What do you do when you don't feel like walking your dog?

[Anonymous]

Former owner of two big dogs and large, fenced yard. We tried to give them nice long walks every day, along with some ball-tossing out back. I read once that, to a dog, a walk is like reading the newspaper. They get to go out and sniff lots of information. Very healthy for them, besides just the physical part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a dog owner (and never have been) and am curious about something...if you have a nice, big yard for your dog to run around every day, do you still need to walk your dog?

Yes, I highly recommend reading cesar milans books before getting a dog.
-OP

[Anonymous]

OMG, I'm going to assume that every person who misunderstood OP's post lives in a condo with their dogs! Our dog gets two walks every day. And by every day, I mean almost every day. My son had a fever of 102 today and was sick and fussy all day and my husband has been working since 6 this AM (so he can take Friday off during a very busy time). We actually do have a dogwalker for days when something like this comes up but she is away for Thanksgiving. So, guess what? Doggie got hosed. He's lying here at my feet getting a belly rub as we speak, so I think he's forgiven me!

We'll take him to the dogpark tomorrow to make up for it. Dogs are part of the family and a family does its very best for one another. We do have a big, fenced back yard and a cat who socializes with the dog. We don't do it every day but yes, some days we do skip walks. If it happens often, it's time to reevaluate the relationship and step up or make changes. But if the only people who adopted dogs were the people who promised to never, ever, ever ever skip the walk, even when sick or if a child is sick, not many dogs would have homes.

Chill out, people!

[Anonymous]

*If the dog will chase a ball, stand on the porch and throw the ball a few times.

*Retracable long lead, stand on porch, let dog run around.

*Hire someone to walk dog that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My old boss (I worked out of her home) would occasionally let the dog "escape" from her home in Woodley Park. Inevitably someone would catch him and call her number and then I would have to go and pick him up. God that woman was a piece of work!

I'm glad the dog was never hit or killed by a car. She should have been reported to SPCA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former owner of two big dogs and large, fenced yard. We tried to give them nice long walks every day, along with some ball-tossing out back. I read once that, to a dog, a walk is like reading the newspaper. They get to go out and sniff lots of information. Very healthy for them, besides just the physical part.

Years ago I had a dog trained at Old Town School for Dogs and Carlos (owner) told me that walks break up the boredom of the day for dogs. How would any of you like to sit in the house all day and how bored would you be? Boredom is one of the resons dogs can become destructive. That said, if the weather was terrible, I let him out in the back yard to go to the bathroom and when he came in I had a flashlight and he loved chasing the light down the hall and up and down the stairs for 15 minutes. He would have chased it for an hour but my arm got tired.

OP, if you don't take him/her out then don't complain if dog has an accident in the house, afterall, how long can you hold it in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Years ago I had a dog trained at Old Town School for Dogs and Carlos (owner) told me that walks break up the boredom of the day for dogs. How would any of you like to sit in the house all day and how bored would you be? Boredom is one of the resons dogs can become destructive. That said, if the weather was terrible, I let him out in the back yard to go to the bathroom and when he came in I had a flashlight and he loved chasing the light down the hall and up and down the stairs for 15 minutes. He would have chased it for an hour but my arm got tired.

OP, if you don't take him/her out then don't complain if dog has an accident in the house, afterall, how long can you hold it in?

This post made me smile and think of my elderly dog. She wants nothing more than to go out for a potty break, run back in and curl right back up in the same position she just left so she can go back to her nice long nap. Dinner is the highlight of her day now and that's about all the excitement the poor thing can take. She is all about boredom now