Daily exercise helps our dogs to maintain healthy lungs, strong muscles, and overall fitness. As dogs get older they are more likely to develop arthritis. Walking is a great way to help keep the muscles strong to help support their joints. Along with staying physically fit, daily walks can help your dog stay mentally fit also. By taking your dog out for a walk on a daily basis you are giving them a chance to engage their mind.
– Mental stimulation is anything that makes your dog think. Teaching your dog to heel and walk calmly next to you is great mental stimulation.
– Passing objects like a group of playing kids or dogs barking at you from behind a fence is a great way to test your dog’s obedience, and work them mentally by teaching them not to react negatively and to keep their focus on you. This all leads to better behavior at home.
– Walking your dog will also help to expend all that excess energy which in return will make them less likely to seek undesirable behaviors at home. If your dog is barking excessively, chewing on things he shouldn’t, jumping on everyone, or is all around overly excitable, and uncontrollable at home. All of these negative behaviors in the house can be a result of boredom.
– Socialization is another key benefit. By taking them on daily walks we are exposing our pets to other people and dogs, and teaching them how to greet and be greeted politely.
***If you have an aggressive dog you should not force them to interact with people or other dogs, this could be dangerous.
-Other things you might pass on your walks are bikes, skateboards, trains, loud cars, horns, and lawn mowers. By constantly experiencing these things she will be less likely to become scared or nervous of new sounds or objects. Showing them that new things are not something to be afraid of can help with this behavior at home.
– Spending time with your dog by walking, exploring new places, new things, and teaching new behaviors will help strengthen your relationship. Creating a mutual trust between dog and owner is one of the most important steps to creating a strong, life long bond.
Now that you know all of the benefits of walking with your dog, create a plan to walk your dog for at least 30 minutes every day. You can do this in the mornings, before work, or after work. You can break your walk up into 2 or 3 small walks a day or one long one. It does not matter what breed of dog you have, every breed should be walked. Some dogs may need a little bit shorter walk, especially if you are just starting out, and a sporting breed such as an Australian Shepherd, or Labrador may need longer walks during the day. No matter the breed, dog walking fulfills so many of our canine friend’s needs, there is no reason not to walk them daily.