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Originally Posted by yavenay  Sorry for the long post. I live in a small town but I live in the center of town. The house I live on is a corner lot and there is foot traffic as well as vehicle traffic during the day. Not a lot but there is some.
I have been taking Duchess for walks for 4 years with only one incident where a larger dog broke lose from their owner and came after Duchess. Fortunately I was able to scoop her up and she was okay.
Duchess and I knows where every dog in the neighborhood lives but recently we have been seeing more dogs in the neighborhood and I no longer feel comfortable walking Duchess. One neighbor told me a dog got lost and bit a young lady.
However, Duchess is extremely energetic and if she doesn't walk, she becomes depressed and just lays around not to mention she will start whining for me to take her out. It's not fair to her to keep her in the house when she loves being outside. I don't have a fenced in yard and the dog park is 21 miles away so that wouldn't be practical to take her every day. I was thinking maybe a removable fence but than I would have to stay with her outside because there is foot traffic but most people typically leave dogs alone but you never know. People love stealing yorkies.
I don't know what to do. I only have one area I feel comfortable walking her now and even that is at a park that is about 10 miles round trip from my house. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can make sure Duchess gets her outdoor exercise? I'm thinking fencing I can put up and remove myself off the patio door. That way I can let her out several times a day and still keep my eye on her. |
I hope I can suggest this if it works for you. How about using a dog stroller for Duchess? We found using a stroller is very good protection and also we put a baseball bat stick in it just in case. You can start off by getting her use to it by putting her in the stroller until you reach a destination like the park if that's where you normally go and let her walk around for her exercise or where you feel comfortable, let her out. At the same time if you see any larger dogs or strange dogs in the distance or approaching you, put her back into the stroller and walk away quickly. Our Bella gestures to us by sitting down next to the stroller or stops walking when she wants to get back inside the stroller. Also it's good exercise for us to walk further when she can't and she loves the breeze blowing into her face and looking out just like a car ride, lol. Hope this helps!