How to Make Your Dog’s Walks more interesting
In one way or another, all of us have been limited in what we can do with our dogs this year.
That’s why I decided to share how I’m keeping my dog Wally interested in walks around our neighborhood only.
These ideas are also helpful for when you just don’t have time to drive your dog to the park or trail but still want to get out for a walk in the neighborhood.
How reactive dogs benefit from current restrictions
I want to point out one of the benefits of our current 6-ft social distancing requirement! It actually comes in handy for reactive dogs.
That’s because people are paying a lot more attention to fellow doggie traffic in their neighborhoods now. I noticed that they’ll change the side of the road they’re walking on rather than insisting on having their dog “meet” other dogs they come across. So that’s a plus.
How to make your dog’s walks more interesting
Here are my ideas to make your dog’s walks more interesting around the neighborhood.
1. change directions with your dog frequently
Changing directions frequently and unexpectedly while you’re out walking your dog will keep him interested in what his human is up to.
It’s also a great exercise for dogs who pull. When you notice that your pup reaches the end of the leash and creates tension you’re not willing to put up with, simply do a 180 and walk in the opposite direction.
You can repeat this exercise as typically as necessary and add even more layers of interest by walking circles, number 8s, or anything else you can think of.
For more ideas, see: teaching your dog to heel
Your pup will soon learn to pay attention to you and be curious as to where you’ll be headed next. also think about wearing a treat pouch that you fill with his favorite, high-value training treats.
That Mutt’s writer Julia using her treat pouch with her dog Baxter
Hand treats out whenever he stays next to you and looks at you for direction, quite literally! Wally loves dehydrated green tripe treats and is very willing to perform for them, but anything stinky will do the trick.
2. add a doggie backpack to keep walks interesting!
My next idea is the doggie backpack. It’s one of my all-time favorites and YES, you guessed it, of course Wally has one! As a matter of fact, he goes for doggie backpack walks almost every single morning with me.
Wally out on a backpack morning walk in our neighborhood
The moment I put his backpack on, he starts focusing on the job of wearing it. It features 2 side pockets, both of which I fill with toys or water bottles, extra poop bags and some treats.
Wally weighs 38 lbs and wears Ruffwear’s commuter pack in size small. other brands that carry doggie backpacks are outward Hound, One Tigris, Mountainsmith and a few others. just do a search for doggie backpacks online. What I like is that they’re not just available for medium and large dog breeds, but also for smaller dogs.
I bought Wally’s backpack at an independently owned pet retail store, but you can also get them on Amazon and possibly Ebay for a good deal if you’re lucky. They run anywhere from $15-150.
See our post: benefits of backpacks for dogs.
3. incorporate obedience commands to keep your dog’s walks more interesting
I like to practice the following obedience commands to keep my dog’s walks more interesting, especially now that we’re restricted to our neighborhood:
يجلس
Wally sits whenever we’re getting ready to cross a street. I also have him sit randomly and whenever he’s looking up at me. That’s followed by telling him what a good boy he is and a small treat.
تحت
Wally lies down a few times for me when we’re out on a walk in our neighborhood, but it’s less frequently than I have him sit.
We practice both on the street as well as on grassy areas. I also reward him with both treats and verbal praise for lying down for me.
Wally lying down on command in our neighborhood
البقاء
This is a favorite of mine! I’ll ask Wally to “sit,” followed by “stay” while I slowly walk around him. He usually stays put, which is when I’ll reward him with praise and a tasty treat. also see my post: teaching dogs to stay with distractions.
اتركه
I ask Wally to “leave it” when he shows interest in whatever trash or dog poop we come across. We use the same command when we spot a cat or rabbit on our walks and he wants to go after it!
It’s usually combined with walking in a 180 as it simply takes his visual focus off the animal. When he does “leave it” and looks at me instead, I reward wHow to Make Your Dog’s Walks more interesting (###) In one way or another, all of us have been limited in what we can do with our dogs this year.
That’s why I decided to share how I’m keeping my dog Wally interested in walks around our neighborhood only.
These ideas are also helpful for when you just don’t have time to drive your dog to the park or trail but still want to get out for a walk in the neighborhood.
How reactive dogs benefit from current restrictions
I want to point out one of the benefits of our current 6-ft social distancing requirement! It actually comes in handy for reactive dogs.
That’s because people are paying a lot more attention to fellow doggie traffic in their neighborhoods now. I noticed that they’ll change the side of the road they’re walking on rather than insisting on having their dog “meet” other dogs they come across. So that’s a plus.
How to make your dog’s walks more interesting
Here are my ideas to make your dog’s walks more interesting around the neighborhood.
1. change directions with your dog frequently
Changing directions frequently and unexpectedly while you’re out walking your dog will keep him interested in what his human is up to.
It’s also a great exercise for dogs who pull. When you notice that your pup reaches the end of the leash and creates tension you’re not willing to put up with, simply do a 180 and walk in the opposite direction.
You can repeat this exercise as typically as necessary and add even more layers of interest by walking circles, number 8s, or anything else you can think of.
For more ideas, see: teaching your dog to heel
Your pup will soon learn to pay attention to you and be curious as to where you’ll be headed next. also think about wearing a treat pouch that you fill with his favorite, high-value training treats.
That Mutt’s writer Julia using her treat pouch with her dog Baxter
Hand treats out whenever he stays next to you and looks at you for direction, quite literally! Wally loves dehydrated green tripe treats and is very willing to perform for them, but anything stinky will do the trick.
2. add a doggie backpack to keep walks interesting!
My next idea is the doggie backpack. It’s one of my all-time favorites and YES, you guessed it, of course Wally has one! As a matter of fact, he goes for doggie backpack walks almost every single morning with me.
Wally out on a backpack morning walk in our neighborhood
The moment I put his backpack on, he starts focusing on the job of wearing it. It features 2 side pockets, both of which I fill with toys or water bottles, extra poop bags and some treats.
Wally weighs 38 lbs and wears Ruffwear’s commuter pack in size small. other brands that carry doggie backpacks are outward Hound, One Tigris, Mountainsmith and a few others. just do a search for doggie backpacks online. What I like is that they’re not just available for medium and large dog breeds, but also for smaller dogs.
I bought Wally’s backpack at an independently owned pet retail store, but you can also get them on Amazon and possibly Ebay for a good deal if you’re lucky. They run anywhere from $15-150.
See our post: benefits of backpacks for dogs.
3. incorporate obedience commands to keep your dog’s walks more interesting
I like to practice the following obedience commands to keep my dog’s walks more interesting, especially now that we’re restricted to our neighborhood:
يجلس
Wally sits whenever we’re getting ready to cross a street. I also have him sit randomly and whenever he’s looking up at me. That’s followed by telling him what a good boy he is and a small treat.
تحت
Wally lies down a few times for me when we’re out on a walk in our neighborhood, but it’s less frequently than I have him sit.
We practice both on the street as well as on grassy areas. I also reward him with both treats and verbal praise for lying down for me.
Wally lying down on command in our neighborhood
البقاء
This is a favorite of mine! I’ll ask Wally to “sit,” followed by “stay” while I slowly walk around him. He usually stays put, which is when I’ll reward him with praise and a tasty treat. also see my post: teaching dogs to stay with distractions.
اتركه
I ask Wally to “leave it” when he shows interest in whatever trash or dog poop we come across. We use the same command when we spot a cat or rabbit on our walks and he wants to go after it!
It’s usually combined with walking in a 180 as it simply takes his visual focus off the animal. When he does “leave it” and looks at me instead, I reward wحتى على مقاعد البدلاء والبقاء في مكان لمدة 5-10 ثواني عند البدء أولا.
العمل والي على قوته الأساسية باستخدام مقعد خشبي في منطقنا
إنه أيضا رائع لوعي الجسم بأكمله إذا كنت تقفزها فوقها واستوعب على طول السطح الضيق.
المشي والي على مقعد نزهة معدنية في منطقنا
مخاريط البناء وعلامات
هذه العقبات الاصطناعية رائعة بالنسبة للتواصل الاجتماعي (المستمر) للأشياء الضخمة وغير العادية. إذا كان الجرو خجولا من حولهم، فاحصل على بعض المعاملات عالية القيمة ووضعها على مخروط أو علامة أو أي شيء آخر قد يكون.
سوف يساعد في إنشاء ارتباط إيجابي مع الكائن وجعلها نتطلع إلى رؤيته مرة أخرى على المشي في المستقبل!
التفاعل والي مع مخروط البناء
كلبي الراحل ميسي التعايشية حول علامة البناء والقيام “إقامة اعتصام”
لقد صادفت أيضا عربة التسوق في بعض الأحيان في الأحياء المختلفة التي عشت فيها، واستخدمها دائما لأغراض التدريب الاجتماعية والطاعة!
بلدي الكلاب السابقة Missy & Buzz الاجتماعية مع عربة التسوق في نزهة
7. بديل السرعة التي تستكشف فيها منطقتك
هذه النصيحة كلها حول كيفية المشي (سريع) من خلال حيك! من الواضح أنه سوف يعتمد عليك وعلى مستوى اللياقة البدنية لكلبك والعمر والصحة العامة. جرب بعض أو كل ما يلي:
المشي بشكل أسرع.
يجري بيطء.
دراجة هوائية.
حذاء به عجلات للتزحلق.
لوح تزلج.
والي وأنا أمشي بسرعات مختلفة (معا)، ونحن نذهب أيضا إلى ركوب الدراجات. لم أحاول إعادة الدوران معه حتى الآن لأن هناك كمية جيدة من التلال الصغيرة في منطقتي، ومهاراتي روادي ليست الأفضل.
ارتداء والي على ظهره على ركوب الدراجة في منطقنا
لقد قمت بالتأكد من الاختلاط بالي في دراجتي لبضعة أيام قبل أن أبدأ ركوب الدراجات معه. سوف تجلس دراجتي فقط على الشرفة الخلفي حيث يمكن للي رؤيته، واستنشقها، والتسكع بجانبها. الدراجة بالتأكيد تجعل كلبي يمشي أكثر إثارة للاهتمام!
نرى أن نصائح Mutt’s المادة 10 لركوب الدراجات مع الكلب الخاص بك إذا كنت مهتما بتعلم المزيد عن الموضوع.
الآن نود أن نسمع منك!
الان حان دورك! هل لديك أي نصائح إضافية حول كيفية الحفاظ على يمشي الكلب أكثر إثارة للاهتمام؟
إذا كان لديك أي أسئلة، فأعلمنا في التعليقات!
يكتب ريفرز باربرا بشكل متكرر لهذا التوت. وهي معتمدة في تغذية طعام الكلاب الخام من الكلاب بطبيعة الحال مجلة ومؤلف ثلاثة كتب إلكترونية عن طعام الكلاب الخام المتوازن. هي مدون في K9s فوق القهوة.