not sure what to do ,my girl is 4 weeks in whelp now ,she is/was very fit and toned before the snow well still is lol BUT the last 10 days of this weather has took its toll its so very icey now and worried my girl isnt getting enough walks ,carnt let her off the lead just incase she hurts herself she is a large breed and needs a good 2-3hours aday but just carnt do that at the mo ,im doing games with her on the garden to keep her mind active im just worried about her muscle tone! if this weather carrys on like thay say it will till the end of the year! and she is due then ,am i worrying for nothing and is 20min walks aday ok xx

My take on it is, if the paths/roads are dodgy, it is better to be able to look after the animals (ie feeding), rather than falling over hurting yourself badly & not being able to do it at all. A few days non exercise will better than weeks/months, it wont take long to get back on track.

This is harder to explain in writing..I hope you get what I am trying to say??

>is 20min walks aday ok xx

Buster has had no walks for the last 2 days. The pavements around us have been covered in ice and the moment he has stepped foot off our lawn onto the pavement his foot has slipped and he's refused to walk on the ice. Rather than try to enourage him to walk on the ice, I've not taken him out (there is no route to take other than the icy pavements and he wont even walk accross the pavement to walk down the clear road) He has ED so excersise is very important to him BUT the risk of slipping on the ice and him injuring himself is a risk I'm not willing to take.
Thankfully the ice here has now melted so he can have a walk today (he will be pleased :) )

If walking is dangerous for you/your girl due to icy,slippy conditions then keeping her in is for her best interests, so don't feel bad atall.
I hope the weather improves where you are soon.

We could not take stan out when it was snowy icy,we managed to drive to the park and it was ok there,i would not risk it with stan,he is a big heavy dog,i would worry he may slip and hurt himself or pull me on the ice and i hurt myself
jo

I let my girls out this morning for a pee and one of them did the splits I winced and was whispering get up.. get up..  get up....of course she did and wasnt put out at all but my heard skipped a beat...so i havent walked them for 2 days now...we dont really have any snow left with the rain but what bits of ice that are on the pavements and garden are lethal its even more dangerous that a couple of inches of snow...I have salted around the house , I dont think a couple of days will do them any physical harm its keeping them occupied thats the problem ..every time I stand up, they jump up and stare as if to say now ..we going out ..now...LOL

our hounds didnt go out on the iron hard field for over a week as far too dangerous what with all the poached ground holding ice, and being rock hard. it wont hurt them other than a bit of boredom so I wouldnt worry about your bitch too much.

thanks guys i was just worried about her keeping her condition good for a easier whelping ,but like you say its not worth it if she or i or hubby hurt ourselfs, fingers crossed the ice and snow goes soon! xx

Agree with everyone else here.
I've not been able to exercise mine as the pavements and roads around my village have
been lethal...I was barely able to get to the village post office without falling over and that was with good
grips on outdoor boots..I was desperate to find any grass patches to walk on as had some traction on that
but none at all on the pavements or roads.
With Boxers that are full of beans I'd have been over on the ice almost outside my own front door.

I'd rather avoid broken bones or bad strains and being out of action for a good 6 weeks...
So a few days or a week out of action isn't going to hurt them longterm.

Thankfully we now have improvement in conditions round here although it's slippery with black ice
first thing in the morning or in the evening tonight it's much better than the iced snow & ice on the pavements and roads we did have.

Mine haven't ben walked for 4 days now because we have so much snow.  I usually take them out in the car during the winter months and walk them elsewhere as locally we have lanes but no footpaths and the roadways get gritted and salted which plays havoc with their feet.

There is so much snow I can't get my car out at all and the snow is piled up at the side of the lanes making walking impossible anyway.  Luckily, we do have a field and they have a run about 3 times a day but even this gets shortened as they are long-haired breeds and end up with massive snowballs up their legs and feet and ice lumps between their toes.  After an initial run around they end up lying in the snow trying to chew all the ice off their paws!

I know mine are fit and have good muscle tone so I'm not going to worry about reduced exercise for a few days.

hi suzieque ,its not just about muscle tone and how she looks :) she is 4 weeks in whelp and if the weather is here to stay till the end of the year im very worried!! she is due around 3rd jan so another 4 weeks of this is why im worried she not be fit enough to whelp :( but im probly worring over nothing (i hope )
xx

I haven't taken my dogs out for a few days because I am very clumsy and could you imagine what would happen if I feel over, dropped my lead and Billy ran out into the road (which is more than likely) let alone any broken bones that I might have.  It's far too dangerous.  They get enough exercise on normal days and we will make it up to them then.  To be honest, Maisie hates this weather and we have to literally push her through the dog flap to go to the loo and Billy with his sparse tummy fur gets so cold that he has to wear a jumper and a jacket.  We can always play with them indoors and give them loads of cuddles instead!!

she is 4 weeks in whelp and if the weather is here to stay till the end of the year im very worried!!

I do see your problem and wish I could offer a solution but like everyone who has posted it is so difficult when the weather is as bad as it has been for the past week.

I have been playing 'fetch' indoors using the hallway but this may not be appropriate for you.  One of mine is quite young with loads of energy so trying to keep him constructively occupied is testing my imagination while he misses out his daily walks!

Are there any other seasoned breeders out there who have been in this position and could offer any solution?

Same here Jo and N. Ireland has just had another load of snow yesterday! My girl also 4 weeks in whelp hasn't been able to get out for her walks and shes crawling the walls. I'm just playing mind games with her to keep her occupied..she loves when I hide her ball and she has to go find it lol

she dont even want to be out side now to even wee bless her its -11 still here :( ,shes not into her ball anymore lol just an old bone shes found hiding in the house LOL xx

Mine too..I have to go outside and stand with her till she has done her business lol