> My rottie however will want to walk whatever the weather.
>

mine too but my staff hates the rain and will do her best to run home in the rain tail between her legs.  She also didn't like the heavy snow as it was deeper than her legs but my rottie was bounding about like a gazelle in it.  Each to their own.  As long as the dogs needs are met whether that is short or long walks or pottering in the garden, that IMO is all that matters.

>And this wasn't meant to turn into a competition thread about walks :D I was genuinely interested if people have the odd day off here and there, as I say after reading various forums and hearing people say 'if mine don't go for a walk that day'.

I generally walk my two once per day.  I do a good long walk in the morning with them, and they flump about the house the garden for the remainder of the day (I'm usually at home).  I don't tend to do long walks at the weekends but we customise it to fit whatever else we've got going on.  The dogs sleep less during the day when the family are all at home and they're kept pretty busy so they don't miss a big walk.  Normal days involve a very active walk followed by hours and hours of snoozing :)

I do take days off now and again (as do they!) but it's rare that I wouldn't compensate the dogs in other ways.  We'd probably still do some playing in the garden, some training, or they might join me for a quick trip in the car.

The odd day of rest does none of us any harm and quite frankly there are times when I could fool mine into thinking they've been out - a quick stroll to the post box would suffice!  The thing is however, I get such joy from seeing them really enjoying and experiencing a good walk, and then 'sleeping the sleep of the satisfied dog' that I'd find it really difficult NOT to walk them :)

Shame that some woofers never really experience what it's like to be a dog, with grass underfoot and tempting smells in the air...  Ooh! Is that fox poo I spy!! :)

> Personally I think it is really cruel not to walk your dogs on a regular basis unless you are really ill

To me that doesn't make sense - why is it cruel for the dog not to get walked regularly if you are well, but not if you are ill? I would imagine - at least in my case - if I knew I had a long term illness that meant I couldn't walk a dog regularly, I either wouldn't have one, would have arrangements for a dog walker for them - or would take on an oldie that didn't need/ want the walks.

It really does depend on age, breed (eg. young gundogs, collies, working dogs NEED their physical and mental stimulation or you will know about it!!) and health of the dog. Not aimed at you, just generally, but as humans we have a tendency to anthropomorphise, and we have this idea dog = must be walked - dogs get enjoyment from plenty other things in life - the ones that live for their walks have that 'rigid walking at certain times' daily routine often and love the routine as much as the walks. Dogs are creatures of habit. Not that I'm suggesting fit and healthy dogs should not be walked regularly, far from it - what I said in my first post is what I think - regular walks are part of the dog-owning package we take on as humans.

But a day that springs to mind that my dog didn't get walked, as in I didn't take him out for 'his' walk was last July, my mother's birthday party. But he got lead walked to the bus stop, trip across town on the bus, and the afternoon/ evening trotting round house/ garden with all sorts of people, and a queue of children aged between 7 and 12 taking turns to throw a football for him - I had to call a halt for a rest, lol!! And he was tired out the next day, as compared with how he would be after his usual walk - think he got quite enough mental and physical stimulation. Her garden is also on the edge of rural, and has lots of interesting sniffs - he loves sniffing his way round it!

But since he will be 10 this year and has a bad back - he doesn't NEED his walks the same as he did when he was a fit raring to go 2 yr old, and he doesn't get as much as a result - he stiffens up if he overdoes it. Think I said that earlier though. And hope I am making sense - not on top form today.

>he got lead walked to the bus stop, trip across town on the bus, and the afternoon/ evening trotting round house/ garden with all sorts of people, and a queue of children aged between 7 and 12 taking turns to throw a football for him -

I'd count that as taking him for a walk. :-)

It's the fit, healthy dogs that have to stay at home because their owners don't fancy taking them out that day that aren't treating their dogs properly IMO. The ones that get taken about here, there and everywhere are getting mental and physical stimulation, even if they're not getting a 'traditional' walk.

If I didnt walk my five, I couldnt live with them OR the guilt.  It is what I call metime with my girls. very occassionally I will share our walk with a friend, but most of the time its them & me.  I love it.

I try to walk my dogs everyday, but sometimes life takes over, and they may miss the odd walk. This doesn't worry them as i have made sure that they do not have a set routine just incase something goes wrong and i cannot take them out. They are with my parents all day and have free access to the garden. But when Molly was spayed i couldn't take her out, she coped fine, i felt bad but i wouldn't class it as cruel. Same way as i can't take them out when they have Kennel cough for risk of infection - does that make me cruel? In a perfect world dogs get walked twice a day everyday but this is not a perfect world. My dogs can cope with as little or as much exercise as i can give them and yes they are young active dogs - one of them is a collie and another a kelpie, but providing they have lots of play and mental stimulation they cope fine missing the odd day.

We walk our boy for an hour twice a day. He is a monkey, I could set my clock by him but in hind sight that is our fault for getting him into a routine, if he is not out the door by 8am or 1.30pm he starts to get very unsettled & silly.

However my previous dog would not go out at all, he'd firmly put paws in the ground and not budge. I think it depends on breed, age etc.

We are not all in that fortunate positon to be able to walk our dogs daily and every ones situations are different but it does not mean we love our dogs any less or any more than the next person.

I've actually really struggled to get my two out for walks since being here in Australia.

They (and us!) have been struggling with the change in temperature, and being Staffords do seem to suffer from the heat more.
However, we do have a very good sized garden, so once the sun has dropped and the temperature is more reasonable I make sure I let them have a really good zoom about and play games etc.
I've also started to take them to a hydrotherapy swimming pool, which they absolutely love!
(Oh as well as the odd trip to the beach for a good run too).
So, although I don't walk them every day, I do try to fill their time with other activities.

Roll on Winter is all I can say!! lol (Something I NEVER thought I would say).

ETA:  I really miss the walking myself too!  We used to walk for miles in the UK, and I have to say I really miss that time to ourselves.

I read somewhere that a walk for a dog is like a really good book or film is to us.

Count yourself responsible for my dog's walks suddenly diminishing in length and perhaps occurrence as well as I read my book a day.  :)

Joking.  :)

Mine get a quick pavement walk in the mornings and a romp in the garden while I am sorting myself, another before bed which they sometimes refuse! They will also always get a least one good run with one of the  family depending on who gets to them first... OH is a real dog hog though, you have to beat him to it!!

Mine get the best exercise in the garden! From the minute they're let out to coming back in all they do is run around chasing each other.........they end up shattered!! This is 4 times a day. Im lucky as I have a huge garden.

About 4 times a week they are put in the van and took to open fields for a run. I dont walk all mine together so I would never get anything done if I did this everyday. Dogs which are getting shown get extra roadwork every day. Youngsters get socialisation walks.

My two are walked every day for at least an hour but always on lead.  I could never get away without walking them, they would pester me to submission, so it's a walk for an hour before work then longer at weekends.  I enjoy the walk, I go out really early in the morning when hardly anyone is around, just me and my two girls.  It's my thinking time before work, when I plan my day and at weekends time with my OH without all other interruptions such as computers, tv, housework etc.  Besides that, it's the only real exercise we do - it does tend to be a power walk during the working week! 

Every dog - every day

> 'rigid walking at certain times' daily routine

I forgot that I do actually suffer from that, since I tend to walk him late - after 10pm - daily. So even if he's had a 2 hour off lead in the morning, he still EXPECTS the late walk!! And that is routine, not because he is going loopy without the exercise, since he's had what he needs. :-)