You Should Let Your Dog Decide Where To Walk
If you have a dog, you know how much they love their walks. For many families, the W-A-L-K word can’t be spoken without causing your canine friend to go nuts with excitement.
Walks can be the best time of the day for your dog. If they don’t have a pet door to give them access to the great outdoors throughout the day, then their once or twice daily walk is their only chance to explore what’s outside the home. It’s a chance for them to sniff around, meet new dogs, and do their business.
But like other dog owners, you probably take your dog on a set route every day. This may be convenient for you, but this also means that they end up experiencing the same trees, grass, and bushes whenever they get the chance to go outdoors.
If you want to enrich your dog’s walks, then give your dog the opportunity to decide where you go.
Instead of tugging your dog’s leash to go in one direction or the other, let your dog decide if they want to go left or right. This gives them the chance to explore your neighborhood in ways they may never have been able to before. Plus, you now get to see what interests your dog. Maybe they want to spend more time around the park, or they want you to walk towards the nearest store.
This doesn’t mean you must let your dog walk into a busy street or a restricted area. They are still on leash, and as a responsible pet owner, it will be up to you to tell your dog no if they want to go where they shouldn’t.
My family started allowing our dog where he wanted to go on his walks a few years back. We immediately discovered that he was far more adventurous than we realized, choosing to walk down new streets we had never considered adding to our walking route before. He even decided when he wanted to go home, showing us that he knew how to get back home no matter where he took us.
Our dog’s walks ended up being longer than before we let him set the course, but in turn, he was calmer and less prone to trying to escape whenever the back gate was left open.
If you can, why not experiment and see where your dog wants to go. You’ll be amazed where they’ll take you.
Copy Editor
DOG PERSON🐶
Pets: I have a fluffy, 14 year old chow-collie mix with red fur named Rosso. He's very stubborn and has the standoffish personality of a cat.
Fun stuff: I am a hot chocolate connoisseur.
