Walking your dog is optional!

Controversial I know. Let me explain.

Walking your dog really is optional. You have choices! 

I am unsure as to why it has become mandatory in most of the Western world over the last 50 years or so. When you actually think about it, there are so many reasons why you might not want to walk your dog every day: 

• The weather; it's too cold, too hot, too wet
• Your dog is in season
• Your dog is elderly and their joints are sore
• Your dog is not elderly and their joint are sore 
• Your dog is recovering from surgery
• Your dog is clearly not enjoying it ( see notes below for how you know)
• You are not enjoying it, be honest with yourself here. 

Many years ago when I had dogs boarding with me in my home. I had a lady call me to look after her dog because they were recovering from an operation and she couldn't bear to not walk them, but she did realise she would do permanent damage to her legs if she did. So the dog came to me and we had the best time we hung out together in the house and garden, she was a joy to have around.  The lady could not believe how calm she was when she got her dog back and so asked me to look after her another time. This time there was no walking concerns and she was back to full fitness with lots of walking at home.  I swear this dog had a personality transplant she was wild on a lead, zero recall and wanted "to play" with everything that moved. This made her "high alert" in the house which is no fun for anyone. Needless to say I did not have her back! Walking this dog clearly did not help her behaviour.  

It never does in the long term, they might be exhausted for a few hours but they will soon be back on high alert and ready to go. 

There is a happy medium to be had with this and that's really what we are aiming for with Dog Listening. 

Now I am not saying you can't walk your dog obviously, I am just suggesting that it is optional and you can make the decision on a daily basis if you want to go for a walk with your dog or not. Nothing bad will happen if you don't, there are no dog walking police! 

It's ok to take a break, lie in the sun and just spend time in each other's company. 

Clues to knowing when your dog is not enjoying their walk:

• they pull on their lead 
• they sit down and don't want to walk
• they react to other dogs, people, scooters, cars or sometimes just their own shadows
• they bark excessively 
• they constantly demand attention
• they hate being left alone - yes this is another clue that the walk is likely stressful for them
• Ears back a lot
• not responsive and slow to recall
• tail between their legs

  Clues to knowing when you dog is enjoying their walk:

  • You feel happy and in control
  • your dog is relaxed
  • Your dog is responsive 

  If you have a suspicion your dog is not enjoying their walk as much as you thought, don't worry it's ok to take a break and then build up to the walk again from scratch, going super slowly and at your dog's pace. There is no pressure. 

  Start by introducing Dog Listening or going back to basics depending on where you are at. If you have never heard of Dog Listening or don't have an anchor to help you go back to basics. Check out my FREE e-book here for more information and an introduction to Dog Listening.