Sunday, May 18, 2014

4 Top Tips for Walking Your Dog

Special thanks to Vet Medic for sharing these tips on walking with your dog. 

Tips for walking your dog

If you don’t quite enjoy walks with your dog as much as your pooch does, learning a few tips to help make it a better (and easier) experience for the both of you is bound to be beneficial. Especially if you find yourself spending the majority of the time attempting to control your dog rather than just enjoying the walk, too!
We thought we’d put together a list of some tips for doing just that, which new dog owners or dog owners with particularly boisterous pooches may find especially useful.

1. Aim to stay in control
The main key for gaining authority over your dog is to let them know that you’re ultimately in control. Use a firm voice to call them and get down to their level if they’re acting out. Likewise, try to keep pace with your dog – if they’re walking miles in front of you then they’ll soon think that they’re the boss. Keep a fairly short lead at the beginning of the process of making your dog walk better so that you avoid this. When they learn that you’re the leader, you can lengthen the lead and give them more freedom. You can purchase extendable dog leads fairly cheaply, too.
2. Use their favorite treats to reward them
There’s nothing wrong with giving your dog an occasional treat, especially as they’re getting exercise. Use them as a reward for good behavior; for occasions such as them listening to you and responding accordingly or if they have been calm around another dog or person who has approached them. Use them sparingly however, as they’ll soon catch on and will get frustrated if you don’t reward every little thing they do right.
Tips for walking your dog

3. Choose the best time of day
Getting your dog into a good routine is important, and you should choose the right time to take them out and aim to stick to it each day. If your dog is particularly anxious and nervous when walking, aim to take them at a time of day when the areas you go to are less busy to keep them calmer, particularly if there are usually lots of other dogs around or large groups of people that can intimidate your dog. You can also get treatments to help calm an anxious dog from sites like Vet Medic which can help with anxiety in the long run.
4. Take short breaks if necessary
Especially important for those extra hot summer days, if you’ve been doing a lot of walking on strenuous ground, give your dog breaks and lots of fresh, cool water. You can sit in a shaded area and take toys for them to play with as they cool off. Hot weather can be really unpleasant for your dog and can make the whole walk unpleasant as a result. Therefore letting them cool off and have some play time can be nice for them. It will also show them that walks aren’t just about exercise; they’re about helping them enjoy themselves which will make getting them to walk again the next day a bit easier.
This post is sponsored and written by Vet Medic. I am being compensated to share this information with our readers, but Pawsitively Pets only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. 


12 comments:

  1. Great tips, I so need to get out and walk more. Big News!!! You won Gambler's Bday paracord giveaway. Let me know what kind of collar you want: a choker or buckle, what collar (one color or two) and measure the neck of the one you want it for and send me a email j_stancer@yahoo.com with your address and info.

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  2. We see a lot of happy dog walking in our neighborhood.

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  3. As always, some very helpful ideas. Have a great Sunday.

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  4. Great tips, specially to take some breaks while walking in summer. Have a great sunday and a wonderful walk with Shiner :o)

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  5. Great tips. M wishes she would have been told those things when she had her woofie.

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  6. It is hotter than Greece or Italy here this weekend so we are taking our walks slow and easy with lots of water stops.
    Have a serene Sunday and let us all enjoy some big easy today.
    Best wishes Molly

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  7. These are great tips…and easy for people to follow and remember which is awesome!

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  8. Thanks for the tips, and your help the other day.

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  9. Thanks for the great tips! We have been taking Puma for walks more often lately and I think some of these will really help us all get the most out of them. 😁

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  10. Thanks for the great tips! We have been taking Puma for walks more often lately and I think some of these will really help us all get the most out of them. 😁

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  11. Mom works with tip 1 on a daily basis with three of us. Our age difference only makes things worse, but we manage. We may not look like a group that is under control, but we actually are most of the time.

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