[Dailydrool] walking not enough

[Beverly Szaton]

I think what Dr Dodman meant was that walking a lot of dogs is meandering
along letting them snuffle and sniffle and mark every tree and blade of
grass: stopping when they stop, slowing way down when they realise they are
headed home and THEY slow down,  stopping to chat, and so on. When my
husband and I walk the dogs, this is the kind of "walk" he means. I don't
walk that way.
I start my puppies out walking right along. We don't go far. Down to the
corner and back. I have commands "Let's go", "That's enough now",
"Huphuphuppup" They are allowed to sniff,to investigate but only for a short
period and then off we go.
By the time the boys are old enough to mark their territory, they know that
the first block is markable-- i will wait. After that, it's a brisk walk
right along (Theoretically. I will give you that.) Now and then something
happens-- they flush a deer or it flushes them-- or it is hot and we need to
stop to pant and have water. When they are old enough to show and are being
trained for show I often walk at the same speed I would in the show ring, at
least for a short distance. It makes the dog trot.

The treadmills they ususally use for dogs-- show dogs use them all the
time-- are made specially for dogs. It requires a careful and well=planned
introduction. I have alway envied the handlers at shows who pile their
crates on the carts, stick the dogs inside and roll everything the 13 miles
from the door to the grooming area. Do that with MY dogs and the moment the
thing starts to move they panic and start screaming and trying to hurl the
crates off the cart. Chickens. (I suppose if i began wheeling them around
the house when they were 10 weeks old it would work.)
Remind me.

MomPerson to Nigel, Llewis, Mitchell and Cooper
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