Dog walking - new German law proposed

The Mighty Quinn

Saw this article :

https://www.rte.ie/news/europe/2020/0819/1160156-germany-dogs/

And think it's a bit crazy. While it's good to have measures to add responsibility to dog owners, this seems a bit too much?

I walk my dogs daily, but wouldnt like to be legally mandated to doing it twice a day

pinktoe

How is it even implemented? GPS inserted into the dog?

A greyhound and a pug don't need the same exercise so every dog getting 2x1hr walks makes no sense.

I have no idea about puppy farms or dog abuse in Germany but Ireland would want to sort these issues first before even thinking of mandatory exercise.

sillysmiles

I like the swiss idea of everyone having to do a course before owning a dog
https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/switzerland/family/pets-animals/dog-ownership

deadlybuzzman

sillysmiles wrote: »

I like the swiss idea of everyone having to do a course before owning a dog
https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/switzerland/family/pets-animals/dog-ownership

Sounds like the German lawmakers should do the Swiss course.
That sounds like a brilliant law if you objective is to torture short legged short snouted dogs that struggle to breath.
I know some people have a problem with having a dog on a line too but when my dog wants to go outside, I put her on a line which gives her an area far far bigger to roam than any dog run or any garden behind a 3 bed semi.

Highly driven dogs like American pitbull terriers on the other hand can run up a fence like a cat, chew through chain link dog pen fencing or chew through a rope tether, so if you have a dog that's inclined to do these things you can either never ever let the dog out into the garden or you can use at least some chain on the tether.
The dog will be happy and safe as will any neighbours

tk123

To be fair I think the idea is that you’re exercising and spending time with your pet. As opposed to leaving to it’s own devices in your garden etc. You don’t need to run the legs of a dog to exercise it - many dogs will be happy to potter around and sniff or sit in the grass so I think any breed and age is covered.

Queasy Tadpole

Why is it crazy? Dogs need to be walked. If you can't walk the dog then don't get one. If you bring your dog to a vet for a check up and they are overweight you should be fined.

pinktoe

Queasy Tadpole wrote: »

Why is it crazy? Dogs need to be walked. If you can't walk the dog then don't get one. If you bring your dog to a vet for a check up and they are overweight you should be fined.

All dogs need different levels of exercise. A husky would love that amount exercise and more, but a bulldog would probably pass out. Bring in a law against dogs tied or left out the back for most their life but not something that is a risk to a dogs health, unless they want to get rid of certain breeds.

How exactly would it be implemented?

The people with overweight dogs probably don't think enough of their dog to even bring them to a vet.

Alun

Seems whoever broke this story misunderstood what it's really about.

https://www.thelocal.de/20200820/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-planned-dog-walking-law

gmisk

sillysmiles wrote: »

I like the swiss idea of everyone having to do a course before owning a dog
https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/switzerland/family/pets-animals/dog-ownership

That is a great idea imo.

But tbh how many people in Ireland even have a dog license?

D3V!L

I can't walk my dog for 2 hours a day. 20 - 40 minutes and he's f*cked.

Sam Quentin

The sight of more teens/pre-teens wandering the streets, staring at their phones as a 'hapless' wee dog is pulled behind of the kerb on the road of the kerb on the road etc etc.... Being a dog lover I couldn't take it anymore..

peasant

Alun wrote: »

Seems whoever broke this story misunderstood what it's really about.

https://www.thelocal.de/20200820/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-planned-dog-walking-law

Indeed

And other than breeders that are specifically mentioned in this article, there is another group that this proposed law is directed at:

There is a sizeable group of dog owners in Germany that keep so called "sports" dogs. Mostly German Shepherds, but also the odd Doberman, Rottweiler, Malinois and other dogs of that ilk.

These people join a club called Hundesportverein. Every club has a Hundeplatz, a training area that is basically an assault course for dogs. Every weekend they train and compete their dogs in military like obedience, jumping huge fences, attacking dummy intruders and other Schutzhund-like activities.
Also every Hundesportverein has a clubhouse on the training grounds, usually with a bar

These folks take their training and the competitions preeetty seriously...they want and need their dogs to be alert, tough and energetic on any given weekend.

So during the week, they lock them into a cage (Zwinger), also euphemistically known as a "dog run".
a) because of their training the dogs are a bitty iffy in their character anyway and can't really mix and mingle with other dogs and people like your standard pet
b) because they want their dogs keen and bursting with energy of a weekend
c) because these dogs mustn't be treated as pets, that would make them "soft" ...or so they like to think

These clubs and their anachronistic activities have been a thorn in the side of animal activists in Germany for a long time. But the main dog club in Germany, the SV or Schaeferhundverein that hosts most of these clubs and watches over the guidelines for the competitions is huge and has a powerful lobby.
Simply forbidding these activities or trying to regulate them by law would never fly...so they're trying to do it by the back door.

deadlybuzzman

peasant wrote: »

b) because they want their dogs keen and bursting with energy of a weekend
c) because these dogs mustn't be treated as pets, that would make them "soft" ...or so they like to think

.

Theres a trainer I follow online whose dogs are massively impressive in both their drive and restraint but then in passing he mentioned he keeps the dogs crated to increase their levels of enthusiasm.
He did not say for how long he keeps them crated but for it to work as a technique it's got to be for longer than what's comfortable for both the dogs or for most dog people

scilover

thats mean you cant just take your dog for a walk once a day? must twice? wow that's weird.

AryaStark

My brother is married to a German girl and they live in Germany. I love the dogs around dos there as most people treat them so well and dogs are welcome everywhere. People also train their dogs to good levels and you need to pass a test by trainer/vet to own a big dog.

The rules according to my sister in law are more directed towards breeders and keeping dogs in kennels outside on farms etc ... those dogs still need social interaction and personal attention.

My sister in law said while the law is 2 a day its socially accepted to walk them 3 times a day!

The Mighty Quinn

AryaStark wrote: »

My sister in law said while the law is 2 a day its socially accepted to walk them 3 times a day!

Must have a nicer work/life balance than most of us here have in that case!

bertiebomber

A law like that might reduce all the obesity in the humans and the dogs and it might release all the poor dogs who are tied up in yards all over ireland sometimes 24/7 poor sad unwanted dogs bought for horrible fat kids who are irresponsible and fat and cruel and will grow up to be horrible people too . How we treat an animals is indicative of the kind of society we are & ireland well a lot of it is a totally **** society!

tk123

bertiebomber wrote: »

A law like that might reduce all the obesity in the humans and the dogs and it might release all the poor dogs who are tied up in yards all over ireland sometimes 24/7 poor sad unwanted dogs bought for horrible fat kids who are irresponsible and fat and cruel and will grow up to be horrible people too . How we treat an animals is indicative of the kind of society we are & ireland well a lot of it is a totally **** society!

A persons weight doesn’t dictate how much they care for or spend time with their pet? They may also have a medical condition that influences their weight..

AryaStark

The Mighty Quinn wrote: »

Must have a nicer work/life balance than most of us here have in that case!

I don't think so to be honest. They just take animal welfare more serious and are generally responsible for what they take on.

My brother runs his own company and his wife is a secondary School teacher.. they have two Youngs kids and rescued a dog this year. He is a big dog so they had to pass a test with a vet before they were allowed to take him. He is a street dog rescued from Romania so will take a bit of adjusting. Im raging I haven't been able to met him yet because of covid-

My brother has always phoned my Mam every night, now he does it while walking the dog!

bertiebomber

tk123 wrote: »

A persons weight doesn’t dictate how much they care for or spend time with their pet? They may also have a medical condition that influences their weight..

there are far too many fat people just look around children mothers fathers even the dogs are fat.
Its too many for it to be health problems its diet and lazy mothers getting take aways day in day out.

The chinese who runs the takeaway is never fat i wonder why cos he feeds the ****e to the customers tons of msg & salt requiring gallons of coke to wash it down.
that s why every second person in the country is fat -- laziness and one or two with a thyroid issue !

amadangomor

A good thing if brought in here going by the way neighbours treat their dogs.

Kept in a run roughly 2m x 2m and never walked. At least give them the run of the garden ffs. They are frustrated and bark all the time.

There are 4 adults and a teenager living in the house ffs.

I got a dog when I was 11 under the condition I would walk him every day. I would walk him before school and after.

MissShihTzu

bertiebomber wrote: »

A law like that might reduce all the obesity in the humans and the dogs and it might release all the poor dogs who are tied up in yards all over ireland sometimes 24/7 poor sad unwanted dogs bought for horrible fat kids who are irresponsible and fat and cruel and will grow up to be horrible people too . How we treat an animals is indicative of the kind of society we are & ireland well a lot of it is a totally **** society!

Huge amount of generalisation here. 1. Not all kids are fat. 2. Not all kids are cruel. 3. Not all kids grow up to be irresponsible. 4. Not all dogs are left tied up in yards.

Now - I do agree a hell of a lot of dogs are left to roam and are kept in runs and tied up in yards. That to me seems odd and totally wrong. In London where I am from, on the occasion it does happen, the dogs are taken fairly lively from the owners either through the RSPCA or scumbags nicking them for ransom.

Animal welfare issues aren't taken seriously enough here. For me, Ireland is not a very animal-friendly country, but that does seem to be improving albeit slowly. Laws are not the complete answer to animal welfare issues. It only provides some of them.I'm a strong believer that education, education, education is key with stronger enforcement and penalties for those who do not follow the laws.

micar

Queasy Tadpole wrote: »

If you bring your dog to a vet for a check up and they are overweight you should be fined.

Have a female red setter who tipped the scales last week at 29kg.....right at the upper limit.

Had no idea she was slightly overweight.

Need to get her down to 25kg by reducing amout of food.....

She gets good walk daily week.

Aiming to lose 100 grams per week.

Should I be fined for that?

DBB

bertiebomber wrote: »

there are far too many fat people just look around children mothers fathers even the dogs are fat.
Its too many for it to be health problems its diet and lazy mothers getting take aways day in day out.

The chinese who runs the takeaway is never fat i wonder why cos he feeds the ****e to the customers tons of msg & salt requiring gallons of coke to wash it down.
that s why every second person in the country is fat -- laziness and one or two with a thyroid issue !

Holy moly Bertiebomber, would you ever dial back the rhetoric, sweeping generalisations, and most of all, the off-topic tirades, please?
Do not reply to this post on-thread.
Thanks,
DBB