It rained this morning, and as I tried to get Beau out for his morning walk, I started thinking. What is it about rain that dogs hate? Mind you, not all dogs hate it, but most of the people I’ve spoken to have the same comment that their dog just won’t go out when it’s raining. It takes some hearty encouragement and a match of wits to get them to go out even for a few minutes to pee, let alone take a walk.

My lab Maxie loved to swim – could be in the water fetching toys all day and never really tire. But if it was raining she was reluctant to go out – you could see it on her face, in her eyes as if to say, “Do I have to, I don’t want to go out in this awful weather Mom.”

Beau on the other hand, hates water – doesn’t want to swim and it takes real encouragement (like tossing treats in the bathtub) to bathe him. It’s not surprising that he would hate the rain. He would rather hold it all day until his eyes turned yellow, rather than go out in bad weather. If I’m fortunate enough to get him to move, he’ll walk a few steps, put on the brakes, and begin to turn around. Sometimes, I can cajole him with treats and he’ll walk, like “dead man walking,” head down, very slow. Eventually he’ll relieve himself and quickly turn toward home.

Interestingly, when I lived in New Jersey, both dogs loved the snow. It’s not as difficult getting them out when it’s snowing. They enjoyed running, playing fetch, sitting and laying, doing anything in that cold, white powder.

Maybe the answer is they’re just like us. Do you like standing in the rain having the water beat on you, getting wet and cold? I know I don’t!!!

– Toby

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