Fairweather Dog Walkers

catkins

I've never had a dog that disliked rain. In fact all my dogs have loved it!


I walk every day, at least twice, regardless of the weather. Yes I dislike walking in pouring rain - dislike snow even more, but I still do it.


Sometimes in the rain you see maybe a couple of dogs in the park, woods, on the beach etc but as soon as the sun is out there are loads of dogs.


I know quite a few people who admit they don't walk their dog if it is raining, snowing or very cold. Not because the dog dislikes it but because they don't want to. I don't think that is fair at all.

spidercrab

I admire you dog owners who walk out in all weathers. My parents have a dog and they walk her every day even though they are getting on for 80. This is not just a walk around the block either but usually over fields and through the woods. I love dogs but will only have cats as I know I would not want to go out in all weathers. I work with quite a few people who have dogs and they are very rarely walked and are just let out in the garden. Very unfair. Even worse, someone who lives near me had a dog and kept it in the garden in a kennel all year round. What is the point in that?

meames_2

I used to walk Womble no matter what the weather, rain, hail, snow and once even a tornado! (We didn't get very far that day). Some walks were shorter than others. Nice weather is great but at the opposite end I needed to make sure it wasn't too hot on some days, and would need to go later than 5pm, even though at 5pm on the dot he would be sat waiting go, or at least make his presence known that it was time!

lostinrates

catkins wrote: »

I've never had a dog that disliked rain. In fact all my dogs have loved it!


I walk every day, at least twice, regardless of the weather. Yes I dislike walking in pouring rain - dislike snow even more, but I still do it.

.

Tbc, i am out in all weather because we have out door animals too. They need attention which demands some amount of walking in fields and time outside. The worse the weather is the more I am forced outside to cater for them!

If the grey hates it , why force her? If the little dog doesn't want to and I can exercise him another way ( and benefit some one on one training and/ or bonding time) why not? So long as their needs are met appropriately, I see no issue.

You've tempted fate now, your next might hate rain!

Person_one

lostinrates wrote: »

Tbc, i am out in all weather because we have out door animals too. They need attention which demands some amount of walking in fields and time outside. The worse the weather is the more I am forced outside to cater for them!

If the grey hates it , why force her? If the little dog doesn't want to and I can exercise him another way ( and benefit some one on one training and/ or bonding time) why not? So long as their needs are met appropriately, I see no issue.

You've tempted fate now, your next might hate rain!

That's ok for a day, maybe two, but its been an incredibly wet winter and sometimes if I had waited for a chance to go out where it wasn't raining (or highly likely to rain in the next 10 minutes!) then I could have gone a week or more without walking my dogs. How has your grey managed over the last few months where its rained practically every day?

trolleyrun

I don't mind walking in rain, wind, snow, sun, cloud, whichever is available. What gets me down is the amount of sloppy mud this winter especially. My car is disgustingly dirty on the back seat. Pipsqueak doesn't mind the weather at all, although she had issues with puddles and mud when I first got her. She loves the towelling off after walkies, and doesn't even complain if I need to shower her clean.

Some of my neighbours rarely walk their dogs. I find it really sad, as none of the abodes in my road have big gardens. One of them gets to go for a short walk once a week (if it's not raining), a couple of others I've never seen being taken for a walk. I just hear them barking. All the time. They must be so bored those dogs

zaksmum

Mine hate going out in the rain or if it's really cold. However, they still need their walks so if I can put up with it, so can they!

catkins

lostinrates wrote: »

Tbc, i am out in all weather because we have out door animals too. They need attention which demands some amount of walking in fields and time outside. The worse the weather is the more I am forced outside to cater for them!

If the grey hates it , why force her? If the little dog doesn't want to and I can exercise him another way ( and benefit some one on one training and/ or bonding time) why not? So long as their needs are met appropriately, I see no issue.

You've tempted fate now, your next might hate rain!

I'd like it if a dog of mine didn't like rain although with the winter we have had it would be difficult not to walk in rain. Some days I think I won't walk as getting home with me and the dog soaked through is a pain (takes about 2 or more hours to dry my dog if he is soaked through) but he loves his walks so much I just couldn't deprive him


I have always had longhaired dogs and they don't like it warm so, in some ways, summer is more of a problem for me. I usually walk at about 5.30 am and then about 10pm.

catkins

trolleyrun wrote: »

Some of my neighbours rarely walk their dogs. I find it really sad, as none of the abodes in my road have big gardens. One of them gets to go for a short walk once a week (if it's not raining), a couple of others I've never seen being taken for a walk. I just hear them barking. All the time. They must be so bored those dogs

Quite a few of my neighbours rarely walk their dogs. It makes me laugh that a couple of them have said words to the effect "Oh you are so good walking your dog no matter what the weather". I always feel like replying "Isn't that what you are meant to do when you have a dog?"

lostinrates

Person_one wrote: »

That's ok for a day, maybe two, but its been an incredibly wet winter and sometimes if I had waited for a chance to go out where it wasn't raining (or highly likely to rain in the next 10 minutes!) then I could have gone a week or more without walking my dogs. How has your grey managed over the last few months where its rained practically every day?

She is mandated out with me onto the yard in the mornings where she is allowed to loiter and moither, then, usually we go and check fild mangers and fences before walking( this is usually sprint time)While weather has been so bad this hasn't been possible we've had sprint time in a large barn . We're very lucky that as well as the barn we have a very large area of farm yard and the dogs have been taken out there and played with in breaks in weather. It means she doesn't have to contend with mud, and she is happy to play in the barn. It has been MUCH harder to stimulate in the wet weather, but then, I am with them all day, and I can take advantage of odd breaks unlike someone in a workplace. Those ten minutes that it might rain in I can indulge in several times a day and they aren't left unstimulated or bored.


Tbc, they are mandated out for the loo anyway whether she likes it or not, and this includes walks round the place, at set times. The grey might not walk then though, and often lopes of to loitre in the barn if the weather is grim.

Ironically, as the weather improves she is off exercise recovering from spay.



Edit: its also worth noting I DO accept there is a knock on on her muscle mass. She has lost in this period of long rain, her weight has gone down a kilo and a half. I think monitoring and being aware is part of the battle. If I were out of the house or she were alone and left unstimulated I'd have to review the exercise policy, but each of the three would have to compromise more.