7 Reasons Why Walking Is The Best Thing You Can Do With Your Dog
Apart from the regular visit to the veterinary clinic, dog grooming and investing in the best dog food, our pets also need physical activity like the ones from a dog daycare facility. Most dog owners already know that they should walk their dog regularly, but not everyone does. Some survey studies have even reported that in some areas over 50% of dog owners do not walk their dogs on a regular basis.
Ultimately, all dogs including a French bulldog have different needs when it comes to activity. What considered to be rare are lilac and tan Frenchie bulldogs due to the dilution of a recessive gene. Their coats look blue when they’re puppies, but turn a visible Lilac hue as they mature. Their eyes are usually blue, amber, or light grey.
Some hardly need any exercise, while others need to be exercised daily to keep them healthy and give them an outlet for their energy. There are a number of ways to keep your dog healthy and active – but simply taking your dog for a walk is undoubtedly the best thing you can do together. If you really love your pets, you can even get them featured in posts such as pet of the week. Doing so can even inspire other pet owners.
Here are seven reasons why walking your dog is the best thing you can do for him/her:
1. Most active dogs LOVE walks.
Whatever you choose to do with your dog, presumably the hope is that both of you enjoy the experience. In our house, the word “walk” is the only word that gets them more excited than “breakfast,” “dinner,” or “treat.” Right when the word is uttered, both are sprinting to the counter where their leashes are kept in anticipation of even just a quick walk around the block.
2. Walks are a way to bond with your pup
Any time spent one-on-one with your dog is time well spent, and walks can be an enjoyable experience for both of you! Building a strong bond with your pup is beneficial for both you and your pup long-term- these bonds are believed to not only create a better-behaved dog, but also create more emotional and psychological stability for humans.
3. Walks offer the opportunity to explore new and unique places
We love driving to Minnesota State Parks and taking our dogs on walks there – we love being outdoors, and it allows our dogs to explore a whole new environment, although if you’re going to walk near a river or a lake we recommend a good pair of waterproof walking shoes so you can keep your feet comfortable during these walks.. Just make sure if you do take your dog to a public park to abide by all park laws and regulations.
4. Walks keep both you and your dog active
Obesity is a common health concern for both humans and dogs. Walking your dog once a day for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week is a great way to keep you and your dog healthy (in addition to a healthy diet).
5. Walks are safe for dogs
One of the most popular places for dogs to release pent-up energy is the dog park. However, dog parks can be unsafe, depending on the other dogs present in the park, and not having full control of your dog can result in injury. Some dogs inexplicably don’t get along, and you may not realize that another dog in the park is reactive until it is too late. In more recent years, being able to do veterinarian clinic visits via chat right from the park has made accidents fewer and safer overall. If you take your dog for a walk instead, you allow the dog to explore its environment while remaining under full control.
6. Walks provide necessary mental stimulation for your dog
Dogs are constantly taking in the scents of their surroundings, and each walk exposes them to different scents and surroundings to process. This stimulation works their minds in addition to their bodies. If they’re not trained to walk, you can get them trained by Ridgeside K9 Ohio here.
7. Walks are inexpensive
Typically all you need to take your dog for a walk is a six foot leash- making it one of the least expensive activities you can partake in. We also take obedience, agility, rally, barn hunt, and dock diving classes with our dogs, but these all come at varying costs. Walks are essentially free!
If you are a dog owner, taking your dog for a walk is the easiest way to get them the physical and mental exercise they need and love, while creating an unbreakable bond! And even better, you can do so at a low cost, while exploring the world around you. Whether it be city blocks or hiking out in the wilderness, both you and your dog are bound to enjoy the experience.
Love love love the picture of Raleigh on his hike … #dogsonrocks! Great reminder post and I’d love to write more but I’m being barked at. It’s time for someone’s walk!
Hope you had a good walk! And Raleigh is definitely a goofball- but a lovable one!
Did you know that walking is also fantastic for keeping healthy brains? It’s a great measure to take to support cognitive capacity.
We did! We love walking, as it’s both physical and mental exercise for both ourselves and our pups.
I 90% do walks with Layla as we live in the city and if we go to a dog park it is in the afternoons so she has had 2 good walks already. I call them the sniffs and I do not take my phone with me when I walk her, for me it our time and those that need me can leave messages.
That’s awesome! I also try not to look at my phone when walking our pups- it’s truly family time for us. I love hearing that it is for others as well!
Fantastic post! Although, I’m sad to learn that in some areas, over 50% of dog owners do not walk their dogs regularly!!! My guys are all less than twenty-five pounds but LOVE to get out for their walk. My husband and I will often load them in the car and go for a drive to walk a different route; check out a different scene. I feel bad for the dogs that don’t get out.
I was saddened too! Both of our pups LIVE for their walks- whenever they think we’re going on one they run to their leashes and bark excitedly. I love that you’ll drive to walk a new route- that’s awesome! We love to take advantage of our state parks.
How can you have a dog and not want to go for a walk for Heaven’s sake? It’s just stupid * sigh * we are discouraged from driving but there are so many wonderful places to take a dog how can they resist!
We had a desperate appeal from a dog owner in my local community asking people to keep their dogs on a lead when they walked them. He was reluctant to take his dog out in spite of the solid gold support your post sets out because people thought it was OK to let their dogs sniff everyone all over the place. Frustrating eh?
I know right? We love taking our pups for walks- it’s good for the humans too!
I feel for that dog owner- I know how it feels to be concerned that you may have an off lead dog approach. Our goal is to keep everyone safe and happy on our walks!
This is a perfect time for us to walk our dogs. One of them is reactive, so it is a lot more fun to walk him when there aren’t a lot of people and cars around.
Agreed! We have a slightly reactive dog as well, and much prefer fewer crowds when walking him!
My mom was just diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s Disease. One of the things they recommended was to walk. She is now taking daily walks with her senior dog.