Ummm now im confused whether to wipe him or not?? Or wipe just paws or bum/boy things too??? He walks mainly on cemented walk paths and his paws do get little dusty so I think a quick dog wipe should do the thing but should I really touch his bum or boy things - this is what im confused with now
Homer is like a cat and will spend ages licking himself clean. After a walk he has his tummy rubbed with a towel. If its been a muddy walk I'll get him to swim in the river, (apparently the River Thames is one, if not "the" cleanest urban river!? ) Or I'll wash him with the hose. Then he gets a good rub down. We wipe paws only if they are wet and muddy which is most of the time in England. Our pale cream sofas have been recovered, and our white duvet cover is not so white anymore. I don't see any problem with wiping his paws and tummy (and boy bits) after a walk. It would give you a chance to notice if he has got any cuts or grazes on his paws.
@ana_charlie it really is entirely upto you as to whether your wipe your boys paws, bum and boy bits. Some people do, some people don't
What are you confused by? You do need to get your dog used to handling - so you should be able to touch any part of him, and check him over to make sure everything is ok. So of course it's ok to to touch his bum or his boy bits - if you've never done this before, make sure you use lots of treats when you get him used to being handled. Whether you want to give him a wipe over or not, is up to you.
Ditto above. There will come a time you will want to check your dog's temperature so it's good if he's used to being handled all over. His Vet will most likely check his prostate too and will thank you for any conditioning that will make that task easier.
"What? My paws were never that dirty!". Oh yes - after just a quick walk on dry pavement. I prefer this amount of dirt x 4 walks a day to go in the bin rather than on my sofa! Untitled by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr
Good gracious, my dogs' paws look like that after a long walk in a muddy field! Can quite see why you have to wipe Charlie's paws down now.
Not same but half as dirty as your tissue is what i get after 2 walks daily so thats why i too prefer cleaning them up but still wanted to ask if its ok
H hey how do you insert pics?? All i get is a gallery written here while trying [GALLERY=][/GALLERY] like this
Is approx 30 mins walk twice daily (total of 1hour daily ) is enough for Charlie or i need to exercise him more?? People here keep scaring me that labs are prone to health issues - they need a hell lot of exercise and what not!!! and i always end up with a sad face thinking is whatever im doing still not enough for him ?
Around 9 months to a year or so is when your Lab can start doing more exercise, and the puppy restrictions of not too much exercise become less important. Your Charlie's exercise is two 30 minute lead walks a day? I completely appreciate that where you live there are not spaces for your dog to be off lead, but I can't say that I think only 2 30 minute lead walks are enough for an adult Labrador in good health. But more important that just the quantity of exercise (although sufficient to keep them reasonably fit is a must) is the amount of mental stimulation that exercise brings for a dog in the form of freedom, exploring, and working - training, learning new things.
I know that feeling - it is so easy to feel guilty and inadequate! Don't be sad.... you obviously love your dog and you are giving him a good life - you just want to make it as good as it possibly can be! I am not an expert, but I think that dogs vary a lot in what they need. Pongo usually gets one "proper" walk a day, about 30 minutes, off lead in fields and woods so he runs all over the place and gets lots of sniffing and stimulation. Then we play with him a bit in the house, some games of "find it" with pieces of kibble, or wrestling, or sit-and-stay, or chase-the-puppy. This is just for a few minutes at a time, but several times a day. We also have a big garden so most days if the weather is OK he comes out round the garden with us for some time (although he usually just sits and watches us do whatever we are doing, rather than "exercising"). This seems to be fine for Pongo - he is a pretty laid-back dog and quite content to snooze the rest of the day away. If you can't let him off-lead, can you make time to play games with him in the house?
If you could add 10 or 15 minutes to each walk that would be good. A long with dome play and training he should be fine. I know 'people' say they need lots of exercise but not all dogs do as long as they are fit and healthy. If there us an area you could take him once or twice a week where he could have a run and play off lead that will help as well.
I dont have any parks or areas here where i can let him off the leash All i can do is to take him for a walk and play small fetch in our apartment (we have a big apartment but no garden as its on 11th floor) he keeps playing with his toy all day long when we are not playing with him. What else can i do considering i can't really let him off leash as per my area rules I think i will add few more minutes slowly and gradually to the walks and will start playing with him more may be. What else can i do to make sure he get enough exercise?
@ana_charlie do you have any rivers or lakes where you live, Charlie would get some extra exercise swimming and retrieving a ball? With regards to walking him after he has eaten the answer is NO not for at least half an hour after he has finished his food.
Umm no rivers no lakes total land Yeah im taking him for the walks before his meal time and when we are back home he gets his food Currently charlie is a pup full of energy I think once he gets a bit mature and once i get the confidence he wont jump on people and kids then i think i can let him off the leash in a small play area later in the evening when not much people are around
