Walk This Way: January is Walk Your Pet Month

By Connect Staff

January is walk your pet month. Many times we see walking our dogs as a task or chore that must be done. For our beloved animals though, it’s often the highlight of their day. A good walk is more than just taking the dog out to do their business. It provides exercise, time to bond with their owners, and mental stimulation. 

During these cold, dreary winter days it can be hard to get motivated to get up off the couch and out from under the blankets to go for those walks outdoors. Sometimes it’s even hard to get your pups motivated too. 

It’s important to continue these walks even when the weather outside is frightful. It allows bonding time with your beloved pets doing something they enjoy. It provides needed exercise for you and your animals during the season when routine exercise might be less than normal. This is necessary because all of us, even our pets, get more treats during the holiday months and we need to keep those extra pounds to a minimum. Not to mention walks will help your fido expel pent-up energy from being cooped up in the house more due to weather. 

Walks also provide social and training opportunities. You have a chance to encounter friends and neighbors while out on daily strolls which helps keep engagement up. It also gives a chance to keep those commands from getting rusty. A walk is a perfect time to focus on your dog and practice heeling, sitting, staying and following other basic commands.

In order to have a proper, successful walk there are a few things we as owners need to be mindful of when walking our pets. As the American Kennel Club (AKC) points out, there are three common mistakes we humans make when walking our dogs that should be avoided.

First, don’t rush potty breaks. Walks are a chance for your dog to relieve itself while also scoping out who has been in their territory since their last walk. This is a way they can communicate with other animals. All of this sniffing, scratching and marking require concentration and time so giving your dog the chance to do so will help him get the most out of his walks.

This leads to allowing time to sniff and explore their surroundings. Dogs have up to 300 million scent receptors in their noses and have a far larger area of their brain devoted to their sense of smell. Since they experience the world through their noses they want to smell all their environment has to offer. 

The AKC explains dragging your dog away from an interesting scent, or asking him to heel the entire way around the block, prevents him from truly taking in everything around him and diminishes the mental stimulation a walk can provide. One way to compromise is to reward short periods of heeling with plenty of breaks to sniff. 

Finally, we have the leash pulling. Most dogs want to go, go, go. This means we are often not fast enough for them and some leash pulling can happen. It’s best to not pull back in an effort to gain control because this can lead to a tug-of-war of sorts. This can lead to frustration and even possible damage to your pup’s trachea. 

Training your dog to walk with a loose leash is the easiest way to prevent pulling. If pulling starts, redirect the walk and reward good behavior with training treats, positive language, and reinforcing attention. Another good option is to opt for a harness over a traditional collar for walks. It will give you more control and also not cause excessive pressure on your dog’s neck.

So bundle up, get out there and get to walking. Your fur-baby will thank you.