5 Tips For Happier Dog Walking

For many dog owners, walks are the activity where the rubber meets the road for a better bonding experience. Many of us are too busy to take our dogs to classes or devote much other time to them, but just about all of us go with our dogs for walks. And yet, walking time is often so fraught. We’re rushed, and they’re not; we know to keep a polite distance from others, but they might not have a handle on what constitutes appropriate personal space; they want to be with you, but you want to be with your phone; and so on.

To make walking go better, by which we mean to make your dog’s walks so much happier for her, here are five simple steps that are easy to incorporate into your daily constitutionals with your pet.

1. Don’t text and walk. Multi-tasking is not a good idea when you walk your dog. It’s not just because you are your dog’s extra set of eyes and ears, watching out for her as she crosses the street and approaches — or cowers away from — people and other dogs walking toward her. It’s also because walking time is “we” time. You’re really supposed to be in the moment with your dog, not just next to her. A dog won’t complain if you’re on the phone texting, talking, or scrolling through social media; she’s too polite for that. But she knows your attention is divided and that you’re not in the moment with her. And that cuts into her feeling of trust and collaboration with you.

2. Protect your dog’s sense of space. People who have socially forward dogs generally know not to let them invade other people or dogs’ physical space and to pay careful attention to whether a dog is being socially inappropriate. But those with dogs who hang back sometimes feel embarrassed that their pet doesn’t want to “say hi.” Don’t make her get petted by other people or get nosed by other dogs. It’s her right not to feel comfortable around others, and it’s nothing for you to feel awkward about. Let her enjoy her time outside with you in peace.

3. Allot more time. Too often people pull their dogs along; they don’t use patience letting dogs sniff their world. But that’s how dogs see their world. They rely on their olfactory sense to learn who has been there ahead of them and other clues about what has been going on in their absence. Imagine if you stopped to see something really interesting in a store window but were pulled away before you had a really good look, or before you were able to check the price tag. You’d be frustrated. Why make your dog perennially frustrated as she ambles along? Let her spend an extra minute on that blade of grass. If you normally allot 15 minutes for a walk, allot 20. If you normally allot 20, allot 25. You don’t walk your dog that many times a day. All told, you won’t be adding more than about 20 minutes to the time you bond with your dog outside. And she’ll be so much happier for it.

4. Go for more walks. We’ve said it before: Two walks a day simply aren’t enough. It’s not just because dogs are entitled to more bathroom breaks. It’s also because for those dogs who don’t get much in the way of other forms of environmental enrichment, walks become a highlight of their waking hours. Remember, dogs can’t put on their favorite TV program, listen to music, read a book, or do much of anything else in the house without your involvement. That’s why devoting, for example, an hour and 20 minutes a day to four different walks (down different streets for a greater variety of sights, odors, and sounds) will go a long way toward enriching her life.

5. If possible, allow for physical activity beyond walks. An easy way to make dogs happier and more compliant during walks is to make sure they get some physical activity outside of walking with you. If your dog gets to chase a ball or Frisbee you throw in a park or backyard, or take a class such as one in agility, or go for other training that allows her to use her body, having walks with you to do her business and get some fresh air won’t have quite as much meaning. That, in turn, will make her a calmer and more amiable walking companion.