Nothing like walking the dog!
Pets are more than just home and garden accessories; they are more than winter foot warmers; they are even more than furry burglar alarms. Pets are wonderful stress relievers! It is a proven fact that pet owners live longer, healthier lives than non-pet owners, and let’s face it, if it weren’t for their heads butting your elbows, would you take time out from your busy routine to do some serious ear scratching, compare fleas, sniff tails (as opposed to roses), or generally just hang out with your furry buddies? Pets are the perfect excuse to take what is probably a long overdue break from our busy schedules. They ensure we get some exercise.
Dogs love to run, but they’ve nothing against a sedate walk either, however, if you’re the mummy, or daddy, of an Irish wolfhound, or any hound for that matter, chances are a sedate walk is something you are not accustomed to. Your average Hound likes speed, and your average Wolfhound is no exception. Keeping up with them is another matter. In fact, it is more than merely another matter… it is an impossibility. I know. I’ve tried. And despite popular opinion, you can't ride your wolfhounds, (a misconception bandied about by non wolfhound owners who equate size with saddles), but wolfhounds are great to skate behind! A word of warning here – have skates; will travel – sure, but stay away from grassed areas! Skates are not designed for this terrain - you can, and will, fall flat on your face, and if on the other end of your leads happen to be Irish Wolfhounds, well, I'm sorry, they won't stop for you! You’ll end up with a mouthful of mud, grass stains on your face, and your eyebrows relocated on your chin - not an attractive look - and one that serves no purpose at all.
The perfect “walk” as far as mature wolfhounds are concerned, are those which combine a little bit of road walking (on a leash, of course), and some free running time in a grassed park, which allows for pets off leads. Most people agree that a walk of between one to five miles is adequate, mind you, this depends on how fit you and your dog are! In summer, it is best to leave walks and gallops for the cool of the evening, because wolfhounds overheat quite easily – something that must be avoided. I’ve known wolfhounds to collapse and almost die from walking in the hot sun, and I’ve heard many sad tales of wolfhounds who actually have died from heat exhaustion.
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