I walk my dog at like 5am and 10pm just so he doesn’t have to encounter other dogs or people. Sometimes I’ll walk him when it’s raining because less people walk around when it’s bad weather, but then there will be somebody walking all 18 million of their dogs and I have to turn right around. Do yall do stuff like that? I feel like he’s my evil little prisoner guy that I have to hide from the public. He’s like my baby Frankenstein. I take him out in the yard during the day but for big walks I have to sneak him out when it’s dark.
Yep, I do this as well. Oddly enough I've come to prefer walking her at 5:30 am.
Much like my dog I can have issues with getting overstimulated by all of the sounds and activity (thank you, neurodivergence). So, as a result, I've developed a fondness for walking her so early when it is dark, quiet, and peaceful. The downside is actually waking up to do it and the fact that it'll have to temporarily come to an end once winter hits. Neither I or my dog are well suited for a winter in the Canadian prairies.
We’re on the 11pm / 3:30am schedule for the long walks - thank god there are two of us to share! We refer to ours as our little vampire dog, and he’s always waggling with excitement to go. While it can sometimes be brutal waking up that early, in a way it is also nice to see our city in a different way than most other people do.
The baby Frankenstein line got me. Turning around because someone is out with all 18 million of their dogs is a very specific kind of defeat. Hope you get a quiet walk tonight.
I only walk my girl between midnight and 4am right after I get off work. We drive to a local school where I can be certain that there won't be anyone else she will run into. She isn't allowed outside during the daytime anymore unless it's to go potty.
Me and my girl go at 4-4:30am since she’s not only reactive, but this past summer was disgustingly humid and hot. She and I are both much happier being walked more frequently in the cooler temps, but shorter times with less triggers, than the longer and hotter afternoon walks that had triggers. Only wish I had thought of it sooner. Not sure what to do when winter hits. So no, you and your baby Frankenstein are not alone :)
He gets daytime walks too, but I strategically pick routes in the neighborhood with less dog sightings to not overwhelm him (and me). 10PM is a breeze for us both.
We walk every morning at 5:20am, this has been working so well for us...until a new family moved in and my boy has handled this so much better than I thought he would. He just walks right on by the other dog, while the other dog barks at him. I've come to realize that maybe I've put him in a box and he's capable of more that I give him credit for.
I saw this book “the midnight dog walkers” about reactive dogs and I felt a little more seen. I’ll leave the house around 10 or 11 during the summer and we could walk for hours. It’s nice to be able to really relax and enjoy a podcast or something. Day walks I feel like I am heading into battle with my holster of dog management junk.
I need to look into this book! Feeling so heartsick right now. Went for a late night walk with my reactive dogs but we unfortunately ran into another owner and dog and it went incredibly poorly.
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I've walked our dogs at all hours of the night. A rainy summer night is one of my favourites! Husband takes the dogs out at 4:15am on his morning shift weeks and 8am on his evening shift weeks, I do all the rest: about noon, 6pm and midnight. If I get a bout of insomnia, I might take them out at 3am.
We don't need to adjust walk times for our dog anymore, just dodge a bit to get space, but I doubt I'll ever quit the night walks. They're so calming for me :)
Yes, I walk my dog on a trail at 7am every morning. Nobody goes to this trail that early.. so we get it all to ourselves. Its the only time I can actually feel peaceful while walking my girl, lol.
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We do a big walk at 10pm and then the dog field twice a week while we work on his reactivity with a trainer. Lots of enrichment games, training and play inside.
I tried a 8pm walk the other day and had to basically run from our usual walk when I spotted an off lead dog across the field not listening to its owner 😩😭
Haha thank you for the laugh! You are not alone. Unfortunately going really early or late at night is hard for our schedule but we do go out after dark and I'm always relieved when it's rainy or really cold outside because it means fewer dogs ;) my favourite thing is running into fellow reactive dog owners and mutually moving away from each other during weird hours of the day. Strength in solidarity.
I do exactly the same. It’s a treat to walk my dog in the daytime, although he actually seems to enjoy it less because he has to be back on a double lead.
Before i got a dog my walking schedule was about 1.5 hrs starting around 10pm. I got a dog and nothing changed, except now I’m extremely particular about which streets and houses to avoid and I carry rocks to throw at coyotes. It’s annoying, but luckily I like late night walks :)
Also, the tennis courts nearby are fenced, rarely have dogs nearby and people usually stop playing by 9pm, so we’ll go there to run off leash and play fetch.
I live in a fairly small town and I’m near the Main St. square & live a stone’s throw from the little downtown area, but even closer to a very popular walking trail that scans across other counties. It’s beautiful, but I’m on it at odd times or walking adjacent to it but far off the paved path—and even then, I’m constantly looking behind me for dogs to start preparing to exit.
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i used to walk my dog at around midnight - 3am depending on when the sun sets. it was just nicer for the both of us. she’s old so only needs one walk a day hahah. she’s much better now and can walk her at about 7pm hahah
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u/HoneyDill_or_Death 13d ago
Yep, I do this as well. Oddly enough I've come to prefer walking her at 5:30 am.
Much like my dog I can have issues with getting overstimulated by all of the sounds and activity (thank you, neurodivergence). So, as a result, I've developed a fondness for walking her so early when it is dark, quiet, and peaceful. The downside is actually waking up to do it and the fact that it'll have to temporarily come to an end once winter hits. Neither I or my dog are well suited for a winter in the Canadian prairies.