When we first got them, I was still a student, so I had time to walk with them three (3) times a day. That means, sometimes (when other family members did not want to go for walks), I had to go on the same walk six (6) times a day because I could not and did not want to walk both of them at the same time. Every weekend, my family and I will walk them both at the same time. During this walk, they will both try to pull ahead of each other.
I cheated on my walks with Q. Q always got a shorter one-on-one walk because it took forever to walk him. You see, he walks like a snail and took his time smelling everything he came across but whenever a big vehicle passes (ie. mini-van, truck, bus, etc) he would suddenly storm off and chase after the vehicle. Q was friendly but he appeared aggressive on-leash sometimes. He also barked in the most violent manners at other dogs sometimes. Whenever he does a play bow, I really don't know what to do but to scream he is aggressive on-leash because I don't know if he is going to appear playful or aggressive. That is why I always appear anxious and tense whenever I am walking with Q. He is great off-leash though, he says hi to all unleash dogs and then go do his own things and run after buses behind fences (while barking at them at the same time). I think he would've done very well as a farm dog.
My one-on-one walks with Okee has always been soothing, I did not have to worry about her behaviours at all.
Once I got my full-time job, I stopped walking them. It was too dark to walk them before work and it was also too dark to walk them after work (damn commute, scheduled train times, 9 hour work days). It's sad really. Once I lost my job, I had to make up for lost time. It's funny, my regret with Jai Jai and Lui Lui (my sheltie-mix and sheltie) was that I didn't walk them enough. My regret with Q was also I didn't walk him enough.
Q, Okee and I went on many walks together in the last six (6) months of Q's life. I was sort of out of shape, physically and mentally. Prior to losing my job, I messed up my schedule by trying to exercise during lunch hour instead of after work. You see, going to the gym after work was a way for me to release stress while going to the gym at lunch time added to my stress. I thought since I was stronger now and they were weaker, I should be able to walk both of them at the same time. Boy, was I wrong. Even though it was hard walking both of them at the same time, I continued doing that every single day. Naturally, the three of us improved together and I think our neighbours learned to avoid the three of us. The three of us walking together was funny, Okee would want to pull ahead, Q would want to slow down. I was in the middle being pulled in two opposite directions. Sometimes, they would pull together, it was really dangerous for someone like me who didn't weigh more than 120lbs. They listened to me, though, Q would even voice his disagreements sometimes.
One thing I learned from my walks with Okee and Q is that they can spot danger from far away. Sometimes, they might be stopping for a reason unbeknownst to me. So yeah, although it was difficult and challenging walking with them, I enjoyed all of our walks together.
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