14/01/2022
January is National Walk your Dog Month and what an amazing few days of beautiful sunshine we've had this week 🌞 Hope you've all been out enjoying the invigorating sun and vitamin D!
Thought I'd share with you the article I wrote for the Oracle about National Walk your Dog Month:
Heading outside, rain or shine? Always!
I’m sitting here contentedly writing this after enjoying an uplifting walk around Coopers Hill and Ampthill Park with my dog, Meg.
The views across to north Beds were magnificently clear yet the wind was bitterly cold across the top of the ridge in the park – definitely bracing! I called ‘good morning’ to numerous other dog owners and walkers as well as greeting and stroking many dogs, aspects that lift my spirits.
Meg found a number of ‘special’ sticks around the walk that she repeatedly brought to me to throw and also took to other dog owners who she politely nudged to see if they might also oblige! I find it truly joyous to watch Meg during our walks. She loves being out and about, nose down and her tails waging constantly and when she’s deliriously happy, it spins in a 360 degree circle!
The simplicity of her happiness is infectious, uplifting and it warms my heart. The benefits to both of us are evident. We both get to expend energy and improve our fitness, enjoy the wonderful sights and smells of Ampthill and most importantly, engage with each other. We have great demands put upon us in life: family, work and never ending, dreaded household chores! Yet getting outside, enables us to be free of these pressures momentarily. We can leave it all behind and focus on our dogs who thrive on our attention. With our phones away in our pockets, we can focus on our dog’s body language, talk to and play with them whilst also proactively managing interactions with other dogs and people.
We’ve always walked our Springer Spaniels twice a day. It’s a big commitment and at times can feel restrictive but our dogs have always been the better for us sticking to the routine. Their energy levels are well managed as are their bodily functions! And in between, they’re happy to chill out indoors.
The time/distance that each dog needs varies depending on their breed and for puppies, it’s important to stick to the rule of 5 minutes for each month of their life each walk to protect their joints. Sadly, under-exercised puppies and dogs can display unwanted behaviours indoors and are much more difficult to train. Fighting against a cumulatively under-exercised dog with excessive pent up energy is no fun.
After the excesses of Christmas, we’ll all benefit from an increase in exercise, and getting out with our dogs to enjoy the beauty of nature will be well timed. We are tremendously spoilt with a plethora of walking routes in and around Ampthill that snake through Coopers Hill, Ampthill Park, Houghton House plus the newly created Katherine’s Walk by Greensand Country that circles Ampthill and Steppingly (and conveniently takes you very close to Wooden Hill Coffee for a pit stop!). Varying our walking routes not only gives us the ability to enjoy the plentiful, stunning views available to us in our spectacular landscape but for our dogs to revel in the accompanying delicious scents and smells.
So whatever the weather, get togged up and get outside for some invigorating fresh air, endorphins and vitamin D!
