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- beth@bethspoochesandpaws.co.uk
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Going for a walk with your dog can provide them with with many different things. It of course provides them with physical exercise, but so much mental stimulation too. We have five or six million scent receptors in our noses, but dogs have up to 300 million, depending on the breed. They also have a far larger area of their brain devoted to their sense of smell that will help them detect normally undetectable odours. All of this adds up to a sense of smell that is at least 10,000 times greater than a human’s.
Dogs experience the world through their noses, and just as we might want to look around to take in the scenery, they want to smell all their environment has to offer. Dragging your dog away from an interesting scent, prevents them from truly taking in everything around him and diminishes the mental stimulation a walk can provide.
Therefore our biggest piece of advice is to always try to let you dog have a good sniff and explore as much as you can, they will appreciate you massively for it and will end up enjoying their walks with you even more than they already do!
Another thing to consider when going for a walk with your dog is if you’re going to let your dog off the lead or not. This can of course depend on a number of different factors, including if they get on with other dogs, or if they are going to come back when you call them.
If you are going to be letting them off the lead it’s always important to have some training in place along with the right commands for them. This will make it as safe and fun as possible for you and your dog, and help you feel like you’re in control of any situation. We recommend working with a dog trainer to help you teach them in recall, this is often done through dog treats and lots of praise and encouragement.
If you’re comfortable with your dog being off lead and they have good recall training in place, still be sure to keep an eye on them at all times. There will often be other dogs off the lead that they could become distracted by, or various things in their surroundings that could interest them.
Be sure to keep your pooch away from other dogs that are on lead if necessary. Many owners will keep their dog on lead for various reasons- such as training, reactive behaviour towards other dogs or people, nervousness or health reasons.
When walking your dog on the lead, be mindful of how they interact with other dogs. The restriction of being on a lead can make your dog react in a very different way than they would if they were off the lead in the same situation. For example when dogs approach each other on the lead, they have to meet each other head-to-head which may cause some dogs to become more worried or frustrated than they would usually be.
Also bare in mind that if your dog is on the lead, then they may become frustrated with an off-lead dog approaching them as they may feel too restricted. It may therefore help to give your dog plenty of space to pass other dogs, so that they aren’t forced into greeting a dog that they don’t want to.
One thing we are always reminding our clients about is to make sure their dog is always wearing identification when they are out on their walks, Unfortunately you can’t control everything that happens and dogs can get lost, especially if they are off the lead. This can be through ID tags that they can wear on their collars or/and harnesses, or you can even buy collars that have the information engraved on the collar. You could even do this as extra protection if you wish.
Be prepared by making sure the information on it is correct also, this would include if you moved house or changed your number etc.
Another very important way you can protect your dog is by getting them a microchip fitted, this will be done by your veterinary practice. This allows you to register their information online, so if they are lost and found by someone then this can be traced.
It is all of our responsibilities to make sure that we are cleaning up after our dogs. This will help to keep people and animals safe, but also helps to keep the areas where we like to like to take them nice and clean.
Always take a supply of bags with you whenever you leave the house and pick up any mess straight away, sealing the bag and placing the waste in a bin. The bin doesn’t have to be a dog waste bin, a normal litter bin is suitable as well. If there are no bins in the area, then take the bag home and dispose of it in your own bin.
If you’d like any more information on how to keep your dog safe in the heat or are worried about this topic then do get in contact with Beth’s Pooches and Paws, we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Expert Dog Walker & Pet Sitter in Tonbridge Wells. Fully Insured, DBS Checked and qualified to perform animal First Aid
