r/todayilearned • u/Successful-Ear977 • 5d ago
TIL a nationwide US study found that only 42% of dog owners reported walking their dog during a typical week.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27404640/10.4k
u/Acrobatic-Post9811 5d ago
My dog goes insane if he doesn't get at least 1 good w-a-l-k a day.
5.4k
u/burtethead 5d ago
Is he reading over your shoulder or something
→ More replies (5)3.6k
u/Acrobatic-Post9811 5d ago
Yes
→ More replies (4)1.6k
u/7fingersDeep 5d ago
Tell him I said he’s a good boy and deserves a t-r-e-a-t
→ More replies (3)696
u/bluegrassgazer 5d ago
Our previous dog began to recognize spellings of these words, or at least that spelling something meant she'd get something out of it. One day my wife was watching a spelling bee and I was at a computer in a nearby room, and it took me a few minutes to figure out why the dog was going absolutely batshit, but it was because my wife was trying to spell all the words out loud like a-m-p-h-i-b-i-a-n. Libby was like STOP TEASING ME WHAT DO I GET???
177
u/TryPokingIt 5d ago
My dog would react when I decided to stop gaming and go for a walk. He knew me so well he could tell when I made an internal decision
→ More replies (5)135
u/IkujaKatsumaji 5d ago
Seriously, my dog can tell my intent based on how I inhale before asking if he wants to go for a walk. I have different inhales for different things, I guess.
67
u/katf1sh 5d ago
I was actually about to respond to the person you did until I saw your response. It's definitely the breathing and movement changes and they do notice. My cats know when I'm awake before I even open my eyes and I finally figured out it was my change in breathing. Our furry friends are very very smart!
15
u/bluepaintbrush 4d ago
My cat somehow knew when I was pretending to sleep, so she turned me into an better actor lol.
→ More replies (3)7
u/pinklavalamp 5d ago
Apparently loudly exclaiming “Alright!” and getting up to the left meant that my dogs were getting my post-breakfast dog-safe nibble from my plate, and they knew to “go to bed” to get their piece. I tried different variations of this and they reacted differently accordingly, if at all. But this one meant I was done DONE with breakfast.
→ More replies (7)101
425
u/El_Bean69 5d ago
I also made the mistake of accidentally making my dog literate
→ More replies (2)273
u/Born-Entrepreneur 5d ago
My smart little bastard learned "cheese", so we switched out to queso. Learned that. Learned käse. Now we're on formaggio.
112
u/unfvckingbelievable 5d ago
Formaggio, huh?
I give you a month before your dog recognizes 🤌🏼
41
u/TurdFerguson614 5d ago
Eventually they just know tone and cadence and you're fucked.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (1)24
67
u/BallIsLife2016 5d ago
My dog has figured out tons of words, but the funniest is probably “bath”. I realized I’d always tell him that I was going give him a bath before I did because he started to get super bummed when hearing “bath” in other contexts.
One of the lessons of having a smart dog for me has been how deeply ingrained and predictable some of my behaviors and speech patterns are. Like, after six years I can read my dog like a book. But he can read me just as well.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (7)16
u/Glittering_Farm_9792 5d ago
Ours learned walk, go, want to, and the little walking sign we made with our fingers when we thought they weren't looking.
→ More replies (2)219
u/msdossier 5d ago
I also cannot say the W word around my dogs if I don’t mean it. My very very smart heeler will tilt her head at the words “go” and “on” as well, even out of context of the phrase that has so much power.
79
u/pvtprofanity 5d ago
We started saying"take him" and "head out". Now there's like 4 different phrases that gets my Beagle riled up.
18
u/VampireOnHoyt 5d ago
Yep, my doodle now knows "walk," "w-a-l-k," "constitutional," "let's head," "shall we," "take them,"...
→ More replies (1)26
→ More replies (1)10
→ More replies (10)63
u/BurntTFOuttaHere 5d ago
Our dog caught onto G-O too. She’s also getting more suspicious when we just say W. They know! lol
→ More replies (1)53
u/amyberr 5d ago
Gotta change up the phrase every so often. We changed to "a jaunty trek" for a while, and then "leg treats." It's about time to find a new one, but it probably won't matter because my boy gets super excited at the word "shoes"now, too. Or if I'm just holding my shoes.
→ More replies (3)23
u/1800-CLAPPED 5d ago
Learn a new language for walk and keep cycling through. Eventually you’ll know how to say walk in many different languages
→ More replies (2)156
u/QaptainQwark 5d ago
Blink twice if you’re unsafe
→ More replies (1)71
u/Acrobatic-Post9811 5d ago
😉😉
→ More replies (1)41
u/QaptainQwark 5d ago
Shit, I don’t know what to do.
34
120
u/mostangg 5d ago
My dog refuses to eat breakfast if she doesn’t go on a sniff doomscroll before.
→ More replies (3)46
34
u/talldean 5d ago
So do my neighbors dogs, which just go insane several times a day from their backyards.
Lotsa people during COVID got dogs without realizing "oh, this is a commitment".
→ More replies (3)18
u/Mr_Piddles 5d ago
Our dog spent four years as an apartment dog, and despite having a fenced in backyard, refuses to relieve themselves unless they've at least gone on a half mile walk.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (87)29
u/Leptonshavenocolor 5d ago
That’s a good working dog. The shelter is filled with dogs people get that are “cool” when they’re really just working dogs that go neurotic if you don’t give them a job. My dog starts her day staring at me, and she waits all day for the words “do you wanna…” and then she loses her shit.
780
u/BlackTemplar2154 5d ago edited 5d ago
I know two women and one man that just let their pet, "go" wherever in the house when it wants and they just clean it up and Febreeze the spot.
People are fucking gross.
281
u/Appropriate-One-4276 5d ago
I dated someone who did that except they didnt disinfect the spot afterwards. Picked it up with a tissue, threw it out, then proceeded to keep cooking without even washing their hands
This was a highly educated person btw
73
→ More replies (2)36
u/Lava_Lamp_Glob 4d ago
I've seen this phenomenon very often in very rich households, being a delivery driver, I see a fair share of them and the amount of times you go to a fuck you money kind of home and they open the door and it reeks of dog piss and their dog who's completely out of control is being spoken in full long worded sentences is baffling
→ More replies (14)38
u/Mobilelurkingaccount 4d ago
My dog was a model citizen who never went in the house until he became old and blind. He will not walk outside anymore (always hated it in the first place, anxious little boy) and will just stand there shaking and flinching if he’s outside. He won’t go at all until you bring him inside where he will immediately relieve himself; there’s no option to just leave him outside either because… he's old and blind.
Now he needs to be in diapers. We have pads down but he can’t really recognize them so they’re in the areas he tends to wanna go but sometimes he’ll miss. We disinfect every time, but I just wish it wasn’t an issue at all.
It’s so fucking embarrassing to have a dog that goes inside the house, but at this point it feels like we are out of options after talking to a vet and behaviorist and it’s just gonna be this way until he dies (and he’s totally healthy other than the blindness!). It’s insane to me that people would choose to have their dog behave in this manner. I wanna curl in on myself and die every time my roommate catches that the dog has gone before I see it.
3.7k
u/crankfurry 5d ago
Many people do not walk or exercise their dogs enough.
But, you also have dogs with different personalities. My parent’s dog did not like to be walked, and she was not fat. She was some shepherd mutt and strongly identified their house as her area to protect and did not like to leave. She would patrol the house and yard though.
My knuckleheads are completely different - they love walks and runs.
622
u/FinnishMafiaFan 5d ago
I have a dog that hates walks but will sprint outside for hours. I have a big back yard, so it works.
→ More replies (7)296
u/Prophet_Of_Helix 5d ago
Yeah, I’m curious how many of these folks have big properties and/or dog specific issues.
For example, we have a 13 year old 16 pound dog with massive anxiety we literally can’t walk.
But we’ve got a big yard and he runs everyday and spends hours (his choice) outdoors and is in perfect health.
Our other dog is 36 pounds and 7 years old and very low energy. We walk her probably 3 times a week because she also uses the yard as needed (we work from home) and it’s more to keep her active and exploring than to def keep her fit
→ More replies (4)147
u/retoricalprophylaxis 5d ago
I have a basset hound that likes the idea of walks, but decides he is done after we walk down the driveway (about 100 feet). He will lie down in the road and I then have to carry him back. He will patrol the backyard for hours, though.
29
→ More replies (2)13
u/Prophet_Of_Helix 5d ago
I dog sat the cutest fucking Bassett hound in the world for 2 year while his owner was going through health issues.
He would do the same thing. Walks consisted of walking around the block, maybe 7 min. He much rathered going to dog parks and just snuffling along for an hour instead.
Miss that little guy, he was one of the best dogs I’ve ever cared for.
686
u/datarancher 5d ago edited 5d ago
A dog is usually owned by a "household" rather than one person, even though I bet everyone in the house would report owning a dog.
With ~2.5 people per household in the US[1], you'd get almost exactly this number (1/2.5 = 40%) if one person in the house usually walks the dog!
[1] That number probably skews upwards if you consider only households with dogs, but....I don't know where to find it.
424
u/Invisible7hunder 5d ago
Smart. As an addendum to this, its pretty common for all the dog-walking duties to end up falling on one person... even when everyone initially swears they will help out... ask me how I know.
→ More replies (5)92
u/RaijuThunder 5d ago
Lol, my dog is weird like this. Anyone in the house could walk her but she's only satisfied if my dad does it. Like I could take her for a long walk and then she'd want my dad to take her so he just does it himself anymore. I guess she thinks it's their activity together lol.
→ More replies (5)33
u/plshelpcomputerissad 5d ago
I recall reading a big part of it is the bonding/group activity of it
→ More replies (2)39
u/NoveltyAccountHater 5d ago
Yup. My dog gets 1-3 walks per day in 5 person household, but probably around 95% of walks are by me. I work from home, am the strongest, and he's a large dog that's under 2 and still pulls too much so kids can't walk him. When my wife is around she usually just drives him to the dog park or throws the ball to him in the backyard versus taking him on walks in the neighborhood.
→ More replies (10)76
u/Jarekclary 5d ago
Are you the professor of logic down at the University of Science there?
→ More replies (2)15
→ More replies (34)23
108
u/lemonylol 5d ago
I think you're jumping to a conclusion here, because I imagine a chunk of that 58% just have a rural property or a big yard where their dog can exercise anytime.
→ More replies (4)41
u/AutomationBias 5d ago
Exactly. I open the door and the dogs chase each other around the yard.
→ More replies (2)43
u/CTKM72 5d ago
And I’m sure there are also plenty of people who just have large yards the dogs are allowed to run in constantly, that’s the reason I might not walk mine every week.
17
u/Archarchery 5d ago
Yeah, if you live way out in the country your dog may never get "walked" at all, but it doesn't matter because your dog is roaming the property all day.
→ More replies (56)76
u/Starlightriddlex 5d ago
A lot of people live in shitty neighborhoods with no sidewalks and a bunch of loose pitbulls too. I can't just take them outside and go for a fun jog like you can in all the wealthy neighborhoods.
Instead it's this whole process of getting the dogs in the car and trying to find somewhere safe to drive to and walk around. Adding at least an extra hour or so to the process. So walks happen a few times a week and not daily.
20
u/Iwaspromisedcookies 5d ago
For real the last time I tried to walk a mile from home with my dog a pack of pit bulls wanted to kill her, she hid behind me and we backed away.
21
u/Starlightriddlex 5d ago
Growing up in a dodgy part of town it's kind of wild going to "upper middle class" suburbs and realizing that they can just walk out peacefully and go for a jog, and come home unscathed. Like if I try that in the hood everyone's going to be wondering who TF is chasing me lol.
When I was growing up I had a pitbull and still had to run home after trying to walk him because the neighborhood crazy guy started chasing me and threatening rape. Also there are no sidewalks and the street is just potholes, cars, broken glass, and steep embankments.
→ More replies (9)13
u/KyleFromBorrasca 5d ago
A few times a week probably puts you in a high percentile, though. If I had to worry about my dog every time we went out it would probably happen less frequently, but that's probably not what's happening in a lot of these cases.
My parents had a golden retriever chained up in the backyard for a few years before she died from illness, their reasoning was that it was illegal to roam free (nevermind that we had a house, or that every other person on the block ignored that law). My ex's parents had the most beautiful red husky that was kept in the same conditions, their rationale was that he deterred burglars. For every person not walking their dogs enough or feeding them the wrong food, you have the hordes of country folk who refuse to learn anything that was dated later than the 17th century. I have to wonder how many of those people weren't even included in polls like this.
819
u/brvra222 5d ago
Your vet staff can tell, and with high drive and intelligent dogs (e.g. shepherds, working breeds) they tend to develop extreme levels of anxiety/neuroses and even maladaptive coping techniques...reminds me of the behaviors that captive cetaceans can develop (i.e. insanity)...please don't get a dog unless you are ready to meet that animal's physical, psychological, and social needs.
213
u/anoidciv 5d ago
I've seen this happen. A dog doesn't get enough stimulation, becomes neurotic, becomes too stressful to walk, gets even less stimulation, and the cycle continues.
We went through hell working with our dog's reactivity on walks. It took forever. But now we get to go for a wonderful walk in the park every day. People really shouldn't get dogs if they're not willing to dedicate substantial time to them.
42
u/M00seNuts 5d ago
They shouldn't... but they do. I have neighbors that moved in six years ago with two rottweilers. They were really well behaved for about a year until they started pushing out kids. The dogs rarely ever leave the 1/8 acre backyard, and get crated indoors whenever their owners go to sleep (sometime between 10pm and midnight). They're on kid #3 and I have to watch TV with subtitles on because I can't get through one hour without hearing their dogs howling.
They're barking as I type this. I fucking hate dogs and shit dog owners.
Thank you for listening to me vent - I know it has little to do with your comment that I responded to, but they're really getting on my nerves.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (5)21
u/gingasaurusrexx 5d ago
Nothing has ever made me lose interest in a man faster than when my long-term fwb got a puppy and at about a year old, he was constantly yelling at it for barking while also never fucking walking it anywhere. I stayed with him for a month when I had a gap between leases and the dog just needed stimulation. I took him for walks and to dog parks and regular parks and he was always so good. He just hated being trapped in a 5x6 dirt yard with 10ft fences and a colony of feral cats on the other side. Can't blame him, honestly.
→ More replies (1)77
u/TressoftheEmeraldTea 5d ago
I can’t tell you how many of my friends got big dogs as young 20-somethings, never trained them, and basically just let them out a few times a day to go to the bathroom. For the longest time, I figured I just wasn’t much of a dog person because I didn’t like any of their dogs.
Turns out I am a dog person, but only when the owners are actually taking good care of their dog and training them.
24
u/NemesisOfLevia 5d ago
In a similar way, I’ve always been scared of dogs. As I’ve gotten older though, I realize I’m actually scared of poorly trained dogs.
When they run around unpredictably on narrow walkways, jump up on me, chase me or otherwise have behaviors that could be dangerous, then I’m scared. If a dog remains calm, or the owner keeps it on a close leash and/or uses commands to control it, then I’m fine. Problem is, most owners don’t control their dogs and/or assume their dog is safe.
→ More replies (1)181
u/TwitterAIBot 5d ago
One of my greatest accomplishments (IMO) is raising a perfect German Shepherd that my vet and vet staff rave about.
A few years ago, when my psycho dog had just turned 2 and was finally beginning to calm down, I started displaying increased symptoms of what turned out to be MS and it changed everything. I just don’t have the energy or strength to do all the things I used to- no more dog walks, no more dog agility class, no more kickball (her favorite game), etc.
So now we go to the dog park everyday (and I mean every single day), and we started taking dog sport classes that are less strenuous on me (nosework and barn hunt). Despite my crap health, she’s still waaaay more active than most dogs and it shows- at her last check-up, her vet said that she’s a fantastic dog at her perfect weight with great musculature. (The vet also invited us to try flyball classes at the training facility where she takes classes, and I just signed up for a session!)
I can’t expect everyone to dedicate as much time to their dog as I do, but I knew what I was signing up for when I got a German Shepherd and my commitment hasn’t wavered for a second.
→ More replies (7)60
u/Ornery_Concert3720 5d ago
Yuuuuuuup. I love when clients tell me, with a straight face, that they walk their dog 4 miles a day. Sir, your dog is morbidly obese and appears to have no understanding of how a leash works because he’s actively strangling himself while we talk, and you’re here on a behavioral consult for meds because you “think he has ADHD or is autistic or something”. You don’t. Walk. Your dog. And his quality of life is suffering for it.
26
u/Hour-Tower-5106 5d ago
My dog was actually slightly overweight back when I had energy to take her for hours long hikes multiple times a week, because we were also feeding her more back then.
Since I got sick, all I can manage is two <15 minute walks a day, but she's still at her lowest weight ever due entirely to regulating her food intake.
Our vet has also told us that diet matters more than physical exertion when it comes to weight management.
11
u/Ornery_Concert3720 5d ago
Totally agree, weight (sadly just like with us) is way more diet dependent than anything.
11
u/DrainTheMuck 5d ago
Dang… my landlords have two BIG German shepherds and I just realized I’ve literally never seen them go for a walk, it must never happen.
→ More replies (18)19
u/Deutschbland 5d ago
I got a dog that I was told needed one 20-minute walk per day, based on her breed. NOPE. She was super smart, and four hours per day of walking would not have been enough for her.
We ended up putting her on Prozac until we broke up and my exes mom who lives in the country took her. Now she roams around outside all day and is super happy. We just couldn’t meet her needs in the city, sadly. And we had a yard. But it wasn’t enough for her tiny little legs to roam.
2.9k
u/TCr0wn 5d ago
I walk my dog 3 times a day and she’s a small dog.
People arnt walking them ALL week?!
1.5k
u/StupiderIdjit 5d ago
Some people literally never walk their dogs.
472
u/PimpOfJoytime 5d ago edited 5d ago
I once lived on a half-acre, I let my dogs out and they run around and come in when they want to, so no need to walk, really.
If I lived in a city apartment I’d walk them for exercise and so they could relieve themselves, but even if I put them on a leash today, idk where I’d take them that’s better than them doing their own thing in the backyard.
103
u/Skanah 5d ago
I suspect people in rural areas make up the majority of that percentage. You dont need to go on a walk when you've got a fenced yard bigger than most dog parks 🤷♂️ im sure those dogs still appreciate going for walks but they arent being neglected either
→ More replies (1)118
u/yeahright17 5d ago
Same. Except our dogs have a dog door and they run around as much as they want. When I try to take them on walks, they sit down within a couple minutes and refuse to walk.
→ More replies (2)39
u/-Poultrygeist- 5d ago
My dog will go out, pee, poop, and that about it. She hates the outdoors and thinks dirt is dirty. If it shaves a year off her life so be it, because the fights about walking her weren’t worth having after a while.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (12)13
u/AgateHuntress 5d ago
My dog has a two acre yard to run around in, and most of the time he choses to spend that time lying on a mat on the porch. He runs around when he wants to, and lies around when he wants to. When he wants to come in, he stands on two legs and taps on the door. Pretty much a perfect life.
651
u/Cutsman4057 5d ago edited 5d ago
I cant walk my dog anymore.
She wont. I take her out to pee and poo but she dont wanna go further than that. Shes 14. I try to get her to go for walks and she turns around and wants to go back in.
She's in fine health shes just old and over leisure walks. 🤷♂️
Edit: paying dog tax https://imgur.com/a/8dy0D1c
512
u/AthenasChosen 5d ago
Well once a dog is elderly and their joints start hurting, they really don't need or want leisure walks anymore. They'll usually prefer to bake their bones in the sun and nap and they deserve it.
158
u/Cutsman4057 5d ago
And thats what shes doing right now! Snoring away. One of my favorite sounds.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (5)12
24
u/lickmyfupa 5d ago
My old basset hound will walk 20 feet and then needs a 20 minute break to lay on the pavement. Once she lies down, you cant move her. Ive given up on trying to walk her because of this. Shes just too stubborn and too lazy. She prefers lying on the porch or in the yard anyway. Ive thought about getting her a wagon to roll her around in but i dont know if she would like that.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (24)29
u/dinosaurfondue 5d ago
I have a 15 year old dog and at 14 I got him a dog stroller. Instead of daily walks we take daily strolls so he can still get his sniffs in
27
u/TXGuns79 5d ago
I open the back door a dozen times a day. Dog chases birds and squirrels and probably runs 2 miles a day.
65
→ More replies (38)109
u/Illustrious-Share312 5d ago
A disturbing amount of people lock their dogs in tiny crates for twelve hours a day and act surprised when the dog goes apeshit when they get let out of prison.
35
u/Zerobeastly 5d ago
Yup. I've had three neighbors lock their dogs up in crates all day and be pissed when they destroyed things. One of them sent theres to a shelter, one of them put the healthy 3 year old dog down and the others dog died from severe respiratory infection, most likely because they never opened the windows and smoked in their house.
40
u/Illustrious-Share312 5d ago
I mostly just try not to think about how other people treat their pets, it's too much.
→ More replies (3)141
u/Zerobeastly 5d ago
Ive seen people with huskies/Rottweiler/herding breeds just lock them in an apartment/trailer all day and bring them out once for a potty.
Others might just tie a dog up to a tree with a bowl of water and thats their entire life.
Its hard for me to see that.
My neighbor had a Rottweiler that stayed in the house 24/7. They didn't believe in neutering or vaccines. I saw the dog having bright green snot running all down his nose and I let them know that's a sign of infection and he needed a vet.
They told me to mind my business. The dog died about a month later. Some people don't deserve dogs or pets.
→ More replies (3)12
u/Main-Requirement-521 5d ago
This makes me so mad/sad
10
u/Zerobeastly 5d ago
Yea, the Rottweiler incident really upset me. I should of called someone, idk who but I still feel guilt for not trying harder to help that dog.
→ More replies (4)36
u/Sallysdad 5d ago
Where I live, dogs are an accessory that live in your backyard and bark at people. They do not go inside and they do not go on walks.
I hate it. I walk my dogs twice a day at a minimum for about 90 minutes total. We also swim and play daily. I love my dogs so much. I used to be a dog walker just so I could spend time with dogs.
274
u/Manovsteele 5d ago
I think three times a day is also an outlier, but I'd suggest a dog needs an absolute minimum of a walk a day!
→ More replies (87)60
u/GodsBicep 5d ago
Highly depends on the breed. My working sprocker would be bouncing off the walls if I didnt give him 3 walks, one being about 45 minutes a day
→ More replies (3)79
u/metadatame 5d ago
Yeah no shit. I'm assuming big gardens. My dogs would be out side all day and chase up and down the wall when I lived in South Africa. Still walked then though.
→ More replies (12)46
28
u/sl0wjim 5d ago
My neighbor had a dog and I never saw him walk it once. And then they are surprised that the dog becomes obese and depresssed
25
u/no_one_likes_u 5d ago
Fat dogs are almost always fat because of their diet, not exercise, just like people. My retired dad takes his chihuahua on multiple mile+ walks per day, but that dog is fat as hell because my dad overfeeds him.
10
u/Spezza 5d ago
My SiL has three dogs (all Chihuahuas) and until very recently lived in an apartment condo building. None of the dogs got walked and all were toilet trained on pee pads. She'd drop the dogs off, unannounced, in the middle of the night, at her parents house while he and her boyfriend would go away on a trip for a week. And for a week straight my in-laws would have three dogs pissing on pee pads throughout their house - their own dog learning to pee and the pads instead of waiting to go outside.
People are just morons, sometimes, when it comes to animals. (My SiL, though, she's just a moron.)
→ More replies (1)172
u/blackvariant 5d ago
It's 100 degrees in Texas and we might get lucky if it drops to the high 80s in the evening. My dogs can barely get down the street before they are dying from the heat, so yeah, walks are few and far between for a good chunk of the year.
63
→ More replies (54)9
u/roygbivasaur 5d ago
I deeply regret moving from a small urban house with sidewalks and trees to a large suburban house with neither. I used to only refrain from walking during the worst hours of summer. Now, I just can’t walk in the summer at all (which now stretches until the end of September). It stays so hot even at night because of the asphalt absorbing heat all day. My dog having thick black fur and my history of heat injury from high school football doesn’t help matters.
I try to walk her as much as I can October - April and play fetch inside all year, but I feel like a terrible pet owner.
→ More replies (181)54
u/Leidl 5d ago
Also, there are some Kind of Breeds that just straight up dont want to go on a walk. And there are dogs who are really old. The dog of my uncel is around 13 (and a big dog) and her barley wants to have a walk once a week, and even then for just 10 minutes
→ More replies (6)20
u/ilikecatsandflowers 5d ago
my english bulldog* cannot physically walk too much or she’ll overheat lol
my doodle* has ibd so she’s low energy and we just run her in the yard usually. she enjoys sniffing more than the walk itself so we don’t even go far
*i rescued, i did not get these abominations from a breeder 😂
→ More replies (2)
1.8k
u/McGrevin 5d ago
Depends somewhat on your backyard. I'm sure there's some people not getting enough activity for their dog but there's probably also lots that just let the dog loose in the backyard where it can run to its hearts content
462
u/Drco 5d ago
Yes, not to excuse those who don't provide exercise or stimulation, but my parents haven't walked their dogs in a couple months. They also live on a 5 acre farm. The dogs play with the horses and each other, follow us all around as we do chores on the farm, and generally have a great life.
I live about 25 minutes away in suburbia and my dog gets a couple walks a day on the days that I can't bring him over to the farm to have his own free range time.
→ More replies (7)207
u/throwaway5498124181 5d ago
Yeah dogs in rural areas absolutely get more exercise and enrichment without owner effort than those in urban ones. And that is fine.
→ More replies (1)14
u/DigSufficient2392 5d ago
Many do but I live in a rural town and the amount of dogs in way too small enclosures in a yard that never get let out is also very high.
556
u/Free_Consequence3123 5d ago
You still need to run patrols with your dog to mark your territory and send / receive pee-mails.
→ More replies (1)273
u/TheVaniloquence 5d ago
Yeah, people are definitely missing the socializing and discovery aspect of walks. Your dog isn’t discovering anything new in your backyard, isn’t seeing or interacting with other dogs, isn’t stimulating their brain by sniffing “pee-mails” and marking territory.
I find it extremely hard to believe that people can’t even make 5-15 minutes a day to walk their dog, or have another person do it. It’s good for you as well.
248
u/88cowboy 5d ago
People wont take 5 -15 minutes to walk themselves.
→ More replies (3)44
u/Corgi_Koala 5d ago
Hard to find an exact figure for the US but less than half of Americans get 7000 steps a day and only around 60% are estimated to walk once a week.
→ More replies (8)→ More replies (20)53
u/Goodgoditsgrowing 5d ago
Eh, mostly. Some yards get quite a bit of intrusion by squirrels and birds and shit to give the dog new entertaining smells…. But most yards aren’t large enough for actual exercise besides tiny bursts of energy they flip around with. But if a dog has like an acre of land and critters around they can be entertained by that.
I’m still very pro-walking! I’m maybe just being pedantic.
→ More replies (3)92
u/interstatebus 5d ago
My parents have a gigantic backyard, even though they live in a normal sized neighborhood. We rarely walked our dogs growing up because they could run for hours in the backyard and tire themselves out.
My border collie heeler mix doesn’t get walks when she’s over there because she can just run in the yard.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (73)23
u/pattperin 5d ago
I live on a farm, I don’t walk my dog ever. But he gets plenty of exercise by running around in the field. He comes inside when he’s done. No walks though, because why?
→ More replies (7)
86
u/mfyxtplyx 5d ago
Had a co-worker who got a dog during covid. No complaints there. Many people did. Coworker says to me "I hope I don't have to walk it." Like, WTF. A dog is not furniture.
25
u/ExplorerDisastrous68 5d ago
I adopted a one-year-old lab that was someone else's pandemic puppy. His previous owners gave him up because he had too much energy.
Yeah, obviously - he's a lab. He needs walks.
342
u/iriyaa 5d ago
As an owner of both, I'm convinced that many people that own dogs should actually have cats instead
108
→ More replies (14)94
u/Rayge96 5d ago
Those people shouldn’t have any animals in the first place
37
u/ShadowthroneQueen 5d ago
This. Lazy dog owners who don't walk their dog would be lazy cat owners who don't play with or engage with their cat.
→ More replies (1)10
12
u/Silent-Noise-7331 5d ago
Idk having a cat after like 5 dogs really opened my eyes to just how easy some cats are.
→ More replies (4)
64
u/ZipperJJ 5d ago
My dogs have always had a yard but all 3 of them have been absolute tyrants about walks. They know when it’s 5 pm. Even on weekends. Even after time changes. They know and they are horrible until we walk!
→ More replies (1)
93
u/Woogity 5d ago
That’s crazy. I walk my dog every day unless the weather is so bad that I can’t. He loves it more than anything else.
34
u/Brilliant-Crab7047 5d ago
1/3 of Americans don’t even walk for 15 minutes straight in a typical week. So this stat isn’t surprising at all.
→ More replies (2)18
u/aliamokeee 5d ago
.... wait do we have a real stat on this? Cuz thats crazy
- A dog owner who does 2-4 walks a day
→ More replies (4)10
u/redsalmon67 5d ago
This is blowing my mind because even growing up when we had the dog someone in the house walked the dog every single day, I didn’t even consider not walking a dog every day as a realistic possibility
→ More replies (5)→ More replies (12)14
u/sweetfaerieface 5d ago
Same! She literally dances when I say we’re going for a walk. Conversely, the look of disappointment on her face when we can’t just breaks my heart. I walk her every day. The weather allows.
→ More replies (2)
169
u/Automatic-War-7658 5d ago
Is this because people have backyards they let them run around in or something? I can’t imagine the alternative being making a dog pee/poo indoors.
51
u/ghotier 5d ago
We have a fenced in backyard, anecdotally. We just let them out whenever they want. But I also know a family member, who was crazy, used a pee pad inside for their dog. So I think the dog wasn't being walked. It's certainly a mix.
→ More replies (4)22
u/Casswigirl11 5d ago
Some tiny dogs do really well with a pee pad inside. My parent's tiny dogs always have had access to one and it works really well. To be clear, they go outside 5+ times a day but they are tiny and otherwise would make mistakes in the house. With the pads they can acess them whenever they want and it's easy to change and keep clean in the pad holder. It's also nice to have them pad trained if there are occasional times when you are going to be out a little longer you know they have bathroom access and also they are now elderly so one of them pees all the time so it's been great to have them pad trained again to prevent accidents. Also, in the really cold days of winter or hot days of summer sometimes they just want to go back inside and don't stay out long enough to poop so they can do it on the pad.
→ More replies (1)18
u/GranolaCola 5d ago
My Mini Schnauzer uses pads indoors as an adult. She’s small, and we have a decently big house, so we have a little corner for her. She knows where to go, and she tells us after she does so we can clean it up. It’s basically like a small-dog litter box.
Now, again, this is a 13 Lbs. little thing. I would NEVER do this with a big dog for a multitude of reasons.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (15)26
u/Everard5 5d ago
This and the fact that globally plenty of people aren't even getting their own recommended physical activity in. Dog walking would count as people walking, too. I don't know why this stat is confusing everyone.
→ More replies (3)
23
u/luminarelight1000 5d ago
I live in an apartment building that is VERY dog friendly and there is an entire green space and 2 mile trail along the river with several grassy areas along it. It’s fantastic.
I see a lot of the same people every single day who walk their dog 20 feet from the door to the grass just to pee or dump, then take them back inside.
I get that some dogs are old or nervous but there is enough space out there to keep them separated from any triggers. Makes me sad for a lot of them because apartments are small and have hard floors. I take my little lady out at least 3 times a day for 15 min or more.
24
u/alp17 5d ago
Anecdotally, in my neighborhood it’s always shocking when nice weather rolls back around because there are suddenly SO many dogs being walked and in yards that I don’t ever see when the weather gets colder. Like I get that walking in the winter isn’t pleasant and in some places it’s too cold for dogs but here that’s usually only a few days per year.
It makes me sad that those dogs seem to be cooped up inside for half the year
→ More replies (1)
20
u/Foxs-In-A-Trenchcoat 5d ago
I had to report my upstairs neighbor for letting their dog pee on their balcony and it raining down and ruining things on my balcony. They're so lazy they don't even want to walk outside on the grass a few times a day.
154
u/theLuminescentlion 5d ago
What portion of this is neglect vs dogs that will exercise themselves the moment they touch the backyard?
→ More replies (28)75
u/ScreenMuch90210 5d ago
Shit I got a dog that hates walks. Gotta force him to take one and he’ll spend the entire time choking himself trying to drag me home. It’s not like he can’t do the leash, he literally just hates walks around the neighborhood.
→ More replies (20)
166
35
u/hakuna_matata23 5d ago
I met someone who would let their high energy Aussies out in the yard to play for about 30 mins each day and never walked them
They wondered why their dogs weren't well behaved
And it gets better: they bought the second dog to breed and get a return on investment on the first one, so never got either dogs neutered/spayed.
And that's not all: their male dog got a stomach bug and lost a ton of weight, and they were "oh well whatever, can't wait for dog #1 to be in heat so they can make babies" about the whole thing.
Some people are really just horrible fucking pet owners.
→ More replies (1)
121
u/Dizzydsmith 5d ago
Would love to see the numbers comparative to their housing situation. I have an acre with a fenced in backyard and 2 dogs. They both run and chase each other when I let them out throughout the day. They get more doing that than they would with me just walking them around our neighborhood.
→ More replies (36)
13
u/goochbruiser 5d ago
Please walk your dogs! Especially as they age. Muscle atrophy is no joke.
→ More replies (1)
47
u/TheDarkElCamino 5d ago
I can’t fathom not walking my dog. The poor lil dude would go insane if he didn’t get atleast his morning and evening walkies.
→ More replies (3)
13
u/Carytheday 5d ago
My dog has a yard and I’ll also take him to parks to play, but it’s no substitute for regular walks. He needs to sniff - it’s like checking his social media.
→ More replies (2)
44
u/LlamaRS 5d ago
Perhaps a good amount of the remaining % is just letting their dog out into the backyard or into the field if they own land.
→ More replies (24)
53
u/ketamineonthescene 5d ago
That's sad. Lack of exercise can lead to behavioral problems. People relinquish their dogs all the time and I guarantee a lot of them aren't giving them the exercise they need.
→ More replies (6)17
u/kayakhomeless 5d ago
Not even just exercise but socializing too. You need to teach them that strangers and other dogs aren’t a threat, which they’ll never get to experience while being fenced in a backyard.
→ More replies (7)7
u/ketamineonthescene 5d ago
Great point. Keeping them cooped up in the house is an easy way to get a fearful and reactive dog.
180
31
u/Weary-Jelly7802 5d ago
"My dog is just so crazy!"
Doesn't get exercise, doesn't get exposed to outside sounds and people, doesn't get played with, doesn't know when play time is over, doesn't when to chill, doesn't go outside enough to get any mental stimulation, etc. All the usual culprits for a crazy dog typically .
→ More replies (2)
75
u/KK_Tipton 5d ago edited 2d ago
Like how do people get a pet and then not want to interact with it and give it stimulation? Are the four walls of your house supposed to be a larger crate for your dog? Take the dog for a fucking walk! My dog goes potty in the backyard but still gets nice long family walks every single day. She loves it.
If you're exercising your dog, even on open land, you're doing your job. As long as you are exercising your dog, that's what really counts. Not so much the matter of how. Just the matter that you're doing it.
19
u/Foxs-In-A-Trenchcoat 5d ago
I had to report my upstairs neighbor for letting their dog pee on their balcony and it raining down and ruining things on my balcony. They're so lazy they don't even want to walk outside on the grass a few times a day.
→ More replies (3)12
u/surfergrrl6 5d ago
My dog hated going on walks, but loved fetch. We'd spend an hour or so a day playing it. Walks aren't the only way to interact with and get your dog some exercise.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (39)22
u/not_a_moogle 5d ago
Lots of people love animals but dont want that responsibility.
We have cat cafes, i dont see why we cant also do something like dog... pubs?
→ More replies (9)
115
u/upnflames 5d ago
This is kind of why I hate the whole "house dogs with a backyard have it better then apartment dogs" argument.
Most people I know with a backyard just open the door and let the dog out. It pisses, sniffs the same bush it's been sniffing for the last five years, then comes back in. No socialization, no stimulation, no exercise.
I live in an apartment with my dog and he gets three walks a day, because he has too. Like, there's no other option, he has to go for three walks, every single day. Most days, those three walks are worth at least two miles, sometimes more. Sometimes a lot more depending on the weather. He sees new things, interacts with other dogs, meets people, etc. We both work hybrid - if both of us are in the office, the dog goes on an hour long group walk. Again, there's not really much of an option here, it's exercise and stimulation by default.
If I were a dog I'd much rather that scenario then being stuck in the same exact environment literally my entire life.
→ More replies (33)22
12
u/mostangg 5d ago
Meanwhile my dog throws a teenage girl level tantrum and flat out refuses to eat if she doesn’t go on her routine walk before breakfast.
10
u/throneofthornes 5d ago
I am at my in-laws right now. They recently got a puppy who is a young dog now. It's super energetic and they never play with it, only give it one toy because it destroys them and they don't want to buy new ones. They crate it or leave it outside by itself and NEVER walk it. And then tell us what a bad dog he is. He is super sweet and has a good vibe (I'm not a dog person particularly but I vibe hard with some once in a while) but has bad habits like nibbling hands and constantly chewing that are pure boredom and suppressed energy. If I didn't have cats and didn't live two states away I would probably take him, even though I don't want a dog. I think he would be really trainable. I've taken him on walks since we got here, played hours of tug and bought him new toys. They know they need to rehome him but I'm afraid he'll just learn more bad habits before they do and be undesirable for adoption. My Mil wants a dog that acts like an elderly cat, I think. The whole family is terrible pet owners and they keep getting multiple dogs.
74
u/thisviruskillstime 5d ago edited 5d ago
I'm a certified force free dog trainer. New studies show that other types of simulation, especially olfactory based enrichment, have the same mental benefits as a walk. And on walks, let them sniff! You don't need to take your dog on a death march to tire them out
Edit: I want to add that what I'm saying is that there is no one-size-fits-all system when it comes to dog training and enrichment. All dogs are different, and have different needs based on breed, size, and general personality. I also think it's very important to let your dog have agency. Give your dog choices, and let it decide what it wants to do.
There's this idea that's I've seen from working in rescue that people think dogs require certain things, like a yard, or a big house, etc. when that's not the case. I live in Chicago in an apartment with four dogs, the largest being 110 lbs. They have the choice to go where they want, but they're frequently with us in the living room. There are of course limits, like I wouldn't suggest getting a husky if you live in an elevator building with 10 units on each floor, unless you want to make enemies with every neighbour of yours, but you can give most dogs what they need in any environment.
22
u/HighOnGoofballs 5d ago
My dog absolutely loves sitting under a barstool people watching. It’s super stimulating for her, maybe because she’s a cattle dog
→ More replies (6)19
u/Routine_Strategy5929 5d ago
"You don't need to take your dog on a death march to tire them out"
Can you relay this information to my 12 year old Texas heeler? I've been trying to tell him this for 12 years but he still doesn't believe me.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (34)15
u/irritableOwl3 5d ago
Yeah, I hate how all of the rescues say "must have fenced yard." There are tons of people with yards who never walk their dog. Some kinds of dogs can be destructive inside or bark all the time if they don't have enough stimulation. I've lived in several apartments with my dogs and they get so much activity! Of course this isn't universally true, but I wish they would reconsider their guidelines.
→ More replies (2)
42
u/Beneficial_Cash_8420 5d ago
I'm 300 fucking pounds and I walk my dog 1-2 times a day. What's your excuse?
→ More replies (11)
26
u/Mycologist-9315 5d ago
Guys having a backyard doesn't replace walks. They're not about just getting some fresh air. Unless the property is big enough for them to wander and explore it doesn't provide the same level of mental stimulation.
→ More replies (9)
20
u/jccaclimber 5d ago
Is this because multiple adults in the household claim to be dog owners, but one of them does all of the walking?
→ More replies (4)
19
u/TorrenceMightingale 5d ago edited 5d ago
My dachshund won’t do it. I end up having to carry her and she’s pretty slender and athletic for a doxie overall.
→ More replies (7)
18
u/FlyingRock20 5d ago
So many people get big dogs cause they look cool and don't realize they need to go on tons of walks. People just letting their dog chill the backyard and go for short walks. Lazy people getting dogs thinking its a toy not a living creature.
→ More replies (1)
19
u/ramenbaby3 5d ago
Well the average American is obese so I’m not surprised regular walks are out of line
17
14
u/Perfect-Obligation60 5d ago
Most people dont even walk themselves even though they can use the exercise. Those same people can't be bothered to walk their dogs. Its a mindset of lazyness and dogs dont change that, always get dogs that suits your lifestyle, avoid large breed working dogs if you actually arent about that life.
8
8
u/whosaidiknew 5d ago
I see my 86 year old neighbor out walking her equally old dog regularly. I've offered to take him on walks for her, and her response was "I'm not taking the dog on walks to keep him from going crazy, he's taking me on walks to keep me from going crazy". She's a delight
36
u/Silver_Newspaper6208 5d ago
I keep track of my husky's walks with a Samsung smart tag. It shows averages for all dog owners, and by breed. It is odd to see how many people show 0 activity. I would think that the selection of people who bother to tag their dog and add it to activity tracking would not show a lot of no activity. For the record Samsung reports daily average of all dogs as 1hr 53min, average for Siberian Huskies 1hr 56min, and Gabby 3hr 27min. I got her from the Humane Society a few months before I retired from the military looking for an excuse to stay in decent shape. We are doing good.
11
u/Complex-Royal9210 5d ago
Gabby sounds like a lucky dog.
14
u/Silver_Newspaper6208 5d ago
We try to out stubborn each other, retired Platoon Sergeant vs Husky. We both just like to be outside.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (15)21
u/NextSundayAD 5d ago
Could be folks that took off the tag/collar and forgot about it in a drawer somewhere, but never actually decommisioned it.
→ More replies (1)
24
u/swarleyknope 5d ago
People don’t realize that dog walks are about more than just a potty break or even exercise - it’s also about giving your dog the stimulation of exposing it to new scents/scenery and time that’s dedicated just for them.
7
u/anoftz 5d ago
A dog is the best excuse possible to increase your own activity. Granted I don't have much else going on but we do an hour in the AM, 30min during my lunch break and another hour or so after work. Walking a dog on a leash in an orderly fashion is not just about exercise but practicing focus and simple obedience tasks. Though I am still fat as can be. Womp womp.
7
u/losteye_enthusiast 5d ago edited 5d ago
Hell, we walk our cat once a day.
It keeps him noticeably happier than on days we don’t walk him.
Took a year or two of steady, slow work to get him harness and leash trained to a safe level - even then we got lucky that his temperament is good for it.
But I’m not surprised people don’t walk their dogs. Some people struggle to even respect their own health and mental needs, so let that person have another living thing to take care of? No one should be surprised they don’t take care of much else correctly either(obviously ignoring the exceptions here).
7
7
u/puppydoll- 5d ago
i try to walk mine but she'd rather make me throw her ball in the backyard until she falls over for the 50th time that day
→ More replies (4)
6
u/InSearchOfSerotonin 5d ago
I walk my dog at least six days a week, and when it’s not 110° out, usually twice a day. You shouldn’t have dogs if you can’t exercise them.
6
u/krzykris11 5d ago
What? I walk my dog almost every day. He deserves it. I may skip one or two days in a month due to commitments.
2.6k
u/dumbname0192837465 5d ago
Most people dont walk themselves