There is many aspects to being a responsible dog owner. While I conduct adoption counseling at the shelter, I always try to include ONE question -- no matter what type of dog potential adopters are interested: “What type of exercise do you do for your dog (or did you do when you had your dog)?” I often continue with some more questions that relate to the topic: “How often?” “When?” and “How do you do it?”” I use these questions as an indicator to see how responsible and knowledgeable the potential adopters are on basic dog care.
Since our shelter is located in a suburban area and most potential adopters come from such an area, the typical answer goes like this. “Oh, we have a huge fenced-in back yard. So, our dog can run and play there freely. We sometimes throw a ball and play fetch, too.” Of course, this is NOT a ‘bad answer,’ but it always makes me feel that I need to push further. It is indeed a great advantage and convenient for dog owners to have a large fenced-in backyard. However, such a situation often leads to ‘no-walks’ or ‘rare-walks-when-I-feel-like-it’ situation. Yes. It’s understandable. We all live a busy life. If we see there is some way to save time and energy, we tend to take advantage of it even though we know it’s not the best thing to do. In such a situation, the dog spends his/her outside time in the backyard mostly ALONE. When I don’t hear the word ‘walks’ from potential adopters, I immediately ask them back. “What about walks?” If they reply with “Yes,” I give them two thumbs up. However, people who responded with a “No” will be hearing a long lecture by me.
The Importance of Daily Walks
When you live with a dog, you will need to walk your dog twice a day, at least 45 minutes (or ideally more) everyday. Dogs don’t recognize holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, etc. They don’t even know when Sunday is. The only way they would know the difference between regular days and holidays/weekends is from how you spend the day. They pick up the different pace and patterns from you. For dogs, strictly speaking, it is not ideal to change pace or patterns of daily life. They feel securer when everything occurs with regular routines. But, it’s okay! You can sleep in an hour more on weekends. I sometimes do, too.
Why are the daily walks so important? Think about this. We read newspapers, watch TV news or follow Internet sites to catch up with what’s going on around us or in the world, for that matter. It is the same thing for your dog to go outside of his/her territory to discover any new developments in the neighborhood by sniffing all kind of scents that are left since the last walk. Since dogs are such social and curious creatures, this is a MUST activity for them. This stimulates their brain and gives them great satisfaction. Also, the action of forward movement is very important for dogs who used to be hunters. It’s like an adventure hunting trip with their master. They can fulfill their day with joy and satisfaction. And yet, the best thing of all about daily walks is that you are creating a stronger relationship with your dog and reclaiming your leadership. Don’t think, ‘It’s just a walk!’ For dogs, there is nothing more exciting thing than the daily walk with their owner! Please keep in mind that it can affect the life of your dog. It’s up to you to lengthen or shorten his/her life. Yes, it is.
More Intensive Methods of Exercising
If you have a dog whose energy level is much higher than average and who needs extensive daily exercise to stimulate him/her but you can’t provide such an amount of exercise, you might want to consider using a doggy backpack during your walks. You can put small things in the pouches to give a little extra weight, too. That helps them tire more quickly. When dogs are carrying something, it gives them an idea that they are doing some sort of task to carry out and that gives them mental stimulation as well.
The treadmill is another great tool to use to exercise your dog. This is true, especially when the weather isn’t great outside. However, you should seek guidance from a professional for the first few sessions just to be on a safe side. Some dogs do not take to the treadmill.
If you have a hunting breed or retriever-type of dog, please try to include some type of retrieving exercise (ball fetching, etc.) into your dog’s daily exercise. They feel such joy and satisfaction when they bring something back to their master. For this exercise, you can definitely use your closed-in backyard!
Living with a dog can be a physical challenge for many people. However, the rewards are countless. Your dog will help you keep your daily schedule regular. AND, it will keep you healthy and in shape with all the exercise you will be doing with your dog!
Well, I would like to discuss a VERY heavy but important topic: euthanasia, next time. I would like to share my personal views, which came into being from years of experience of volunteering at shelters.
Until next time, Be Kind to Man’s Best Friend!
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