Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:8yo terrier mix, 2 walks a day, about a half-hour each (or less in very hot or very cold weather). She gets other, shorter outings as well.
We do not have a fenced yard.
I'm surprised and saddened by the notion of a dog not getting at least a daily walk.
I don't think it's sad. It depends on the dog and how it lives. Our dog lived on a farm and just followed me around all day, I didn't need to take him for formal "walks." I think he had a much more normal dog life than most dogs who are shut up in a house all day and are taken for brief, slow walks on a rope for 30 minutes a day.
Yes, but don't be dense. I doubt that poster was talking about farm dogs. All able dogs should get a walk every day, if not for the exercise, for the mental stimulation. Dogs derive great pleasure and satisfaction from sniffing and exploring--it is just as much a mental thing as it is a physical thing.
And Cesar, who says walks are just for doing business, can suck it. For dogs, sniffing new scents and exploring new scenery is key to their mental well being. So they need walks to be able to experience that.