Why own a dog if you aren't going to walk it?

vicx

A lady up my street has a 15 month old Shih Tzu that she has had since a pup and she has never took the poor dog on a walk. The dog is left at home all day for about 9 hours 3 - 5 days per week and the small back yard is as far as she goes. It's not as if the dog can see the world go by either as the garden is enclosed.

I take my dogs out at least twice daily and see this dog sitting in the front window looking at other dogs being walked and looking so sad and lonely. I feel so sorry for her. I used to look after her and take her out for walks when she was a pup but now I don't have the time to see to someone elses dog when I have two of my own as well as work and my own life to live.

She has become a problem dog in our street as she just barks constantly at nothing when she is in the garden. Now I don't mind dogs barking but when it becomes a problem, barking at nothing, I think the owner should have a bit respect for other neighbours (especially those that work nights and don't have dogs) and look at why the dog is barking. I know why she is barking but owner is too lazy to train her and take her out for walks to burn off the energy. A happy dog is a tired dog.

The owner is too lazy to walk a 5 minute walk to our local shop so I knew when she got the dog it would never get took for walks. I have mentioned to her a few times that the dog wouldn't bark as much if she was trained and exercised more but she seems to have in her head that Shih Tzu's don't need walks. The dog is getting no mental stimulation at all as owner is out all day at work 3 days per week but when she is on her days off, she just sits watching TV or on the internet all day, leaving dog to laze about the house looking sad and depressed or barking mad in the garden.

The dog isn't spayed as owner seems to think that it's unhealthy to have a b1tch spayed when she is under 2 but she also has no intention of getting her done as she is thinking of breeding her! I asked why and she said 'it might settle her down'. I said it won't settle her down, the dog needs training and exercise. She mentioned to me last week that the dog is having a phantom pregnancy at the moment but all she is doing is laying about looking depressed and dragging her teddies all over - to me that is a bored restless dog not a phantom pregnancy?

Sorry for the rant. I just wonder why some people bother owning a dog if they aren't going to train and walk it :mad:

bebewoo

I have a 10 year old Shih Tzu, she gets walked four or more times a day, and she's spayed, and she still sits there barking at nothing in between walks. She's not hungry because she has food and water. She is beautiful but soo stupid. I think they are just a barky breed.

vicx

Sorry I disagree that shih tzu's are a barking breed. Any breed of dog can be yappy but there is always a way to stop the barking. First step is finding out why the dog is barking. Dogs don't bark just because they like the sound of their own voice. Their are many reasons why a dog barks, my neighbours dog is barking excessively at nothing which is problem barking. If she got walked more she would have less energy to bark at nothing. The dog still doesn't understand the word no which is because she has never been trained.

calicocat

I know of someone who did this. The poor dog went stir crazy and started attacking people when they touched him. By the time I git to see him he was a real psycho and I couldn't do anything with him either (he actually scared me to be honest).

Utter shame as the other side of him was lovely and he would have been a real character.

He'd been passed to a few people who couldn't handle him so took him back to original owner before I got to meet him. I rang every dog rescue, even spoke to the head of the breed rescue and they couldn't do anything either.

Poor little thing got put down in the end, which to be honest was the better outcome as the stupid woman was sending him more nuts by chucking him to anyone who would have him regardless of whether they had the experience to handle him and he just ended up loopy.

Sad story. I have no clue why people do it, it's purely selfish in my opinion.

vicx

I can see the same happening to this dog. She is definitely depressed and going crazy. Its so sad as she would have been a lovely dog with the right owner and correct training.

There is another dog the next street over from me which I didn't know about as I don't walk that way but another dog walker who I speak to on my walks mentioned it to me the other day so I went passed to have a look. I think its a Staff. Poor dog is left in the back yard 24/7, only gets fed left overs and sleeps amongst the old junk they have thrown out. I was told it used to be a lovely dog as a puppy but its so vicious now and whenever someone walks by it goes crazy. They must have kept it to be a guard dog rather than a pet.

POPPYOSCAR

Unfortunately the world is full of irresponsible people like this.

All you can do is continue to talk to her and hope she sees reason.

catkins

There are two dogs (different houses) very close to me that rarely get walked - a boxer and a lab. The boxer barks constantly and drives all the neighbours mad. At one time the owners both worked full time but once the woman gave up work when she had her baby I thought the dog would get more walks but no. Even when she is there the dogs barks all the time and she never tells it to stop.

The lab is not as bad but does bark a lot.

Me and OH have had dogs just about all our married life and have always made sure they get plenty of walks.

We have a young dog now and I am lucky as I do not work so he gets at least 3 walks a day - morning, lunch and evening but even when we worked we would get up early to walk our dog and walk them in the evening after work.

I too can't understand why people get dogs and then don't walk them but a lot of people just don't think about things before they get a dog. I know a lot of owners who are pretty good owners but they still don't give the dog a walk if it is raining or snowing or else the dog gets literally a 10 minute walk a day. I can understand it if the dog doesn't like rain but that is not the case with most of the ones I know.

I have always had a longhaired breed so them getting wet is a nightmare as it can mean 2 to 3 hours minimum of drying but I still walk them come rain or shine. It always make me laugh when you go to the park on a wet or cold day and see 1 or 2 other dogs and owners and then go on a nice sunny day and see loads

vicx

I have tried talking to her about it as she was the one who mentioned being sick of her dog barking so I said more exercise and mental stimulation as the dog is bored. She said she's not bored and doesn't need walks. I've tried asking her to come for walks with mine when its a lovely sunny day and she always has the same excuse 'shih tzus can't be walked when its hot and I'm waiting in for a phone call' she has a mobile phone which she can take with her but its the same excuse every single time. She is just bone idle. She would rather ring around all the neighbours and ask for cigarettes, milk, bread, you name it, than take a 5 minute walk to the shop. Or ask them to bring them in if they going out. She has even asked me to drive her to the shop which I refused, even I don't take the car to my local shop. So if she won't walk to the shop for her needs and wants what chance has the dog got of being walked?

Her other dog had to be put to sleep a few year ago as he was depressed, lost all his fur and going crazy because he had never been walked in the 12 year she had him apart from a few times when I took him on a long walk with my dog (who passed away two year ago) and the owner actually thought her dog was dead in his bed because he was exhausted off the walk. He wasn't used to walks so it tired him out.

LondonDiva

Three things you could do if you are so concerned about the dog:

1 - As you pass her house to walk your dogs, stop to offer to take the dog as well - not satisfactory for you, but you get the satisfaction of knowing that the dog is being stimulated, even though the owner is taking advantage.

2 - Give her the contact details of a number of local dog walkers

3 - Call the RSPCA / local council to express concern about the barking and the reasons you think lie behind it.

gettingready

OP - from what you are describing the woman may not be "lazy" but have some health (mental health?) issues.

Perhaps got a dog thinking "company for me" and not thinking "dog's needs".

vicx

I would take the dog for walks with my two but it would be so difficult walking a dog that isn't properly socialised with two that are forever swapping sides to sniff about and tangling leads. Mine used to bark at dogs passing when we out for walks (in an excited shouting way) it took a bit patience and training but we got there. I wouldn't want her dog to start mine off again. I also think why should I do what she should be doing, she's just lazy not incapable of walking. I know the owner very well and she doesn't have health problems.