HOW MUCH DO YOU WALK?

[Jen]

Just curious to know how much everyone walks their cockers on a daily basis.  I must admit, I so hate this weather - it's so dark and wet...walking my boy isn't that much fun...especially as he get so muddy and wet and the floor in my kitchen is white  - The problem with Monty is he never gets really zonked - so I never really know when he feels he's walked enough....he just keeps going.....in the summer this is fine as we are always out and about with him - but this time of year is different.  So how long should be long enough....or am I asking an impossible question? :oops:                    

[Silver Surfer (indiesnan)]

Hi Jen, as you know nells not a cocker....  hubby walks her for 2 hours of a morning,... and half an hour after dinner,.. and 20 minutes of an evening. But at the moment, i,m doing the walking, as hubby has just had surgery.... I,m getting p....d on from a great height,  :cry:  Its seems to wait for me to get ready. And then  the heavens open.  :cry: But i must say, she,s getting nowhere near the walking that hubby gives her.  :oops: We took her out with Indie on the beacon,... both of them saw a pond and jumped in,... they  were absolutly rotten, and covered in mud. Emma ended up putting Indie pops in the bath!!

  Barb                    

[Loraine]

Isn't this weather just awful?  My house is a mess with paw prints everywhere and that wet dog smell...say no more!  :x

I haven't been able to walk my two since I've been back because they are in season.  I do let them run around in the garden a bit with each other for a while or sometimes I may even go out with them with a ball (v.rare I admit!)  :wink:  but they seem ok without the walks they were getting in the summer.  

If Monty is anything like my two you may find that mental stimulation can tire him out just as much.  I try and do some training with them during the time when they would have had a walk.  At least they are active/exercising AND they stay dry!

Loraine.                    

[Anita]

I know exactly how you feel. It's not just the walking in the rain but the drying them afterwards. You should have seen her on Friday after taking her out - mudsville!

Phoebe normally gets one walk a day of about an hour. I always feel guilty if we can't take her for some reason (only happened about once or twice).

It wasn't much fun when I was ill last week and still took her out.

However, when she sprained her wrist, she wasn't walked for a week and she was fine. I presume we just need to watch the calorie intake.

What do others think?                    

[Mary]

I literally have to drag Lottie out in this weather Took her out Saturday and got drenched...she was not happy, constantly pulling home :?   I amde it a long one though...no point in getting drenched again later :wink:

Actually, it's so awful out there today that I've decided not to drag her out at all :wink:   I suppose I'm lucky in the fact that she really isn't bothered about walks.  Having said that, I take her out about 3 times a day usually, to and from school (about half an hour each) and then about 45 minutes lunchtime at this time of year ( often an evening walk when the evenings are lighter).  I like walking so she has no choice                    

[Sheryl]

I must have dogs related to Marys.  Both of mine stand at the door, look out and if there is a chance they will get their paws wet then they just look up at me with their 'Are you mental?' face.  Quite comical really.   In the good weather they will walk until I drag them back.  Although with the lung damage that Chloe has, she has a definite limit that she lets me know by sitting down and refusing to budge. :oops:                    

[Colin]

I suppose all dogs have different needs, but I find with Jimmy that two 20 minute walks a day are the bare minimum, or he sulks. I try and give him at least an hours free running a day ....... he loves it when it's wet as it seems to bring out all the smells in the park. :roll:

I've actually got used to the horrible weather now, although it came as a bit of a shock at first. I seem to be surrounded by wet towels everywhere, both at home and in the car. I don't really even notice the smell of wet dog much anymore, I probably smell the same as them by now. Although saying that, Misty actually smells quite nice when she's wet, a kind of sweet smell.                    

[markjcage]

Oh you lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, people.
Daisy loves water....rain, snow hail, sleet, mud, whatever.   :roll:

So it's every day, every weather.
But I love it as much as she does, so we're ok really.                    

[Mike]

Mine also dont care much for the rainy weather. Which is great, cos neither do I!    It's hard enough to get Daisy to go outside for a wee when it's raining...  :roll:                    

[Gilly]

Butty didn't get walked at all for the 3 weeks she was in season and to be honest it didn't seem to bother her at all  :wink:
Usually at this time of year bear minimum it's 2 x 15 minute walks a day. One in the morning when the kids have gone to school...then one later on which could be anytime between 5.00pm and midnight depending on what I'm doing with the kids  :wink:  Again also depends on Hubbys shifts, if he comes in from a backshift he usually takes her again on top of what I do then more at weekends, but again depending on the weather....Saturday we didn't go out at all  :?                    

[*Jay*]

I take my three to the park for 1 hour in the morning so they can get off lead, 10 mins walk at lunchtime, 30 mins walk after work and another 10 mins before bed. We do more at the weekend depending on the weather.....they were lucky to go round the block a couple of times during the day on Saturday :shock:                    

[Shirley]

The weather has well and truly turned here   .  This was the first morning where I've needed to take a kettle out to melt the windscreen of the car.  Morgan loves his walks and goes mental at the sight of a lead.  He runs through bogs and puddles at 100mph  :twisted: - always making sure he makes the most of every minute he's out.  He normally gets walked for 15 minutes in the morning and about 1 hour at night.  Luckily we've got a croft so he's got about and acre to run about in if I can't be bothered braving the elements - I just stand at the back door and throw a frisbee and a ball for 10 minutes (he won't drop one thing till he has another to fetch :roll: )  :wink:                    

[Magic Star]

Indie is a bit of a wimp with the cold, she really does not like it!!!  She does lover her walkies with Nell running free in the coutryside and yes she had her first dip in water the other day, purely by chance as that Nell one set her a very bad example and led my baby astray :roll: , by teaching her how to take a big run and jump in the pond :shock:  and then how to run across the field to your mummy and shake water all overe her!!!!! :twisted:   Sometimes when I get her lead out shes is sooo like "does it look like I can be bothered moving from this sofa, to go and get wet" hmmmm who can blame her :wink:   She is still young for massivley long walks though.  

Cocker feet and rain is a nightmare though, I don't know how you folkes with more than one cope with it :?   I think someone should invent some little wellies for them :wink:   Oh and an anti wet dog smell  spray :wink: I am sure that would be a good seller

Emma and Indie                    

[taliska]

Interested to see this as I've been thinking the same lately with the poor weather... Taliskas not a big fan of the rain either, steve tries to take him out most days in the week for 40mins to an hour. Weekends he gets longer 1hr-2.  We do play with him in the house /garden as well.  Is there such a thing as the right amount of exercise! We tend to go on what he seems to feel like...  :?:                    

[Mary P]

Hi,
I must say that the rain hasn't helped with our new 'old' cocker Tia!
I know from the rescue that she wasn't taken out before they got her. She was so pleased to be rescued that the first few times I tried to get her to leave the house again - rain or not - she refused to go! and had to be encouraged with a guiding hand.
She now happily goes out (and is getting fitter and loosing weight - she was tubby when we first saw her), but if it's raining and cold will only tolerate a short time before she digs her paws in - brakes on hard - and won't budge willingly unless it's towards home.
No rain and no problem - an hour then later two half hours is becoming our norm now.
Onward and upward!
Cheers,