Dog walking

Why are YOU expected to do the walking????

Their dogs, their responsibility, surely?

Could you suggest your daughter does the dog walking and you will help your grandson get ready for his day instead?

I agree with every word that phoenix has said. The dog walking is noting to do with you.

My advice, find some dog training classes. Look on line or ask at your local library for classes near you. It's nearly time for Evening classes to start so now is the ideal time.

But send your daughter - it is her dog, she is the one who needs to know how to take it for walks and control it.

I'm not a dog person and I wouldn't walk unruly dogs for someone else, not your problem tell your daughter to walk them herself .

Definitely not your responsibility. Maybe a chat with your daughter to work out a different routine?

I agree , your daughter should be walking her own dogs. BUT if that's not, going to happen then I have good news ..... You can retrain these dogs . The bad news is it's going to take some time but worse you cannot train / walk them together.

First all, the dogs have to see you as in charge . That means you feed them too. Then back to basics. They must learn to sit , stay, lay down on command . Training classes would be fab but YouTube has some great videos too.

It's perfectly possible to make it a much more pleasant activity and to be brutally honest the dogs are currently out of control as you describe it. Just because they're not aggressive doesn't mean they're safe.

I have a cavalier and when he was little he was just as you described but we worked hard ( I'm not his boss Grampy is and now he's well trained and much loved .

He pax, I am a dog person and my heart sank on reading your post. How old are these dogs? It sounds as though the behavioural,problems are well established. I expect they back each other up in the behaviour as well.
NannyandG is right, it's possible to train them but not together and it would be better to walk them separately until the out of control behaviour problems are resolved.

They're your daughters dogs and to be honest, she should be going to training classes, two each week, one for each dog. Another option is to find a qualified dog trainer who will do an assessment of the dogs at your home and formulate a training programme. I'm aware this may all sound demanding but dogs need to have good routines and clear, consistent rules about behaviour. They need fun and exercise, training meets both needs.
Sorry not to come up with quick solutions, dogs are great companions but they do need time . Hope you and your daughter can get a plan going.

Let her do the walk nothing for you to worry about I don't understand why you took that role on if your not a dog person You say ' I am expected to do the early morning walk' well she can expect all she wants if you don't want to do it tell her, If you can't face telling her then have a bad leg

It's quite understandable that you want to help your daughter but your words "I am expected to do the early morning walk" I found a bit surprising. I imagine you are very happy to have your daughter and grandson living with you and want to do all you can to make them feel welcome. However, I think that perhaps you should not have allowed this "expectation" to become a reality - particularly as you say you have to get off to work too.

Why not just tell your daughter that you find it difficult and embarrassing taking her dogs out and you would prefer if she did it. I expect you are all in a rush in the morning but, as someone else suggested, you could help in another way.

There are many so called professional dog walkers around these days. Most seem to charge about £10 per dog, per hour. Some reduce the cost if they're walking two dogs from the same household. It's expensive but dogs are expensive in my experience, no matter how careful we are. If you go that route, do make sure the person you're employing is properly qualified. Some professional dog walkers are ex Guide Dog workers, so are well qualified and trustworthy. I do hope you can find a solution, it's not a good way for you to be starting your day is it.

Firstly get a lead that clips both dogs together so you are only holding one lead and use semi-choke collars. These are the kind recommended for dog training. If you don't understand this then I'll send you a photo.

Neither of these breeds are very big or stong so insist they behave.

If they start howling, tell them off. Keep them close to heel. If they react when they get close to other dogs, then turn and walk away, again keeping them close to heel.
Have a couple of treats in your pocket to reward good behaviour and/or distract them.

It's second nature to experienced dog owners. Dog walking ought to be a pleasure, not a chore.

Best of luck.

Thanks everyone, grandson is only 6 so dogs aren't his responsibility but i agree they are my daughters! I have been waking them on a lead that clips them together and I also do the morning feed. I think some training would be a good idea, they are an embarrassment and the other dog owners who use the gardens opposite my house make a wide detour which I can hardly blame them for!
I had to laugh when people were talking about expectations as I am probably a bit of a mug and do lots more around the house and helping with DG (which I don't mind) than others might think reasonable especially working full time!
I will also give the dog walkers consideration especially now that my daughter has enrolled on a full time course and no one will be around in the day to give them the lunch time walk, I had been asked to pop back in my lunch break for this but as I already have to collect my GS from after school club I said no.

Sorry to say this but your daughter is 'expecting' a lot from you! I'm feeling sorry for the dogs but more sorry for you.

To be honest no dog should be on their own for much more than 4 or 5 hours and I'm not sure a quick dash to make sure they are ok is quite the same thing as some decent company. I think I'd be opening up a discussion along the lines of 'perhaps they would be better off with someone else' and suggesting she contacts a re-homing charity.

Unhappy dogs are a misery to live with and I doubt you want to begrudge your daughter a home but if you have to put up with this for two long you will probably get bitter and resentful, which will not be good for the relationship.

Good luck and please remember that the first rule of looking after other people is 'look after yourself'.

Some people believe if their dog has another dog as company, the dogs will be fine left for the working day. This isn't so, dogs need their people not just each other. HildaW makes the point that no dog should be left without people for more than 4 or 5 (max) hours. They will become stressed and that will make their behavioural problems much worse.
I've just had an extra young dog here or a couple of weeks, whilst one of my adult children was away for a month. The dog spent the first couple of weeks with a friend of theirs. Lovely young woman but she allowed the young dog to rule the roost. It's a very nice little dog, bright and keen to learn but I spent a week reinstating that it needed to walk nicely on a lead, not leap and twist with excitement. Not leap all over us/anyone else who walked into the house. Dogs really do need boundaries, routines and clear limits in order to relax and be happy.
You did well to refuse to call back mid day to see the dogs are ok. It's so hard to say no to our adult children isn't it.
Best of luck finding a suitable dog walker or doggy day care person.

I agree with others who say you are being asked to do too much.
I walk 2 dogs, ours and a neighbour's but we always go in the evening. They shouldn't need a lunchtime walk. Our 2 sleep from midday to 2-3pm anyway. They always remember walkies time and remind me.
Can you drive them somewhere where you can let them off the lead and have a good runaround to get some proper exercise?
I know what you mean about overfriendly dogs. My friend took on a lab. from a neighbour who moved away. The dog had been very neglected and sometimes even mistreated. It has taken her well over a year to settle down a bit and she's still a handful around other dogs, but a lot better.
Good luck!