What you need to know about the "mandatory walk" for dogs

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Dog walk (symbol picture): length and duration should be regulated more precisely in the future

How long do I have to allow my dog ​​to exercise? So far, you may find an answer to this in the dog guide, but not in official sources. Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) wants to change that with new rules in the animal welfare dog ordinance. 

What new rules are planned for dog owners?

The so-called dog walker obligation caused the greatest sensation. In the future, dogs should be allowed to run outside of a kennel twice a day for a total of at least one hour. It doesn't have to be a walk, exercise in the garden is enough. So far, the Animal Welfare Dog Ordinance referred to "sufficient outdoor exercise", but there was no specific information on frequency and duration.

In addition, there should be no more "chain dogs" in the future, because tethering should be prohibited. Exceptions are planned for dogs that are used as work animals.

What would change for breeders?

Dog breeders would have to look after puppies for at least four hours a day. In addition, it should apply that one person may supervise a maximum of three litters at the same time.

Furthermore, an exhibition ban is planned for dogs that have "tortured breeding characteristics". This is understood to mean races that suffer hereditary pain or damage. These include breeds like the pug, which often have breathing problems because their snout was bred to be shorter. So far, the exhibition ban only applies to dogs whose tail and ears, for example, have been amputated (docked).

How does Klöckner justify its plans?

Dog keeping is common in Germany, the animals live in almost every fifth household in Germany. The measures are intended to ensure species-appropriate keeping: "Pets are not cuddly toys - their needs must be taken into account," said Klöckner. 

What problems could there be with the implementation?

The review, in particular the regulations on expiry, is only possible to a limited extent. When the draft was presented, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Agriculture restricted the fact that the authorities responsible for the controls in the federal states would probably not ring the doorbell of every dog ​​owner and ask whether he had already been outside with the dog.

How do animal rights activists rate the plans?

The proposal goes in the "right direction", writes the German Animal Welfare Association. "A dog needs daily exercise in the open air and social contacts according to its needs," said the president of the association, Thomas Schröder. However, "the last courage" is still missing.

He calls for the owners to be obliged to identify and register their dog. In addition, there must be guidelines for animal-appropriate upbringing and animal-friendly training methods for dogs and the concept of torture breeding must be specified.

Katrin Umlauf, advisor for dogs at the Animal Welfare Association, welcomes the obligation to exercise. She would like more prescribed time. With young animals that are very happy to run, an hour can be very short. Animal welfare reviews are always difficult because it often goes into the private sphere, she said. But if someone keeps his dog in the kennel all day, that is definitely seen. In addition, dog owners would have guidelines that they could use as a guide. "People often do not act maliciously, but out of ignorance."

How do breeders react to Klöckner's initiative?

The spokesman for the Association for German Dogs (VDH), Udo Kopernik, welcomes the "minimum standards". They should therefore mainly meet commercial dog dealers who put animal welfare aside and sell puppies online, for example, "without checking whether the future owner is even remotely suitable for keeping an animal".

Many animal rights activists would have kept a very close eye on such businesses. "And if something is not quite legal, they can now advertise," says Kopernik. In addition to the regulation, he would like to see a "pet law". This should regulate, for example, what already applies to the breeders organized in the VDH: They have to complete training and prove that the local requirements for breeding are appropriate. 

For most dog owners, little is likely to change from his point of view. "The normal dog owner laughs about it," said Kopernik. Because he is usually on the road longer with his four-legged friend anyway.

bbr / dpa