New member here, looking for some canine advice please?

[LittleMissMe]

Hello.

I'm a new member on the forums here. I have come to ask for some advice, just about dogs in general really.

I like cats and dogs, but I feel the need to try and settle an argument I have with someone about dogs before I go out and buy one. Also, I am not really in a rush to get one either, as my head is sometimes filled on thinking of what their needs are, and whether or not one would fit into my lifestyle.

Anyhow, I would like to ask, to any responsible dog owner out there, that although I realize that no matter what breed of dog there is, they all have to go out for walks, every single day.

But my argument is with a family member (or 2) who insist that all dogs have to be taken out early in the mornings aswell as during the daytime/afternoon. (they have spoken to neighbours who have dogs, and the neighbours have

told them, this is what they do each day) So that would be 2 walks a day then I guess.

For the mornings, I am led to believe it is mainly because they need to do their toilet business. But I am wondering, could a dog do its toilet in the afternoon instead?

I am of the impression that not all dogs need to go out in the morning and could just take daily afternoon walks instead. Does this sound plausible to anyone at all, or do I have it a bit wrong here?

Do all of you who have dogs, take them out in the morning aswell as the afternoon, or does anyone go out with them just in the afternoons?

I have done a bit of searching around the internet for this answer, but have only managed to find info telling me that some breeds require more exercise than others.

I am someone who is not overly active for breeds that require quite longer distances, but could possibly walk for at least an hour or an hour and a half each day.

Such breeds I think, may possibly be those of small to medium size. For e.g. the Shih Tzu and Schnauzer for shorter distances.

That is all I know, but might not be 100 % specific, though I'm fairly certain about this.

Does anyone know if any of what I have said is fine, or does anyone perhaps know any differently at all?

 

[gypsysmum2]

I have always walked my dogs twice daily. This was not for toileting purposes as they can always use the garden for that if they need to go. It is mostly for the boredom factor. Dogs get bored. Being cooped up in the house all day is boring. They need stimulating by visiting different places and stimulating their senses. I have almost always had active breeds.

There are plenty of people who only walk their dogs once daily. There are even some people who do not walk their dog at all.

Most active dogs, in my opinion, need about two hours exercise per day. They can cope with much more but, I think, would become frustrated with any less on a regular basis. If you are talking about a time commitment then there is also the training that takes place at home and any grooming requirements.

I would think that some of the toy breeds, bred to be companions rather than to do a job, would cope with one walk per day. They would, however, need company and mental stimulation during the rest of the day. Terriers do not come under the heading of toy breed. They need lots of exercise and mental stimulation.

If you have room for one then some of the Giant breeds do not require huge amounts of exercise.

You might ask what is wrong with a dog being bored? The problem is that dogs will find something to stimulate them and this is, almost always, unwanted behaviour like barking, chewing, hyperactivity, stealing etc. This impacts on our lives and makes owning a dog less of a pleasure and more a chore.

Exercise is good for us too. The nurse at my GP surgery told me that all her dog owning patients were the healthiest.

Is there a certain time of day that is difficult for you to fit a walk into? Do you work and think that just a walk in the morning or at night will do? If the dog is to be left all day then two walks becomes more important for its welfare than one that has company and mental stimulation all day.

 

[LittleMissMe]

I have always walked my dogs twice daily. This was not for toileting purposes as they can always use the garden for that if they need to go. It is mostly for the boredom factor. Dogs get bored. Being cooped up in the house all day is boring. They need stimulating by visiting different places and stimulating their senses. I have almost always had active breeds.

There are plenty of people who only walk their dogs once daily. There are even some people who do not walk their dog at all.

Most active dogs, in my opinion, need about two hours exercise per day. They can cope with much more but, I think, would become frustrated with any less on a regular basis. If you are talking about a time commitment then there is also the training that takes place at home and any grooming requirements.

I would think that some of the toy breeds, bred to be companions rather than to do a job, would cope with one walk per day. They would, however, need company and mental stimulation during the rest of the day. Terriers do not come under the heading of toy breed. They need lots of exercise and mental stimulation.

If you have room for one then some of the Giant breeds do not require huge amounts of exercise.

You might ask what is wrong with a dog being bored? The problem is that dogs will find something to stimulate them and this is, almost always, unwanted behaviour like barking, chewing, hyperactivity, stealing etc. This impacts on our lives and makes owning a dog less of a pleasure and more a chore.

Exercise is good for us too. The nurse at my GP surgery told me that all her dog owning patients were the healthiest.

Is there a certain time of day that is difficult for you to fit a walk into? Do you work and think that just a walk in the morning or at night will do? If the dog is to be left all day then two walks becomes more important for its welfare than one that has company and mental stimulation all day.

Hi.

Thank you for your helpful reply.

Firstly, I have a fairly big back garden where one half is paved and the other half is grass, and then a big area of bare soil next to that with a shed there. But the inside of our house is a bit small that it wouldn't really suit any giant breeds.

I know that isn't really much to go on, and doesn't really paint an exact picture in your mind of what our garden looks like, but I just explained it roughly like this as to say that if I had a dog, I would be happy enough for it to do its toilet business there.

But this may vary between different dogs, as I think some would do their toilet whilst out walking with their owners. Some days I walk through my local park and see a number of dogs and their owners around, and sometimes I see people picking up their dog's poop, which is of course the correct thing to do and leaves the ground cleaner for other other people, out of respect and responsibility.

Anyhow, as you mentioned the boredom factor, I think it is a good idea to take a dog out everyday for the stimulation they require and of course to prevent them from boredom.

BUT.... what I do wonder about here is, well.... I've heard that it's not really a good thing to say that you will take your dog out to relieve your own boredom. It's been a while since I've heard this, and I forget the reason for it.

Does it sound like a bad thing to you, to say of doing this at all? I mean, I could say that I want to go out because I feel really bored, but at the same time, I would benefit from my own exercise. So I would take the dog out too.

Another thing, if it is a rainy day, for most of the day, the thing is, I usually try to avoid going out when it's raining, as I don't really like the rain. I guess a lot of people don't like the rain really either.

But I guess you can't really say, I won't go out with the dog if it's raining, can you? (particularly if it's raining for most of the day) You would still have to take it out at these times, as I guess it's quite easy just to find a waterproof coat to go out in.

Does this sound plausible to you?

Lastly, I'm kinda looking for a small breed of dog that I may be able to manage every day, but only once a day. I'm always up and about in the afternoons onwards, but it's just that I'm not really a morning person, if you know what I mean

If you think 2 hours is the maximum for walks that a dog can handle, I may be able to do that too.

I don't go out to work, so I don't have a job to go to. I am not self employed either. (like some people who are) But instead, I am living from benefit money which comes in every 2 weeks. But for what I get, I feel that it's definitely enough if I need to buy dog food and everytime it runs out.

I Just had a thought on something else you wrote here.

If you think 2 walks is more important, I could do afternoon walks and also at some time in the evenings. As I said, I'm not really a morning person.

How does this sound to you?

 

[LittleMissMe]

EXCUUUUSE MEEEE??

Is there anyone out there who can reply to my 2nd post (one above) please???

I'm still looking for an answer or two, and I would appreciate if anyone can add anything to my reply and help me out here please???

 

[gypsysmum2]

It seems to me that you do not want to do a morning walk. That is fine as long as you are willing to get up and let your dog out into the garden in the morning. You could then walk the dog in the afternoon and again in the evening.

Yes your dog will need to go out if it is raining. You just have to have waterproof clothes for those occasions.

We are here to comment on things to do with dogs so cannot comment on your exercise or your relief of boredom.

A small dog would be suitable for you. You could visit one of the rescue and rehoming centres in your area such as Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, RSPCA. Also, why not look at a retired greyhound? They are desperate for a nice sofa to lie on and are very low maintenance. They like to sleep most of the time and just need a couple of walks of about half an hour or so.

Do remember that as well as feeding, a dog will need to visit the vet on occasions. You should look into the cost of yearly vaccinations and worm treatments. Also, like us, dogs can get sick and need expensive veterinary treatment. The best way to deal with this is to insure your dog so that you can claim the cost of large bills back.

Hope this helps.

Can I just mention that capital letters and exclamation marks are a little rude. We give of our time freely on this forum and it is a little upsetting to see that sort of thing.

 

[LittleMissMe]

Hey again,

Firstly, I was probably a bit tired at the time of my last post and probably should have waited. Also, because it was maybe a bit soon that I could have waited 2 or 3 more days, I was a bit worried at the time that no one was going to come back and reply to my post.

I am sorry for my caps. I hope it didn't cause too much discomfort. I'm a person who tends to worry quite a bit about things sometimes. Again, I am sorry.

Secondly, there doesn't appear to be many people using this forums website, does there? Not that I don't think you haven't been helpful at all so far, because I definitely think you have, and I appreciate it too. So thank you very much for your help this far.

It's just.... there's only you answering my posts and I thought it was supposed to be a popular forums website. Perhaps there are some people who have left for various reasons?

Anyway.... going back to dogs again. Do you think it's really important that all, or most dogs should really get 2 walks a day? I was under the assumption that if I was to let a dog into our back garden in the morning for him/her to do hi/her toilet thing, (and run around for a bit of exercise) that I could then make one afternoon walk every day, and that would be it. Is the 2nd walk in the day to help prevent the boredom of the dog? Is that the important part, as I'm not 100% sure here.

If so, then I have a local park (with big open space) where I could take a dog each day, and there's always other people there, some with their children for the children's play areas and other people walking their dogs.

Aswell as the garden option for the dog's toilet, the park would also be a possible option. So that obviously I could take something to clean up after the dog.

Thirdly, I am aware of those rehoming centres, and I'm almost certain that a Dog's Trust one is closest to where I live.

They have a website, (which I look at quite often) and it shows the different breeds they have. But at the moment, I cannot see any dogs on there which would be suitable for my lifestyle.

I also, live close to a vetinary surgery and a pet shop which has an adoption centre, which could be quite helpful.

So I would quite easily be able to take a dog to my local vet each time one needs any vaccinations and worm treatments, and because you have mentioned it, I could also have a dog insured, which is something I didn't really think of.

So thank you for the helpful reminder.

You also mentioned a retired greyhound. That is also something I never thought of. I'm aware that normally, they are a breed that needs to cover very long distances, as I sometimes see them in the races T.V. (not that I'm a big fan, but just occasionally when the T.V. happens to be on when I'm passsing through the room)

I never knew that a retired greyhound would be lower maintenance. I never really see any listed on the Dog's Trust website, but I think it's something to think about for future reference.

Does any of what I have said, sound okay so far?

Again, I'll probably try to wait a few days to see a reply.

 

[JoanneF]

On this forum we often see a reply from someone like Gypsysmum (who is highly regarded as she has a huge wealth of experience) and feel there is little more to add!

 

[Biker John]

Littlemissme, most sight hounds once past the adolescent stage are lazy couch potatoes, I have a Whippet and I'm sure she would sleep for 23 hrs a day if nothing was happening. Yes they love to run but only short distance high speed sprints, I will say some for example a Saluki can and do run fairly long distances, but Greyhounds and Whippets are short distance sprinters.. Retired Greyhounds are easy to get, look on line for 'The retired greyhound trust' for example. Whippets for re homing are I'm glad to say less common.

 

[Cash_Dolly]

Hi

I agree with the above, look into a greyhound. very lazy and laid back, happy to sleep, like you, they aren't always keen to go out in the rain!! lol I have whippets and although they too are very chilled out I have found my greyhounds/greyhound cross dogs much more so!

as for walking requirements. It very much depends on the dogs. I have had one or two people vent their opinions on me keeping dogs when I work - bad me! But they are happy and healthy and get a lot more stimulation than many dogs I know with owners who don't work. Mine get 30 mins - 1 hour first thing in the morning, an hour walk with the dog walker or my partner in the middle of the day, at least an hour as soon as I get home from work then ten mins (usually just round the field, farm road, park etc) before bed. These walks include farm tracks, through the village, the park, the fields, the woods, the beach etc etc and spaces to free run.....stubble fields just now! and when I don't work they come everywhere with me (eg I go to a lot of agricultural shows etc) but equally I know of people with whippets who maybe only get an hour tops in a day and are perfectly happy with that. So many things can affect what they need - breed, personality, what they are used to/fitness levels, health, age etc etc I am sure with continued research you could find a dog who would fit into your lifestyle - They are all different!! I think people get too set on "these are the rules for having a dog" and don't see the adaptability...

You should really consider a greyhound though, try the rescue sites, my friend has one and she practically has to drag it out for a walk on some days as it just wants to lie on her bed!!