There are several ways to walk your dog, in the walk, you can insert exercises such as: walking for exercise or simply, just enjoy yourself.
Be careful, walking his dog is not as easy as you think! There are rules to respect for the dog but also for the master, at first, it is important to make your 4-legged friend understand that you are in charge, not him.
This article is dedicated to helping dog owners to walk their dogs easily with the help of some tips …
Why walking his dog is important?
I’m sure you know that walking your dog is very important for his balance but also for a harmonious relationship between him and you. But there is also another reason why walking your dog is important: dogs need to exercise their energy too much and the walk is the best remedy.
Dogs need to release their energy each day.
When you walk your dog, know that you are his exercise for him. Yes, that’s obvious, is not it? Unfortunately, many owners do not respect the daily exit cost. Walking a dog, is not “pee, poo” at the corner of the house and we return.
It is necessary to invest oneself, to know how to take on his time, if you are not ready to make this effort, your dog will react in a negative way, ex: destruction at the house, nuisance barking and so on …
If you neglect all these tips, then I strongly advise you to buy a goldfish, at least it will not bother you! Remember that some dogs are much more active than others.
5 tips to walk the dog
1 – Learning to walk on a leash
The sooner you start learning to walk on a leash to your dog, the better it will be to walk outside. The idea is to start from the acquisition of the puppy, you can at home, introduce your puppy to the port of the leash and collar, I explain all this in detail in my guide. The attention I do not speak of walking on foot but of walking on a leash without shooting.
If you adopt an adult dog, who has never been educated to walk on a leash, do not worry! Even adult dogs can learn. Just be aware that it may take a little longer to clear bad habits.
The key to successfully walking your dog serenely is to be consistent and hardworking. If you meet these two criteria, you will end up with a dog that will behave well in the walks.
2 – Choosing the right gear
The material has a huge influence on the leash. We will return to it below. When you walk your dog, try to never stretch the leash, the more you will stretch it, the more your companion will get ahead by pulling too on his side and walks with your dog will become a nightmare for you.
To avoid this, I strongly advise you not to take a short leash, the best tool is the retractable leash, we have already discussed in other articles of the blog.
3 -Be consistent
Be consistent with the orders! give your dog simple, short commands, in short speak dog! But the most important thing is to be consistent. If today you say A and tomorrow another member of the family says B, then you will get an opposite result.
While walking, if you want your dog to turn right like you, say “come” or “follow” … do you understand the principle? If your dog refuses to follow you, you have two methods, negative reinforcement, and positive reinforcement :
Let’s start with the negative reinforcement that is the most practiced still today in our country: give the leash one or more dry pulls by giving the two orders mentioned above, attention, I specify that we do not pull the dog.
The second method is positive reinforcement by reward: you take out a candy or a toy from your pocket to invite him to follow.
These two methods can be repeated in any direction even for the half turn. Also remember that your dog will have no idea what you want him to understand at first. If you verbally say “come” or “follow”, your dog will not be doing anything, so you will need to show him. When turning to the right, say “come” using one of two methods.
Over time your dog will understand that “come” or “follow” means: FOLLOW THE MASTER
4 – What to avoid when walking the dog
If you use a conventional lanyard to walk your dog, I do not recommend wrapping it around your hand, it could cause you injury, such as a fracture or others if your dog suddenly pulls in one direction. This board includes all members of the family.
5 – Diversify the walks
A walk or a walk should last about 20 minutes minimum, you do not have to go far if you don’t want to. You can go to an indoor dog park, it is you who decides what you want to do.
Ex: if you live in the city center and the wood is a few hundred meters, then it is better for the safety of your pet to not go to an unfamilar park.