to confirm her location(I'm terrible at geography) and she lives in western australia.  So if you ever want to check out the dogparks there...let me know;o) She was telling me about her part of the country and how if she wants to go anywhere else in australia she has to fly. That concept is beyond my comprehension as you can pretty much drive anywhere in the US. I just thought it was funny at the time that it is easy to assume what life is like elsewhere and then something so obvious pops up and you realize you don't know. I think we all unknowingly do this to some degree. 

I walk my dogs to give me exercise. They have a large yard to play in all day. One of them is a couch potato anyway. They look forward to their morning and night time walks. If I am too tired, they guilt me into going by pleading with their big eyes and running to their leashes. Works everytime.

they guilt me into going by pleading with their big eyes and running to their leashes. Works everytime.

Don't we all know it! I feel more guilt over my dogs than my kids. I think it's because the dogs are completely dependent on us.

Mntnhoundz (or whatever it is!) I don't get the hunting thing either. My GSD is ALWAYS willing to seek out prey. She could be out 24/7 and still want to chase the bunnies.... However, training her to be a cooperative hunter (man and dog) would be impossible! I might be misunderstanding what you mean, though.

I think everyone responding to this post does a VERY good job of execising, mentally stimulating their dogs.

ORIGINAL: labcrab

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.  

Exactly how I feel... but we have no option either [&:] Walk rain or shine! But I only walk Stanley 3 times a day, two short potty breaks and one trip to the dog run/running in the park.

Well, with a large sporting breed, I tend to think that they need a bit of both...running off lead and walking on lead.  I have a 50X20 ft fenced dog run in one section of my yard, which my dog can go in and out during the day when I am home. I also have an additional large portion of the yard, unfenced, that we play with him in; as long as you are there playing with him, he won't go anywhere.
 
There are no official dog parks in my town, but there are several out of the way places to take dogs off leash to run...baseball fields off season, a deserted schoolyard in summer, etc. My dog loves to run, and we often get together with friends and their dogs to play.
 
I also like to take him for walks. I don't think the walks are a substitute for a hard run, but they seem to be more mentally stimulating for him. It helps with socializing him, also, and I think it helps build a bond between us. I try to change and vary my route, and my husband has his own routes. Walking your dog is a great way to meet other people in your community...I once had an elderly woman beckon me over to her front porch; she invited me and my dog (total stangers) into her living room to show me this antique painting she had of two English Setters! She was so pleased to actually see the dog depicted in her painting, it was too funny.
 
If at all possible, I try to bring my dog along when I walk to visit friends, especially in the summer. It's good for him to practice "settle" excersizes, to learn how to behave and sit quietly in someone elses house. I think walking a dog helps keep its mind active, exposing it to new sights and smells and sounds. I don't think, with a dog like mine, you will end up with a bone-tired dog like you would after an hour of running, but I do find him to be a bit more content.
 
I have a neighbor that has no fenced yard, and that now has two labs. They get walks, I'm not sure how consistently, I believe one a day. They are never taken anywhere off leash to run. For a sporting dog, that just seems cruel to me.

I have a neighbor that has no fenced yard, and that now has two labs. They get walks, I'm not sure how consistently, I believe one a day. They are never taken anywhere off leash to run. For a sporting dog, that just seems cruel to me.

I also have a neighbor with two large dogs. She ties them outside and throws a ball for them every day for about 10 minutes while they're tied up. They don't stay outside, they're inside dogs. She brushes them and loves them and feeds them well, but as far as exercise, I have never once seen them walked. One's a lab mix and the other is a GSD mix.

She adores animals, always adopts from the shelter. She makes sure all her neighbor's animals are well tended to. She feeds and houses stray cats. She's bright, funny and wonderful, but she just doesn't seem to get the exercise thing.

To twelvepaws, similar situation. These people clearly love their dogs. The second one is newly acquired. The first is obviously a field style lab, high drive and hyper, though now she is getting fat from being underexercised. The husband takes them on long walks, but if you have ever spent time with a dog like this, you know how badly they need to run. I spend a lot of time with my friend and her lab, we love to watch the dogs run. They are poetry in motion....they were meant for it. Last month, we brought them to a deserted golf course, in the snow, they ran like demons.
 
Then I see this neighbors dog, who seems to be aging faster than she should, panting and whining and quivering on the leash, it's just sad. I don't know why they wanted a second dog. I think there are many breeds that could have done just fine with the amount of excersize they are willing to give their dogs, but they had to have labs.

BellaRose, I love your setter! I think they're such attractive dogs.  One time when walking my weim I had a guy stop his car in the middle of a busy road and ask me what kind of dog he was.  He asked me about 12 questions about the breed and in between each one he exclaimed how pretty he was. You are right in that it does get you out to meet the neighbors.  I have met many people walking my dog.  Its not that I don't ever walk my dog, I just don't do it everyday!