TAH Who is walking their dog?

So here's the thing. I'm staying at my mom's. She lives in a condo and the complex is very anal about dogs being leashed. I am very very lonely and I am bringing my 4 year old, fixed, 60 lb. pit mix (who loves everyone and everything) over to stay with me. All the people that matter know my dog as I lived here with her a few years back and she comes with me for visits every so often. We've had play dates with the neighbors dogs in the back field and my dog is very well loved here. Thing about my dog is that we have a fenced back yard and don't walk her on leash very often. She is well trained off leash but doesn't heel AT ALL while on leash. I will be 3 weeks post op on Wed. I have the option of putting her out on on a runner to do her potty business but i'd love to walk her. If i stop walking she immediately sits. For all you dog owners out there, what are you doing with recovery and walking the dog?

I'm a long time post op now, but wanted to respond because one of my dogs is a 4 yr old, 60 pound pit who is extremely well-trained (through a lot of hard work earlier on!) but whom I would not have dreamed of walking when I was early post op, and mine does heel when walking.

Why? Because to some extent all pitties are a little ADD (in a charming sort of way) and all it takes is for them to see something that interests them, whether it be someone to play with or, say, a squirrel or other small prey animal, and they're pulling your arm right out of its socket without even thinking about it. Now imagine that that arm, and said socket, are attached to a body that contains healing tissues which really should not be tugged on suddenly and hard.

I would definitely NOT walk the dog at this point - not until your DR releases you to resume all your normal activities, which is usually around 6 weeks. I think of it as an extension of the lifting restriction; my DR told me not to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk (about 8 pounds, I think) during my early recovery, and that would also mean don't walk a dog that weighs more than a gallon of milk as well.

Can someone else walk the dog and you walk alongside them?

s,
-Linda

I have a small terrier mix he's 25lbs. I walk him once a day but the kids walk him 3 other times, as we're also in a condo. My dog is very well behaved as well. I have noticed though since I am moving much slower he is tugging on the leash a bit to move faster and if he stops to smell something and I don't notice I get tugged at. It does hurt a little even at his size. I'm usually quite frustrated(as I'm sure he is too) by the time I get back and we're only out for 5 to10 minutes so he can relieve himself. I definitely wouldn't want to handle a larger dog. That's my opinion and experience so far.

Thank you both for responding. My husband who normally works nights had a day shift today and instead of staying at my mom's I came home for the night on a trial basis. My house, much as I expected of my hubby and 12 yo son, is trashed. I'm not even paying attention to it. Hubby said he is going to clean it and i'm letting him. Both my dogs are happy to have me home and the cat who has refused to come inside while i've been gone is now happily perched on my chair arm. I haven't tried tackling the stairs yet. haven't had to go the bathroom yet. Hopefully it will all go well and i'll be able to stay home.

I have a 30# pound who is OK on a leash, but not trustworthy. About 4 weeks after surgery we walked only a few houses down the street. He did not pull much, but I certainly felt those tugs for many days later! I also did not walk him because I know I would not be able to bend over to clean up after him. Poor dog, no one walked him while I was recuperating. I had to create little games and buy more toys to keep him occupied.

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Originally Posted by skylady1990 Thank you both for responding. My husband who normally works nights had a day shift today and instead of staying at my mom's I came home for the night on a trial basis. My house, much as I expected of my hubby and 12 yo son, is trashed. I'm not even paying attention to it. Hubby said he is going to clean it and i'm letting him.

OK I have to laugh... my house was trashed and I was gone one day in hospital...
How did it get cleaned? I made my teens do it so they could have friends over on halloween...LOL! Every time they asked if I could help I would fake a sore tummy.... I figured they trashed it they should clean it...

As for my doggies... I think I could out walk my old ones and the Terrier hates walks... I would feel bad for them if they wanted a walk and I could not... Playing games for them is prob the best. They are looking for interacting from us anyways..

Have you been able to get out and walk him yet?

I have had to resort to putting my dog on the tread mill just to release her pent up energy. walking her on leash is just not something I'm gonna try for a bit.

My dog is a beautiful black lab who I would sooooo love to walk but am not game to. If he sees something he likes, I don't have the strength to hold on to him without hurting myself. I am going to get my hubby to hang onto him whilst I tag along.

I've been walking both my dogs, Golden Retrievers, with gentle leaders since I was almost 3 weeks post op. Yes, occasionally one pulls but with the gentle leader I tug a little and we are okay. I also walk them real early when not too many folks are out. I have also walked them in the evenings and if another dog comes close I can't avoid I just pull them in close. I haven't had any problems at all. The gentle leaders really do help, or a choke collar would be good too. I made sure before I walked them though that I could comfortably walk a little over a mile and did it for a few days before I brought them home.

If you had something to help control him as he walked you might be ok. I have a 79 pound Golden who pulls somewhat. Recovering from surgery, it felt like a lot. So I bought him a harness that uses pressure to get him to respond. He doesn't respond well to a Gentle Leader but to the harness. My husky is using a gentle Leader and it works well for him. I would try to find a way to get some of hie energy off before trying to walk though. My dogs kind of figured that it was hard for me to walk at first.