Why walk your dog?
Daily dog walks accomplish much more than simply giving your furry friends a chance to relieve themselves. Did you know that most dogs require at least 30 minutes of physical activity to remain healthy, and some breeds may even require longer or more rigorous activities. Physical exercise is just as important to dogs as it is to humans and regular walking routine can have a plethora of positive effects on your dog’s physical and mental well-being. Curious what those effects could be? Read on!
Emotional Health
Dogs are suckers for attention (and they deserve it!). A walk can help an owner bond with their dog and vice versa. The walk is a chance for a dog to spend quality time with those they love the most. Think of it this way, you might wake up, go to work, go out for lunch, go to the gym, pickup dinner, and finally come home. What did your dog do while you were out all day? They waited for you to come home. We, as owners, are our dog’s entire world. Giving them attention and spending quality time with them helps them to feel loved and appreciated. The walk is that special 1-on-1 time they really require to help build and maintain an emotional relationship.
Socialization
While your dog was home all day, they didn’t get to talk to their friends (dog iPhones are still in development), they didn’t read the news or watch TV, they didn’t go on Facebook. The walk is their chance to socialize. Sniffing various patches of dirt, grass, mailboxes, curbs... all of these are ways for our dogs to “talk” to each other. A walk also allows them to see and greet other dogs. Maybe a new one just moved into the neighborhood, a good butt-sniffing will ease any potential future anxieties or unfortunate encounters. Dogs are protective and they like to know who else is walking around their neighborhood. By allowing them to socialize, we give them the chance to develop healthy habits of interaction with other dogs as well as other people.
Physical and Mental Health
Many dogs, especially those that live in apartments or houses without a big yard can be starved of physical activity. Not only is this unhealthy for their weight, joints, and cardiovascular system but it can also have detrimental effects on their mental health. The easiest way to make sure your dog is healthy and happy is to take them on routine daily walks. Walking gets the blood flowing to essential organs and helps the digestive system work correctly. As a bonus, walking our dogs can also be a healthy human habit. Its hard to find time to workout during a busy workweek, so why not mash two potatoes with one fork by getting some of our much needed physical activity at the same time as our dogs get theirs?
Behavior and Training
Dogs don’t always inherently know how to act or how to behave. Training is essential to raising a well-mannered and friendly companion. A walk is a perfect time to put some of that training into practice. A squirrel just ran across the street? Your dog’s immediate reaction will most likely be to chase it, but with a little bit of effort on our part we can train them to not be impulsive and to listen to our commands in these situations. It is important for us to be aware of our surroundings and the more we engage in training behaviors with our dogs on our walks, the better their behavior will be in those dicey situations.
These are only a handful of the benefits dogs get from routine daily walks. Each breed and individual dog may have their unique quirks and satisfactions they get from their walks. Here at Denver Pro Pet Sitting, we pride ourselves on our ability to help your dogs maintain a happy and healthy lifestyle while you are away. Get in contact with one of our amazing pet sitters to book your first meet-and-greet and know your loved ones will be in good hands.