JJ: When you have a house with three Golden Retrievers in it, walking can become quite a little chore. While Daddy thinks he can walk all three of us at once, he has yet to try it! The biggest thing holding him back is that I… I mean, we … are so darn cute that everyone wants to say hi to us!
Tucker: Correct. We would likely be three good dogs overall, but given that we are Golden Retrievers, we want everyone to be our friends! Dogs, people, squirrels. Heck, if we saw a grizzly bear on the street, we would probably ask him for friendship!
Alanis: You are insanely friendly, Tucker. While JJ and I may be a little skeptical if a blue van came up to us on the street and told us to get in, Tucker would jump in the truck and simply become a member of a new family.
JJ: Since we don’t have as much daylight to walk at this time, Alanis has been getting more of the shaft than Tucker and myself! She usually gets the “evening” shift.
Alanis: I love walking in the colder weather, but I don’t necessarily need a walk every day. To be exact, I am a little weird when it comes to walks. There are days when I want to walk two miles…and other days where I am pulling to go back home after a minute. So now I think I have a good balance – unlike Tucker and JJ, I don’t get walked every single day. However, I am walked many days during the week and I have been happy with the plan! It also helps that my brothers love to play with each other and with me!
Tucker: Yep! We love playing with Alanis!
JJ: Tucker and I go on marathon walks. Today, we walked nearly five miles through a neighborhood Daddy never took a dog walk before. He decided to take a turn down a road he was unfamiliar with and it took us to many new areas to explore, sniff, etc.!
Tucker: We love and need our marathon walks. Without a long walk every day, we get wound up to an extreme. While long walks do not knock us completely out, they do take us down a notch or two.
Alanis: I love that – I am only five, but they are both approaching their second birthday. I just need a little peace from time to time!
JJ: We are all good walkers, in our own way.
Alanis: My biggest “issue” on walks is that I love to bark at people and dogs. They are friendly barks, but people who aren’t experienced with the language of a dog can be a bit intimidated by me 🙁 I promise, I don’t bite! I just have to bark when I get excited!
Tucker: I am a very good walker for such an insane boy – but I am a little nervous still on walks. I am starting to come out of it though – those noises that would startle me (things like someone shutting their trash can lid) aren’t startling me as much.
JJ: I really don’t have any issues on walks – I have always been a very confident boy with little fear and plenty of excitement. I do have a tendency to “bounce” when I see people or dogs I want to greet. And when I say bounce, I mean it: I often bounce as high as Daddy’s head (he is 6’1″!) and people have commented on that when they see me do it!
Alanis: The bottom line? Taking a dog for a walk, no matter how long, is good for their health and allows them to enjoy the things dogs they love to do the most: Sniff around and explore.
Me: I work from home, which allows me to essentially dedicate my “lunch hour” to dog walking. I understand that not everyone has this privilege, which could make it harder to walk your dogs – especially in the winter when it gets darker earlier.
When we rescued Tucker, one of the “requirements” was that he would be able to go for walks with him. To many, this may seem like an unreasonable request, but it really isn’t. Tucker is full of energy and loves carrying around his leash when he is about to go for a walk or a ride. He can’t imagine a world where he doesn’t get to prance around the neighborhood.
Some Q&A:
“Should my dog wear a harness or muzzle when I take him for a walk?” I highly recommend a harness! Dogs are very good at “slipping” out of their collars. Sometimes, all they need to do is step back as you are walking, and they are FREE! Harnesses help prevent that from happening. I can’t imagine walking JJ or Tucker without their harness. I recommend a front-hook harness over the harnesses that hook in the back. Some harnesses will allow for both. I just feel as if I have better control of the dog with the front hook ones (mine are PupTech harnesses)
As for muzzles, I have never placed one on any of my dogs for a walk. If you feel that your dog is at any risk of biting someone (even if it is PLAY biting! Some people may not appreciate that either!) then a muzzle may be a good idea for you. Muzzles are not cruel to the dog! I understand there are some countries that require muzzles for any dogs of a certain size. I don’t think we are close to a law like that in this country but muzzles can be helpful to keep the dog safe and for your own peace of mind.
“What if someone wants to greet my dogs and I am uncomfortable?” I have run into this a few times. Recently, a little girl and boy who were playing in their yard saw me walking by with JJ and Tucker and wanted to play with them. Saying no to children is not easy, right? They mean no harm to your pet – and these two kids definitely meant no harm. My concern was simple: It had nothing to do with them but had to do with my dogs. They are super friendly to everyone but haven’t been exposed to many young children. My fear was that they would, in their exuberance, jump on the kids and cause them to fall. Was that the right call? I have no idea – at that moment, I felt it was the SAFE call. If it happened again, I may think differently. If that family is reading this (doubtful), I apologize for that day! For the most part, I will let my dogs greet older children and adults without much hesitation. Other dogs? That depends on the feeling I am getting from that other dog. Reading body language goes a long way in determining whether or not I will allow for a meet and greet.
“Should I get a regular leash or a retractable leash?” This is an easy question for me to answer because I absolutely hate retractable leashes! They can be helpful for dog training (retractable leashes are very long and can be helpful in teaching stuff like stay/come), but I think they are dangerous for pets and humans on walks and rides. They can break easily, cause injury, and even strangulation if they become entangled. I would stick with a basic leash, which comes in all kinds of styles and sizes. Your dog doesn’t need anything more than that.
“When is it safe to walk my dog?” You have probably heard of the “pavement” test – if you put your hand on the pavement and it gets hot quickly, it probably isn’t the right time to walk your dog! I agree with that to an extent, but I don’t think that is the only way to determine if you should take your dog for a walk. My basic rule of them is that I will walk them in temperatures between 25-85, but that is also not 100%. If it is 20 degrees without any wind, that is probably better than 35 with extreme wind. If it is 82 degrees but with high humidity, it is probably better to wait until later in the day. However, 87 with low humidity may be OK. Regardless, this is a KNOW YOUR DOG situation. Alanis HATES to walk in warm weather. However, she is like an Eskimo – she would probably walk around town during a blizzard if we were able to. If your dog is showing any signs of discomfort in certain kinds of weather, don’t push it. Alanis lets me know right away if she is not feeling it (essentially, she runs right back towards the house if we are halfway down the street and she is not loving the weather)
“I want to walk my dog more, but I am busy! What can I do?” This is a valid concern – nobody is going to call you a bad person because time sometimes gets in the way of a dog walk. There are a few things you can try, though:
1. Take a short walk. While my dogs love their marathon walks, this isn’t the way it needs to be. You can leash them up and take them for a 10-15 minute walk around the block. That is probably what I did when we first brought a Golden Retriever into the house. In time, I figured out that I actually LOVED walking him and I started extending the walks. You may find this to be true as well – sometimes, starting the routine is the hardest part.
2. Hire a dog walker. There are apps out there that allow you to connect with dog walkers and sitters in your area. That can be your first step. I have never used the app (though I have considered becoming a dog walker!), but I will assume that they allow you to choose how often you want your dog walked, etc. You may also find that a neighborhood teen loves dogs and would be willing to do it for you for some extra cash. Obviously, you will want to make sure the person is responsible when it comes to walking dogs but this is another way you can get Fido some of the extra exercise that he needs.