24/04/2025
Walking Your Dog...
It’s Spring! Although where we live on the Central Coast, the weather doesn’t have to determine if or when we walk our dogs; it's beautiful almost year round! But springtime is an ideal time to get out there and bask in the glory of all the green against our blue skies.
Now, I’ll admit that I'd rather write a headline that reads: "Going with Your Dog for a Walk" or "Walking With Your Dog" or "It’s Your Dog’s Walk." But "Walking The Dog" is how many of us approach this experience: we go out the door to walk our dog, as if they can’t walk without us.
Now it is true that most can’t go for a walk without us. City laws require our dogs to be on a 6-foot leash. Many of our dogs would take off running, or get hit by a car, or get lost in the neighborhood, or maybe bite another dog, person, or animal if they were not attached to us. So there is an unequivocal logic to walking the dog for all of those reasons, and a few more, I’m sure.
A Different Perspective
But what is it about the perspective “Walking Your Dog” that gets in the way of a walk being a beneficial and enjoyable experience for both us and the dog? Could taking the approach of "we’re doing our dog a favor by walking them" actually prevent us from seeing opportunities to bond, to support, to increase trust, maybe in ways other than a traditional walk?
I know this might sound like I am way overthinking the simple act of taking our dog for a walk, but after many years of working with dogs and their families who struggle with this great American pastime, I honestly don’t think I’m digging too deep. The walk for so many of us is as emotionally and mentally challenging as it is physically. If there is any pulling, discomfort, or reactivity, it can build resentment, disappointment, fear, and even anger. The walk then becomes a dreaded obligation! And yet, so many of us repeat this uncomfortable act every single day.
Make Walking Enjoyable - This Sunday's FREE Clinic
If this sounds like your experience, or if you’d like to make sure your walks don’t become a daily challenge, please join me and Farm Supply Company in Arroyo Grande this Sunday from 10 - 11:30 AM for our first FREE clinic of 2025.
Our clinic will help you learn how to walk with your dog and how to teach your dog to walk with you. Plus, we’ll cover these three cornerstones to understanding more about The Walk.
* Top 3 reasons why most dogs pull on a leash, plus a few more after that!
* How to properly use a leash and other walking equipment. (There's more to it than you would expect!)
* Learn how to spot what is important to your dog on his or her walk.
If you can, join us THIS SUNDAY, April 27, from 10 - 11:30 AM at Farm Supply in Arroyo Grande (1079 El Camino Real, Arroyo Grande) for our FREE walking clinic.
One Easy Walking Tip
If you are unable to attend, I’ll leave you with this very simple tip to practice while walking your dog: breathe! I know, you might be laughing because writing that word made me laugh. But it’s true!
In fact, one of my all-time favorite videos is instructing a client to take a breath while watching his dog, who had stopped on their walk. In the video, you can hear me say, “take a breath,” to which he replies, “What?” (He was nervous, worried his dog was going to react, and was holding his breath.) I repeated, “take a good breath,” and guess what happened… his dog Luna, a beautiful, young black Lab, took in a big deep breath, exhaled, turned her head, and moved on (choosing not to over-react)!
Of course we’ll cover more than being conscience of breathing, but if a good exhale and moving on works for the Luna’s of the world, it can certainly help us humans, too.
https://ellenthedogtrainer.com/walking-your-dog/
