How to Walk Your Dog With Minimal Fuss

Anyone who's owned a rambunctious dog has been there: you want to take a calm, relaxing walk through your neighborhood so both you and your pet get some exercise, but instead it simply becomes an exercise in managing an overly-excited dog! If you really want to enjoy a calm, relaxing walk with your dog - or even a brisk walk with minimal fuss - you've come to the right place. Here are some of the top tips for getting along even when you're moving along.

First, don't ever let your dog control the walk. If you put your dog on a leash and its first instinct is to go out ahead of you and stretch the leash as far as it goes, then your dog is controlling the walk. Even if you're ultimately deciding where the walk will end up, the dog will probably feel like it's in charge. Going for a walk is a great opportunity for bringing your dog out and reinforcing healthy behaviors. Your dog isn't control. You're the one in control, so walk like it.

Next, build a routine. If you take a walk once, then your dog probably won't know what you want it to do. But if you go for a walk every weekday with your dog, they'll eventually pick up on the fact that your morning walk is a routine. Set aside time each day - preferably in the morning - for you both to get some exercise. When it's the morning time and you call your dog over to the door, it will know what's going to happen and what's expected of it. You'll find that many dogs are happy to oblige your commands if they clearly understand those commands.

Don't let your dog determine what it does with its time. So you've got the dog on a leash, but it just wants to explore the yard. "Oh well," you think, "it probably knows what's best better than I do." But if you want to set the tempo for your dog, you should define the time when your dog can move around freely, not your dog. If you simply acquiesce to your dog's demands, then you're not asserting yourself as the head honcho! It's vital for your dog to intuitively understand that it is a companion, not the head of your household. Making sure that the walk goes as you dictate it, including bathroom/exploration time, will help reinforce your status as the head of your household.

Photo Credits: Roy Montgomery

This post involves:

brisk walk, dogs, exercise, head honcho, instinct, minimal fuss, morning time, neighborhood, weekday

... and focuses on:

Doggie Exercises, Tips for Dog Owners

Posted by Dog Training Pet on August 4, 2010 in Doggie Exercises, Tips for Dog Owners. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.