What is a good walk?

Laurel and Alex loved going on long evening walks with their dog Oscar. They do a little bit of everything in the hour or so walk. It usually consists of peeing, pooping, passing by the playground and interacting with the kids, stopping by the store while Alex picks up a snack, going to the field where they play fetch with Oscar and then finally returning back home after a stop by their neighbours for a small chat. Laurel and Alex feel extremely refreshed and happy after the walk. 

At home though, it was a different story. The couple felt Oscar was too energetic indoors. He would constantly try to jump, run around the house and would not settle and rest. Without understanding why, Alex called a dog trainer for help. The trainer advised them over the phone to tire the dog out even more. So they increased the walk from an hour to two hours. Despite continuing this routine for a month, Oscar was still unable to relax at home.

Different Walk Experiences

A walk from a human’s point of view is completely different from a dog’s point of view. When Oscar was going on his walk, Laurel and Alex were doing all the activities which they enjoyed and the ones which they thought Oscar enjoyed too. For Oscar, there was too much activity in the walk. He was being made to constantly move for too long, forced to interact with strangers, and had to play fetch instead of calmly sniffing along the way. All these factors made the walk unpleasant for Oscar.

A dog’s walk

A walk is usually the only time in the day when a pet dog goes into the world. Being curious animals, dogs want to explore life outside when they get an opportunity to. A good walk will be subjective for different dogs depending on their age, breed, experiences and environment. However, for most dogs a good walk will be one where the dog

• Is free to have choices such as going left or going right
• Is allowed to be curious and explore
• Moves at their own pace
• Is given time to sniff for however long it takes
• Gets to meet his dog friends and walk together

Going to different environments and allowing your dog to explore is amazing for your dog.

When dogs get to explore and walk on their own terms, they become more confident and learn to cope with the outside world. Dogs become less reactive, less afraid and more relaxed after the walk.

Just like people, dogs are individuals having their own personalities. To have happy walks with your dog it is important to understand your dog in depth. When you know what stresses your dog and how your dog is communicating with you, you will realise so many things which were missed before. You can learn all about this and more in Level 1 of our International Dog Trainer School. 

Visit here for more information – https://www.nordicdogtrainer.com/level-1/

In case registrations are closed, please sign up to be reminded for the next Level 1.

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