For those of us with dogs, our daily routine includes a number of short walks to take care of their needs. Somewhere in that schedule is a longer walk to give you and your dog some exercise and perhaps a bit of fun. On weekends or vacations, these walks may turn into adventures in new settings with great things to see, hear, and for your dog to sniff!
Two year old Sam loves his early morning walk. He practiced his sit when I met him. His person said this daily routine gets her going too!
One friend calls this “the long walk.” We call it Poppy’s exercise because she will gladly go inside on her puppy pads to avoid being outside. But she does need to move her little body and get her pulse rate up at least once a day, so we take her for a mile or two trot around the neighborhood.
A Study on Walking the Dog
A recent study titled, “(Just) a Walk with the Dog? Animal Geographies and Negotiating Walking Spaces,” argues that “… walking with dogs represents a potentially important cultural space for making sense of human–animal relations. We show how the personalities of both dog and walker can shape not only walking practices, but also the human–animal bond. We contend that the walk is a significant arena where relations of power between animal and human are consciously mediated.”
It makes you think about the interactions you see as people walk their dogs. Is the dog having fun? Are the dog and human interacting or are they on separate missions? Who is training whom?
Be A Dog!
One command you should regularly give your pal on the other end of the leash is, “Be a Dog!” To us that means Poppy can follow her nose, sniff at the corners, or hop up on a bench and relax. She gets a turn to do what she wants on the walk.
Other times we may need some faster-paced exercise and she will have to walk along with us to allow us to get what we need from the walk.
Occasionally our nervous little pup may need to have one of us pick her up and hold her because some evil noisemaker has her scared witless. We try to do whatever it takes to keep her moving and feeling safer outside.
While other dogs romp in the off leash area on the Boston Common, this gentle giant prefers to observe from the sidelines.
Win-Win
There are aspects of your daily walks that can be win-wins for you and your dog. If you gather friends and walk in a pack, that can be a perfect outing with good conversation among the humans and socializing companionship and play among the dogs.
If you have a highly energetic dog, a long walk can help the dog settle better when you return home. You might find that increasing the length and speed of your walks can alleviate destructive behavior and lessen hyperactivity. It could result in everyone getting a better night’s sleep, as well.
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino