6 Common Mistakes That Ruin Your Dog’s Daily Walk
Dog walking is much more than just simply going for a walk yourself and bringing your dog with you. Dogs love going on walks because it provides them with much needed physical exercise, mental stimulation, and bathroom breaks.
For that reason, you need to make sure that your dog’s walks are as enriching as possible for them. To do that, it’s very important to avoid the most common mistakes pet owners make when dog walking. Let’s see what those are!
6 Things to Avoid When Dog Walking
1. Not Allowing them To Sniff Around
You know how important scents are in our lives? Imagine not taking in the scent of that aged cheese or fine chocolate in your pantry. Well, dogs have 50 times more scent receptors in their nose, and the part of their brain devoted to smells is 40 times bigger than ours.
Considering that fact, you can imagine why sniffing around your neighbourhood is a very important thing for them. They experience most of the world through their noses, and pulling them away from interesting scents when dog walking prevents them from getting the mental stimulation they need to keep their little brains healthy.
For dogs that tend to be nervous, sniffing is a great way to make them more comfortable as it provides them valuable information about other dogs and humans in the area.
2. Rushing Them for The Bathroom
Choosing their potty place is a very important decision for dogs – it’s not just about relieving themselves, it’s about interacting with your entire neighbourhood. Dogs use their urine to leave messages to other dogs in the area, allowing them to keep up to date with all the other dogs.
Choosing their potty place is a very important decision for dogs – it’s not just about relieving themselves, it’s about interacting with your entire neighbourhood. Dogs use their urine to leave messages to other dogs in the area, allowing them to keep up to date with all the other dogs.
As we mentioned earlier, dogs can tell a lot by sniffing, so the reason they are so careful when picking their potty location is that they want to smell out all the places the other dogs have gone to the bathroom. Once they find a good spot for them, they can leave a fresh scent on top.
If you rush them during this process, it would be the equivalent of someone interrupting you mid-sentence while you’re catching up with your friends about your daily lives. Not fun, isn’t it?
So, the next time you’re out dog walking, make sure to let them decide where they want to go to the bathroom, no matter how long it takes.
3. Walking Too Slow
Dog walking is a great way to keep your dog’s brain stimulated and entertained – but not if you’re walking too slowly. Many dog owners walk way too slow with their dogs – they’re being on their phone, thinking of other problems, and planning their day, while the dog is bored and in search of the next best thing.
If you don’t find a way to engage your dog’s mind while on walks, it’s likely they’ll try to do it on their own, and this is more often bad than good as they can go running for squirrels and pull you along the way.
Try changing the pace every once in a while, and go for a few short runs to keep things interesting.
4. Having no Rewards
Dogs need rewards to continually make good decisions. This is just how they function. And when you’re dog walking and want to encourage new behaviour, it’s much easier to do if you offer your dog rewards.
You wouldn’t go to work every day without getting paid, right? Well, it’s the same for dogs.
Many owners ask themselves over and over again: how do I stop my dog barking when out walking? The answer is simple – training and rewards.
Always take a handful of treats on your walks, and reward your dog every time it shows good behaviour, whether that’s not chasing after squirrels, not barking atother dogs, or simply listening to you when you give commands.
5. Approaching Unknown Dogs
Chances are that you’ll meet a lot of other people dog walking at the same time as you. While allowing your dog to meet other dogs is a great way to teach them social skills and provide them with the mental stimulation they need, it’s important to approach it in a safe way.
Even if your dog is exceptionally friendly, you don’t know how other dogs and their owners will react. So, make sure to wait and see if the owner is comfortable and feels safe to let her or his dog meet yours.
6. Sticking To the Same Routine
Although dog walking can seem like a duty you need to finish as fast and as efficient as possible, sticking to the same path can quickly become very boring for your dog. And boring walks won’t provide them with healthy mental stimulation and might lead to a decrease in the desire to go on walks.
Not every walk needs to be exciting and in new areas, but don’t forget to shake things up every once in a while. You can use the weekends to hop in the car with your dog and go to a completely new area for your dog to explore.
Conclusion; Why To Avoid Ruining Your Dogs Walk
Proper dog walking can promote improved behaviour for your dog, and a boost in overall happiness both for them and for you. By going through these 6 most common mistakes, hopefully, you can learn to enjoy walking with your dog and improve your bond.
