Did you know that the first week of October is National Walk Your Dog Week? Going for a walk with your canine companion is beneficial every day of the year, but this week is a great time to think about how you can make walks safer and more enjoyable for you both. In honor of Walk Your Dog Week, keep reading to discover a few tips for walking your canine companion.
Start with the Right Gear
The right gear makes all the difference when it comes to going on walks with your dog. If you’ve been using a retractable leash, we’d encourage you to reconsider. As veterinarians, we’ve seen far too many injuries connected to them—rope burns and cuts to hands, dogs reaching the road before their owner can react, and dogs hurt when a sudden stop at full extension jerks them off their feet. A standard leash of six feet or less gives you far more control. Their length makes it harder to manage your dog around traffic and other dogs, and the locking mechanism can fail at exactly the wrong moment.
If you have a small dog who walks nicely, a well-fitting collar paired with a standard leash works well. You should be able to fit two fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck. If your dog pulls, a harness is a better choice, because it spreads the pressure across the chest rather than concentrating it on the throat—front-clip designs in particular help a good deal with pulling. When fitting a harness, it should be snug enough that they can’t back out of it but not so tight that it restricts breathing or movement.
We’d steer you away from choke, prong, and shock collars. They work by causing discomfort, they carry a real risk of injury to the neck and windpipe, and they tend to create new problems rather than solve the original one. If you’re unsure what would suit your dog, ask us and we can talk it through.
Make Sure Your Pup Has Proper Identification
Your dog should wear ID tags every time they leave the house. Even in a familiar area or on your own property, proper ID boosts your chances of getting your dog back if they get away from you.
Since collars and tags can be lost or damaged, consider having your dog microchipped as well. Microchipping provides permanent identification, and we strongly recommend it. It’s safe, quick, affordable, and it can save you and your pet a great deal of heartache. If your dog is already chipped, take a minute to confirm your contact details are current with the registry—an out-of-date chip can’t bring your dog home.
Teach Your Dog to Walk Nicely
Many dogs try to take the lead when walking. Being dragged down the sidewalk isn’t much fun for you, and straining against a collar isn’t good for your dog. The most effective approach is to make pulling stop the walk: when the leash goes tight, stand still and wait. The moment it goes slack and your dog turns back toward you, praise them and move off again. Reward them generously with treats when they’re walking at your side. It takes some patience, but dogs learn quickly that a loose leash is what gets them where they want to go.
What we’d avoid is yanking or jerking the leash to bring your dog back. Beyond being unpleasant for them, a hard jerk can cause genuine injury—damage to the neck and windpipe and to the nerves of the front legs are all possible, particularly on a collar.
If your dog just isn’t getting the hang of it, consider working with a trainer who uses reward-based methods. Some dogs need more help than others, but with patience and consistency nearly any dog can learn to walk on a loose leash.
Be Mindful of Other Dogs
Encountering other dogs is part of walking. Meeting a friendly one is a pleasure; meeting a reactive one can turn a walk unpleasant very quickly. Before taking your dog somewhere new, it can help to walk the route yourself first and note anything to be aware of.
Never approach a strange dog without asking their owner first, and teach children to do the same. Bear in mind that even a normally friendly dog may react differently face-to-face with a dog they don’t know, particularly on leash, where neither can move away freely. Keep your dog close, and when in doubt about how an interaction might go, cross the street rather than find out. If your own dog is reactive toward other dogs, please talk to us—that’s something we can help with, and walks shouldn’t be an ordeal for either of you.
Always Pick Up After Your Pup
Picking up after your dog isn’t fun, but it’s basic courtesy. No one wants to step in what your dog left behind, and no homeowner wants to find it on their lawn. In some places you could face a fine for failing to clean up. There’s a health dimension too: dog waste can carry roundworm and hookworm eggs, giardia, and bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter, all of which can affect other dogs and, in some cases, people—particularly children. It also washes into storm drains and local waterways.
Carry more bags than you think you’ll need, and if bending down is difficult, a long-handled scoop makes the job much easier.
Give Your Dog Time to Sniff
Walking your dog isn’t only about physical activity—it’s also a chance to give their brain something to do. A few extra minutes to sniff around provides real mental stimulation and makes the walk far more satisfying for them.
Decide which areas are safe and appropriate for your dog to explore, and then let them take their time. Sniffing gives your dog an enormous amount of information and lets them keep up with what’s been happening in the neighborhood. It’s also genuinely tiring—you may be surprised how much more settled your dog is after a slow, sniffy walk than after a brisk one of the same length. If your morning walk has to be quick to get you to work on time, try to leave room for a proper sniffing walk in the evening.
A Note on Timing and Conditions
A couple of practical things worth keeping in mind. In warm weather, walk in the early morning or evening and check the pavement with the back of your hand before setting out—if it’s too hot for you to hold your hand there comfortably, it’s too hot for your dog’s paws. In winter, rinse their feet after walks on treated sidewalks, since road salt and de-icers irritate paws and are toxic if licked off.
And if your dog is a puppy, a senior, carrying extra weight, or has joint or breathing problems, let us know—we can help you work out how much walking is right for them, and build up sensibly.
Seek Advice from Your Dog’s Veterinarian
As veterinarians, we aren’t just here for vaccinations or when your dog is under the weather. We’re also here to help you be the best pet parent you can be. Whether you’re struggling to get your dog to walk nicely on a leash, you aren’t sure how much daily exercise your dog needs, or you have any other questions about caring for your dog, we’d be happy to help. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment. And of course, be sure to get out and enjoy National Walk Your Dog Week with your furry best friend.