Am I walking lucy enough?

[angel]

we took advice from the rescue centre when we got lucy.on how much to feed her and how often to walk her...

they advised us to walk her three times a day,but not for long amounts

she gets walked in the morning for about half hour,and again at tea time for about the same,then at night hubby takes her out for about an hour...

how can you tell if this is sufficiant or not enough

[travis]

How old is Lucy,have I got it right is she a Lab x,what and how much are you feeding her

[angel]

yes lucy is our lab cross:D

we dont know exactly how old she is,but going by her teeth they said between 1 and two years old.....

again going by the amount to feed her by the rescue centre advice ,we give her food in the morning and at night..she has one "standard" sized tin each time....she was fed on anything at the resue centre had at the time,but we give her pedigree chum with a mixer..and she drinks plenty of water

[Jake2006]

I would suggest that Lucy will be able to walk the legs off you unless she has a medical problem. So three times a day is good for her to toilet but you don't have to be that disciplined. I only walk Jake once a day - but that means he goes out for about 3 hours in the afternoon, on the beaches, forests, whatever. I would over-exercise him if I walked him 3 times a day at such a vigorous activity.

As long as she's tired at the end of the day, isn't destructive or too boisterous then you are exercising her enough. Its something you'll both get accustomed to.

Well done rescuing - Jake's a rescue dog too.

[angel]

thankyou jake's so cutie looking,bless him

is it true though that walking distances and time depend on the breed though..what may be suited for a medium or large dog certainly wouldnt be for a small one etc....

eg you have stated you walk jake once a day for three hours,where as i have split this time up throughout the day,for two different reaons really..one as she had problems vomiting mucus after being out for too long as she pulled on the lead (we changed to a harness to release the pressure from her throat) and two for conveniance..i walk her in morn as im at home~oldest son walks her afternoon after school ~and hubby walks her at night (basically so we all have responsibility over her well being and care)

As long as she's tired at the end of the day, isn't destructive or too boisterous then you are exercising her enough. Its something you'll both get accustomed to.

she is just that,but like i have mentioned in another post she doesnt seem to comprehend the basics at all ,were just not sure if she has ever had any control from previous owners,but do hope its something we can work on with her..so its uncertain if lack of exercise could be a added factor here or not,but thought it was def worth looking into anyhow..

thankyou for your reply

[Jake2006]

I agree with different exercise regimines for different breeds - but she's a lab isn't she? Its great that your family are sharing a rota. I hope she stops pulling with her harness on. Jake can pull for England. Its distressing for you if she's bringing up mucus and there isn't an answer to it other than training.

Are you going to take her to obedience classes. It may help to calm her down a bit and also socialise her.

I've found a great way to stop Jake getting too excited when we are first setting off on his walk - I give him his Kong on a rope to carry. He knows that it doesn't get thrown until we get somewhere and that only I can throw it. It is only used for outside activities so its very 'special' to him.

I'm sure you know of the training techniques (clicker training, whistle training). I tried turning the other way when Jake pulled but that didn't work! He's a strong dog. You'll get lots of training advice on here.
Anyway hope the harness helps.

[skunkstripe]

I am a firm believer in something I read on one of Brain Kilcommons' books (he learned from Barbara Woodhouse) which is that a tired dog is a happy dog. If your dog is approx 1 yr old and as jake says, has not medical problems, walking may not be enough to get her winded. A Lab or Lab mix is going to need a LOT of exercise. Since as you say she has not had much obedience training you probably don't want to let he off the leash until you have trained a "reliable recall". As a human you cannot run fast or far enough to tire out a dog, you would have to be on roller blades or a bicycle. If there is a path you can do this on (without the risk of injuring yourself) I would give it a shot. Your dog will thank you by calming down and being mroe trainable.
In the meantime you have your work cut out for you. It sounds like no one has taken the time yet to teach Lucy how to be a good dog in a human's world so you will be fighting on multiple fronts and waiting for small victories in improved behavior.
Best of luck to you and you are an angel for taking on this doggie.

[angel]

aww thankyou kindly,
im not keen on the idea of letting her off her lead as yet,but please let me explain why....

we have only had her for two weeks now,and im not sure that she is familiar with her outdoor surroundings.

i have no idea if she would come back to me,as she lacks every other aspect,bless her

we are going to have her microchipped in the next cpl of weeks,and dont want her to get lost despite having a id badge.

*am i being silly"..i just want to give her the best change all round,and i dont want to cause any further heartache to her..shes been through enough already i think.

[skunkstripe]

No I would not let her off her lead yet, except perhaps in a well-fenced area. It sounds like she is too unpredictable.
May I suggest you have a look at some of the stories in the Rescue section. People have written up their experiences with dogs that have been through hard times and there may be something there that you will recognize in Lucy's behavior that might help you.

[angel]

i will do thankyou:)

[KatzNK9]

I can't imagine why they would have advised you for short walks, a lab has plenty of energy to burn & as long as she's healthy, I'd do my best to get her as much exercise as she's willing to take (within reason, of course) ... let her be the judge. Yes, a tired dog is a happy dog.

[angel]

thankyou katz..i will take that on board

[Kaos]

Sounds to me like Lucy is one lucky rescue dog who has landed on her feet with a loving family. I think she will adore going out for three walks a day, it has the advantage of breaking up her day. I also think it is fabulous that the whole family are getting involved in her care.

You are doing the right thing not letting her off lead until she settles in and her training gets underway, in the meantime you can use a long lead to allow her to run around a bit, meet other dogs, fetch balls or whatever in suitable areas.

I have a lab x and find that he does like as to have as much exercise as I can manage. We tend to do a couple of extra long walks at weekends which helps to de bounce him. If you can find a local dog club labs are also great at obedience, flyball and agility which can help to keep them entertained and exercised whilst being fun and social for their owners.

[John]

Ya I kind of have a problem with the exercise (for now) with Daisy. Last day I walked her very often ( for about 20 min ) and one big walk at the end ( at least an hour). But for now I can't bring her to the dog park because I have to wait 2 weeks to see if she don't have any problem. She's being recued and the guy told us '' no contact with other dog for 2 weeks ''. So the only thing I can do is walk her and run with her. And the worse! Today is rainy and she don't realy act normaly under the rain.

Another question. How do you know if you can walk your dog without a leash? I mean in a park or something. I let her loose on the leash when I walk her because she's curious and like to go and smell. But when I bring her to my left, she walk very nice without pulling or anything.

Thx

EDIT: For now she's tired everynight but like today I'm working soon. I just can't wait to bring her to the dog park. Also, in 19 days she's gonna be neutered... since then the park dog might be risky.

[Vartan]

There are brackets you can put on a bicycle and ride while he's on a lead, sounds scary but you will never tire him out with a walk. You may also try a backpack on him with water bottles in it. You seem like your walking him more than most people walk there dogs.

[John]

I walk her alot because we just got her and she cry alot. When she cry in front of the door, i'm not taking any chance I walk her for 20 min and normaly she do her job;). As soon she gonna be use to be inside and stop crying. I will bring her less but for longer walk (play in park, etc). For now I realy don't mind to walk her, I even like it!!:D Every morning arount 9h00 we wake up and I walk her immediatly. I was scare that she wasn't train to go outside but during the night she sleep and everything's perfect.

~John~

[angel]

aww bless,isnt it funny how you get into a little poochie routine so quick

[Caincando1]

I don't think it's possible to over walk a dog(withing reason), that's what they where built to do. Better yet they where build to run. I like to run them along side my bike. In the summer I will run my 20lb terrier mix 20 plus miles a week and I'm sure he would love more. I can't wait to run the new one, she's a long legged running hound mix and will probably need double that. I'm going to need to get in better shape myself to keep up.

[angel]

thanks cain sweety,if nothing else,im getting fitter too,lol

[skunkstripe]

Yes dogs are good training buddies! http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q108/2dogmom_album/crittergraphics/Exercises.gif

[MyDogShelby]

I think its easy to tell when a dog has had enough exercise...you don't want to really overdue it, if it looks like they can't take it. Some dogs can go the distance, some can't. Angel, if you think Lucy can take a longer session of walking, then by all means, go for it...if not, I wouldn't push it. Or at least give her time to work her way up to going longer distances.
Some dogs, those of which haven't been walked daily, might need to be conditioned to go longer distances. For example, if you've only jogged 1/4 mile on your treadmill, and your pooped out afterwards, it will take awhile (days to a week) to "work up" to running a few miles...and for some dogs, its the same.

Again, it all depends on the individual dog. :) Sounds like Lucy is getting a fairly adequate amount of exercise. She is a lab mix, right? A lab should be able to walk as long as 45 mins each walking session...you could do one session in the morning, and another in the late afternoon or evening...and mix in some backyard playtime. :)

[Caincando1]

Something I should add about running your dog. As MyDogShelby stated you'll want to condition them. Something else to take into account with the running is their pads. House dogs have very soft pads and need to be conditioned to run long distances or their pads will get tore up and bleed. Start them out at a couple miles(maybe less for a lab, I'm not sure) and check their pads. Depending on the surface they are running on they pads may or may not handle it. A little scuffing is normal and they will toughen up over time. It's not uncommon for them to crack open and bleed even within a short distance, so don't feel back, it happens. Just try to watch them and stop before that happens. After a few months of regular running the pads with thicken up and they will be able to gradually run longer distances. I can't tell you how much a good run or job(I don't ride very fast) benefits a dog. A tired dog is a happy dog.

[GitSol]

Angel, If you are worried about letting her off the lead for a run incase she won't come back have you thought about trying a long line lead or a horses lunge line that you can put on her in a field or the beach etc. and let her have that extra freedom whilst you still have total control. It is also a brilliant way to teach recall - it makes them realise they have to come back everytime because you have control (and treats! ;))

Best of luck with her and well done for rescuing!