# Walking with your Hav



## Leah00 (Oct 21, 2011)

This sounds kind of awful but I hardly ever take my dogs for walks. 

Rocky has never been an active dog and he always moves at a turtle's pace to do anything. Now that he's a senior he's even more content to nap the day away.
Jasper has lots of energy but I play fetch with him every day inside and outside in our fenced in yard.

Anyway, I want to start going to the park and walking at least every couple of days (Mommy really needs some time to herself!). I really want to take Jasper but I'm worried about his short little legs. 

When you walk your dogs, how far and long do you go?

I'm still going to take Jasper now that the weather is nice because I think it will be great for him to be around new things and people. He's still shy and nervous sometimes, although since his night "on the streets" he's been acting a lot braver. Lol.


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## curly_DC (Nov 27, 2011)

I walk with Sergio, not sure of the distance, but we can be outside for awhile. I bring his water bottle and some treats. We stop maybe every 15 minutes or so. He likes to sit in my lap on a bench. Are we running miles around retrievers? Not quite. We are walking.


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

I don't think walks are absolutely necessary, if your Havanese gets exercise around the house and yard. It can be nice, though, to take them for walks; they can "read the news" (sniff and explore) along the way.

I'd heard that you should never let a Havanese off-leash outside your house and SECURELY-enclosed yard - because, they are FAST! Oh, my; they certainly are!

An exception, of course, would be some other securely-fenced area.

I live in a loft suite, and my next-door neighbors, in the main house, are dog-and-cat people. We hit it off from the instant we both moved in, around 1 October, 2010. I gave them some fencing materials I had left over from my old place, and they put up a fence for their 2.5-ylear-old son, because HE is getting so fast they have to run after him all the time to keep him from falling over the garden wall into the driveway below.

At the same time, they began shutting the gate (secure) on the driveway, and then they gave me permission to let Camellia run in their yard, as well as in my own tiny yard.

But! Camellia used to run in the yard in our OLD place, but doesn't find my neighbor's yard interesting enough to run in! She wants her road-walks, even though those are on-leash!

She can do a two-hour walk, but we're going really slowly, with lots of stops and starts. At most, we cover a mile or two. This can be rather boring for us, unless we have something to think about!

Stopping and starting feels okay to me; I've become accustomed to it. With my previous dogs, I needed to walk as briskly as they did! ;-)

It's not so much a question of length of legs as it is general conditioning. If the dog is in decent condition, surely a couple of miles should be okay - DEPENDING on the weather, the surface being walked on (too hot? chemicals on the road? thorns in the verges?) and so forth.

And a dog certainly doesn't necessarily need a walk every day, either; every other day or so should be sufficient (given that you play with your dog in and around the house).

Again, these are my personal views, but based on a lot of study.

Sat, 7 Apr 2012 07:07:34 (PDT)


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## FancyNancy (Oct 7, 2009)

Henry gets a one hour walk everyday, either by me or by a dog walker. In 3 years he has only missed maybe 12 days. We are like the Post Office - we go out in pretty much any kind of weather. The hour covers a range of distances depending on his mood. No enforced marches. He gets to sniff and linger and explore whatever he is curious about. We always take a few minutes to play/sniff/greet other dogs on our journey (I don't do too much sniffing myself but he likes it). I think the excersize is essential to extend the number of years he is able to be physically active and fit and getting him out of the house is good for his overall mental and socialization. The walks have become so important that the other day I found myself thinking that I need to move to a new community because I want new places to walk!!


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

FancyNancy said:


> Henry gets a one hour walk everyday, either by me or by a dog walker. In 3 years he has only missed maybe 12 days. We are like the Post Office - we go out in pretty much any kind of weather. The hour covers a range of distances depending on his mood. No enforced marches. He gets to sniff and linger and explore whatever he is curious about. We always take a few minutes to play/sniff/greet other dogs on our journey (I don't do too much sniffing myself but he likes it). I think the excersize is essential to extend the number of years he is able to be physically active and fit and getting him out of the house is good for his overall mental and socialization. The walks have become so important that the other day I found myself thinking that I need to move to a new community because I want new places to walk!!


Hehe; love it, Nancy! I did this with my previous dogs - Australian Terriers, but walked them twice a day, longer in the morning (30, 40 minutes, sometimes an hour), shorter in the afternoon (maybe 30 minutes, longer in nice weather).

THEY didn't do much running and playing in the yard. Nor in the house, either.

Camellia will play in the house; that makes a difference. But I do like to get a dog outside, usually, daily. So much depends on the needs of the individual dog. Paying attention to their conditioning is good.

I hope Henry is starting to feel better!

Hugs,

Sat, 7 Apr 2012 07:14:10 (PDT)


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Whimsy and I are not walkers. I had some health problems shortly after getting her which prevented me from doing so and we just never got into it. I have a good sized fenced in yard and we play fetch together and she does her running around and gets plenty of exercise. We also do alot inside the house too when the weather is crappy. She is my true companion dog( which is why I picked this breed) and has adapted to my lifestyle perfectly. This time of year she is very content to sit in the sun on my deck with me and watch the birds fly back and forth building their nests.


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

Evelyn - I think your solution is just top-notch. I'm so glad you and Whimsy live so well together. I have no doubts that Whimsy is in very good condition!

Sat, 7 Apr 2012 07:56:49 (PDT)


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## Leah00 (Oct 21, 2011)

I feel like Jasper gets enough exercise without walks but he really needs some more socialization, so I'm going to start taking him. 
I wanted to go to get some exercise for myself but if I have to slow down for him, oh well. 
There's a park right by my house that has a walking trail (flat and paved) so that's where we'll go.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

Tillie is very adaptable and doesn't NEED a walk as she gets plenty of exercise chasing the cats and wrestling with the kids!!  I do try to take her for a walk as often as possible, depending on the weather. Sometimes we'll go for an hr, sometimes for 10 minutes. She is very healthy and LOVES to run and play and really does enjoy her walks!! If we have rain for weeks and can't go for walks she gets very antsy and starts getting into trouble!! LOL


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## curly_DC (Nov 27, 2011)

I don't own a car and I walk every where. I would like to take Sergio more places where I walk. As for socialization I found a toy and small breed dog group on MeetUp.com. They have monthly play dates.


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## Pooch (Nov 23, 2010)

Fionn goes on a daily walk with his dog walker for an hour and a half or so then on weekends we do the same. He is off leash Mon-Fri when he goes with the pack (on trails in the woods) but when I take him he stays on leash. He is happy either way. I find the first 20 mins or so he needs lots of "sniff" time and over the past month of so he has become a "leg-lifter" so he likes to pee on trees along the way. It's his walk, so I let him do his thing. I'm an active person so lots of walks works for us but I think these guys really adapt to whatever environment they are in. Interesting though, yesterday was a holiday so I went on a 2 hour off-leash hike with Fionn and his regular Mon-Fri pack and it was amazing how frequestly he checked in with me. He would run with his buddies but he would often stop and look back at me as if to say "we're good? All okay?". It was sweet and made me really made me appreciate the time I put into training and reinforcing the "check-in".


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

ideally:

I walk my dogs (all 3 together), twice a day, about 30 min. all 3 LOVE their walks on or off leash. 

Most days it's 1 walk. they have free reign to the yard all day and they do play pretty seriously thru out the day (hysterical actually).

My adolescent anatolian Oz, goes off leash once a week, 1 hour. Ollie goes once a month, and he's pretty beat when he comes home. This is for ongoing socialization as I live in a pocket neighborhood (don't get to meet new dogs).

the walk is not just about exercise. it's stimulating for them to experience the smells and to walk with you, and be with you.


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## Leah00 (Oct 21, 2011)

We are back from the park. It went ok. I'm an idiot and I forgot that today was the Easter egg hunt. That was a little too much for my shy boy. We tried to stay in the back part away from most people. He did pretty good though. I held him and let a couple of people pet him and he was a little bashful but was wagging his tail. He kissed a little girl's hand. 
Lots of people stopped and told him how pretty he is.


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Ours have about 45 mins most days,but sometimes we are out for the whole day rambling about,then other times if the weather is horrendous they might not go out for two or three days,they are very adaptable.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kodi and I walk for about an hour, doing about 2 1/2 miles, most days that we aren't doing heavy training. Even on days that we train, our new vet chiropractor has suggested that he get a good brisk warm-up walk of at least 20 minutes before he works. 

We have occasionally had him out for 3 hours at a time (the total END of MY endurance!!!:biggrin1 and I came back more tired than he was!


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## Atticus (May 17, 2011)

Clearly what's great about these dogs is that they are so adaptable! Not true with my border collie who needed her walk or else!!!!I don't think you will tire out your dog unless you are really doing heavy hiking. Atticus can hike for 3 hours or laze around at home. He does need lots of ball chasing tho if he doesn't get a walk or he is kind of a pain in the evening. We all have different goals for our dogs, because of who we are or our life style. For me a strong recall and a solid stay are something I need in my dogs. Atticus is only one, he is doing very well but I do not trust him and will not for years as these are things that take lots of work and time in training. I totally understand that not everyone wants to do that.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I also wanted to post some photos from a play date Kodi and I went on today, and some others from last summer. The photos attached to this post are from today, and included Kodi, two females (one spayed, the other not, but, obviously, not in heat) and an 11 week old puppy. This was in a public city park. It is sort of fenced/walled around the perimeter, but there are openings where people can come and go freely. So while it is SOMEWHAT enclosed, it is by no means like a "fenced back yard". There is plenty of space for a dog who WANTS to evade capture to do so.

As you can see from the photos, the whole group of them walked the mile loop (well the puppy got carried when he got tired<g>) and ALL of them stayed with us for the most part, and came back to us with just a quick reminder if they wandered further away than we were comfortable with. Actually, the few times we couldn't see a dog, it was because we hadn't looked down by our own feet!:biggrin1:

I understand that there are some dogs, especially rescues, who can't be trusted loose, but I think a lot more can be taught to run loose safely in areas without traffic than people give them credit for. This is a smart breed and a velcro breed. Their natural tendency is to stay with their owners.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Here is a play date we went to last summer in Newport, RI. I don't know how many dogs and people there were there, but quite a few. One person kept her dogs on leash, which was fine, but most of the dogs went loose from the host's house down to the beach. Let me explain in advance that the "road" you see was a quiet cul de sac, and clearly there were plenty of us to round dogs up and stop traffic if a car had come unexpectedly, or a dog HAD misbehaved. But we herded this whole group of Havs, like a flock of sheep, down to the shore without incident. (to the great amusement of several neighbors watching the procession) ALL of them behaved, ALL of them listened, not only to their owners, but to whoever else asked them to come back, or keep going in the same direction we were going, or to leave off sniffing something.

Again, I am sure there are SOME Havs that can't and shouldn't be trusted off leash, and I don't think ANY dogs should be loose and unsupervised. But I don't want people to think that the breed, as a whole, can't be trusted. Properly trained, they most definitely can. ...And I don't mean the kind of formal training Kodi has had. Most of these other dogs are either "just "pets, or are show/breeding stock, including, in this set of photos, at least two stud dogs who behaved just as nicely as everyone else.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

that's IT, we are moving to MA! look at all those happy havs and friends (for ME!) ... sigh ... seems like a dream... you are so very blessed over there!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

You and Miss Tillie are welcome ANY time!!!:biggrin1:


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

awwwwwww, someday, someday.... but then we may never want to leave!!!


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

That does look bucolic. What fun! I, and more importantly, my troops would have loved it.


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## nlb (Feb 26, 2012)

I have had Plantar facititus for over 5 years now, and walking has been a torture for me. But, since I have had Cass my heel has improved 70% and I take her on walks to the park outside my house with very little pain! This is a huge breakthrough for me. I have been wearing shoes made for my problem for a year now, and I should have gotten them alot sooner! I heard it takes about that long to see real improvement, and I guess it's true. She has been great for me in getting much more excercise which is helping my foot too. 
I dream of the day I can let her off a leash, but she still has a darn strong will and just isn't ready.


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

*Out-of-harness? Use Velcro-Hav.*

Yesterday, I had a tight schedule - Camellia was to get her DOUXO spray (and I block the dog-door so she won't wipe it off on the plastic flap, till it's dry - about an hour). But also, I had an appointment with the optometrist in town, and a neighbor was going to drive me in and back out, and we were taking Camellia with us - and doing some errands after my appointment.

I was squished for time yesterday, acting Type A, haha!

I sprayed Camellia just after six in the morning - she was surprised! I've never done it at that hour before!

Took her out walking about 10:25. My neighbors in the main house (I'm in the loft suite) have been keeping the gate across the driveway closed, to keep loose dogs from coming up and using their yard as a bathroom. We have a few irresponsible neighbors who let their dogs run loose - and chase cars and the like, in particular, one with two King Charles Cavalier Spaniels and a Portuguese Water Dog. (I love the Cavs, and PWD too, but if they show up at an awkard time, well, it's awkward for me! - because Camellia still goes nuts over other dogs.)

So! Just as we had gone through the gate, and I was trying to close it (it's awkward, too, involves wrapping a chain around the gate and hooking it), here came the Cavs and the PWD. Camellia, as usual, went nuts. i dropped the gate, which then swung wide open, meaning I had to walk over to get it - Camellia was on an all-tape Flexi, which I use in order to give her room to sniff a reasonable range.

I picked up the gate again, and began to fasten it - when suddenly, I felt Camellia back out of her harness. Then she ran to the Cavs, barking.

EEEEK! We've been working on recall, but it's nothing like reliable yet.

First, I fastened the gate. Vehicle traffic is typically very light on the road I live on, thank goodness. Then I crossed the road to the other side, as that's where Camellia was. She and the Cavs had actually done passably well, and that was just wonderful for me to see! At least, no fighting of any sort. But because the Cavs chase cars, and lately, Camellia has sometimes shown interest in doing that, I wanted to get her leashed.

Then here came a car down the hill toward us; it stopped on the road. This was a neighbor I'm very fond of - she had stopped to tell me her partner of 50 years had died. We hugged through the car window - Camellia still loose. Then the neighbor held my walking stick, while I sat down in the middle of the road. THEN I called Camellia.

She came. As Karen says, Havs are typically velcro dogs, and certainly Camellia is one. I had my clicker with me; we've been working with it the last week or so. It took me five clicks to get Camellia all the way in and close enough so I could drop the harness over her head. Then I had trouble fastening the harness, and meantime, another car had come down the hill and was patiently waiting behind my neighbor's car, with me still sitting in the middle of the road.

Finally, I lifted Camellia's front paws onto my knees so I could work at her chest/belly, where the harness fastens. THAT did the trick; I got it fastened, and attached the leash (on the back, with an extra leash-clip to allow swiveling). (I belt the entire assembly securely just above my hips, to prevent any chance of my dropping the handle!

Then we moved out of the way, to let the second car pass. My neighbor and I exchanged another few words, and then she drove off, and Camellia and I went for our walk, which I cut a bit short, so as to be on time for the afternoon excursion.

Camellia had once before backed out of her harness, and that time, because I hadn't developed a routine for catching her, and we hadn't been working much on recall at the time (she was still too traumatized to do much work), it had taken me about fifteen minutes to catch her and put her harness back on. However, I developed the sitting-down method of catching her on that occasion.

In short, Camellia, undoubtedly like most Havs, is a velcro-dog. And that can be useful.

When we started out for the afternoon, the Cavs were loose again - what a mess. I started to get really cheesed off. And then later, once again they passed us, loose, and running.

I've also had plenty of evidence from Camellia that she IS a velcro dog. All the same, I keep her leashed, naturally, because though our traffic is light, cars do come by, and Camellia's reactivity to other dogs can put her in danger.

One reason I love living where I do is that you CAN, in odd circumstances, sit in the middle of the road, and people won't complain. Happy Easter to all.

Sun, 8 Apr 2012 07:25:25 (PDT)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Happy Easter, Carol! (and everyone else too!) 

It sounds like Camellia did FABULOUS, even though circumstances weren't ideal. I wouldn't want Kodi loose on the edge of a street, even a quiet one, either. 

It is SO heartening, though, that she got along so well with the Cavs. While Kodi is only cautious around big dogs, he doesn't actively ant to go play with them the way he does little dogs. The Cavs probably seemed less threatening to Camellia. I know these two are a PITA, (or at least their owner is!) but could you invite them over INSIDE the yard for an off leash play date now and then? It sounds like Camellia (like many dogs) is actually much less reactive once she's off leash. Maybe that would be a start toward getting her past her problem with other dogs.

I know there are harnesses built so that you can clip the leash to both the harness and the collar. If you got one of theses and then used a martingale type collar for Camellia, you might be able to avoid her backing out of the harness again. While I think it's AWESOME that this was a successful "meet and great" with the Cavs, the idea of losing your dog on the edge of even a quiet road is pretty scary. All you need is one speeding teenager to turn it into a tragedy!

Over all, though, it sounds as if, even though this was nerve-wracking, in the end, it was positive experience for all!(well, maybe not for the car that waited patiently, but...:biggrin1


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

We just came back from our usual walk with the boys....when I am not working. It turns into a 20 minute StOp.....StArt....sniff this and that...Dexter goes one way, Jack goes the other way. I am guaranteed a poo if the boys are walked. 

We came back from our walk and the weather was glorious....the boys did not want to come back inside....so, here I am sitting on the porch with my laptop enjoying the great weather.

Happy Easter!


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

Karen - thanks so much for your very thoughtful and complete reply!

1) Camellia was dealing with only ONE of the Cavs, as the other two dogs had already gone on and disappeared (into a small local park, where, presumably, their owner was).

Had it been the other two dogs as well, I think things wouldn't have gone as well as they did!

I'm familiar with the collar-and-harness technique, and I do have a double-ended leash.

Too bad I have some difficulties that require me to use a walking-stick; this interferes with managing various things; it's what causes me to use a Flexi instead of a regular leash - or a long line, which would be even better. It's a matter of not having enough hands!

All the same, your suggestions have a lot of value for me; I'll consider adding a collar to Camellia's walks. Probably not a martingale, but a well-fitted collar could conceivably get in the way of Camellia backing out of her harness.

I'm always on the lookout for securely fenced areas where I might let Camellia run with other - selected - dogs, preferably one at a time! Too bad, too, that the owner of the Cavs and the PWD is completely clueless about dogs, and very unreliable with his own behavior. I'd be afraid of depending even on his possible common sense. And he's not a person I can suggest anything to, either, as he has a well-earned reputation for doing as he pleases, in the face of ANY possible restriction of his activities, legal or not. So I couldn't depend on his reasonable cooperation in managing a slightly tricky dog-encounter.

For now, till I see other possibilities (or search them out), my best bet is to fix my own responses to tricky situations, and the first will be to drop my walking stick, since I can manage without it if need be, and make sure I'm turned in such a way that Camellia can't pull backwards, away from me (while facing me). I always have my double-ended leash in my pocket, too.

Meantime, I used to have a lot of success with my Australian Terriers, using a clicker on walks, combining classical with operant conditioning - the two can be quite inseparable; they occur simultaneously.

So for now, I'm beginning to use the clicker on walks. Did so yesterday, to good effect. It makes me grateful for all the years in the past I've put in to solving the not-enough-hands problems! (I can carry the clicker in either hand, attaching it to myself with scrunchies, and carrying it in the same hand as the stick, or in my other, free hand - since I have the Flexi really securely attached - with a leather belt - just above my hips, and my fanny pack resting above it, holding the treats.)

If I figure out anything new, I'll report!

Mon, 9 Apr 2012 06:07:08 (PDT)


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

HavaneseSoon said:


> We just came back from our usual walk with the boys....when I am not working. It turns into a 20 minute StOp.....StArt....sniff this and that...Dexter goes one way, Jack goes the other way. I am guaranteed a poo if the boys are walked.
> 
> We came back from our walk and the weather was glorious....the boys did not want to come back inside....so, here I am sitting on the porch with my laptop enjoying the great weather.
> 
> Happy Easter!


I love how you walk Dexter and Jack! You are teaching me stuff! You and many others here. I had NO IDEA, but perhaps it's common for Havanese to stop, start, stop, start - and not to be rushing. I'm quite affected by my years with rushing Australian Terriers!

Part of my work with Camellia is allowing her to heal herself from her traumas, by giving her freedom to sniff and explore. Without question, it's helping, because she's come a long way.

And I love how you take advantage of the moment - Dexter and Jack not wanting to come in, and you enjoying the time on the porch (laptop or not)!

I tell ya, just about everything I read here teaches me something more useful, and gives me ideas and information! Helps me out of my sometimes a bit obsessive ways of thinking!

Mon, 9 Apr 2012 06:16:47 (PDT)


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## tokipoke (Feb 13, 2012)

I like to walk my Hav, not only for exercise, but this is the sure-fire way I know he has pooped and pottied. He gets a 20 minute walk after every meal. During the day he runs around the backyard and in the house. He does whatever my big dog does, so he stays active. I've walked him for over an hour and he was tired from walking, but not tired to stop playing with toys! The vet told me that his legs were very well muscled and that he's in great condition (better than the dogs he usually sees on a daily basis).


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## rlewis (Sep 20, 2011)

Kobe and I walk on average 4 days per week, 3 miles at a brisk pace. His little legs go 100 MPH but he has no trouble keeping up.


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