This may sound like a stupid question byte grateful for your thoughts..... Juno is on rest following her ED operation last week but is allowed 3 x 5 minute walks per day. My question is does the 5 minutes include the time spent sniffing everywhere or just standing and scenting the air, I would add baying at the moon but we haven't done that yet! Or is 5 minutes of actual walking......
Re: Stupid question? Well, when Charlie was recovering (from something different, but the dogs at the rehabilitation centre with ED and HD were treated the same) the 5 minutes was a precise route march, no sniffing, no wandering round, no standing still. That is, it was a very carefully timed, straight walk, in the middle of a path on a short lead. It was done with a stopwatch and the distance was marked out. This is because if you did an extra 30 seconds, you would do 16.5 minutes in a day over 3 walks, not 15 minutes a day (so you would be doing 10% extra). Since his walking had to increase by 5% every 3 days, it had to be precise. He did get some sniffing time, but that was just round a small paddock to go to the loo, at a snail's pace on a lead and for a couple of minutes only - sufficient for him to find a spot to poo. So, as I understand it, if you are told to do 5 minutes walking, it's strictly 5 minutes walking and that's it. Things relaxed later, when we were on a regime that was as much exercise on a lead (in short bursts) as he could do without discomfort, then he got more free sniffing time, but not at first during the first six weeks of recovery.
Re: Stupid question? Thanks Julie. I haven't been strictly timing her trips but know the walk down to the bottom of the drive and back is a few minutes each way and have allowed her to sniff en route apart from that it's just been around the front of the house for a wee etc. We haven't as yet got as far as the grass as she'll want to run and play once she hits that. I had planned to walk her round the house on the grass as that is around 5 minutes door to door but there is a step at one point although it shallows to a couple of inches I've been reluctant to have her go over it especially as it's been so wet and muddy there.
