This blog post explains why you need to walk your dog every day, off lead. If you don’t, you will get plenty of expensive negative dog behavior issues happening.

Take it from Aunty Jenny, apart from real food, your dog exercise is a primary reason why your dog will or won’t be happy!

This should be one of the most simple no-brainer subjects about dogs, but like a dog’s diet, many people just get it wrong. Dogs needs daily off lead socialisation with other socialised dogs. If you don’t believe that statement, then read on and see how this actually makes them happy.

Wolves are pack animals, dogs are pack animals.

Ok, if you agree that domestic dogs are evolved from the gray wolf, you should also understand that the vast majority of the behaviours that they exhibit are modified wolf behaviours. Man modified domestic dogs to suit specific work purposes and even specific companionship purposes, but all of this is on top of the base wolf instincts and predatory nature.

Yes it is fine to take your dog for a controlled on lead walk. It helps you and your dog bond, is quick and simple and gets you both exercise. But it misses out on the fundamental dog socialisation things that your dog will pick up, when it is free in a dog park.

Dogs that are not used to being off lead

It is a sad indictment on us humans, but for whatever reason we give ourselves, our dogs are usually not exercised or socialised anywhere near what they need to be to remain healthy. If you rarely walk your dog off-lead or on-lead (for his or your own protection) they are missing out on the many health giving aspects of associating with other dogs.

After they have had all of their puppy injections, and they are on worm and flea medication, dogs are unlikely to get anything worse than kennel cough from associating with other dogs – unless they are a poo eater.

A lot of people I know in Philly have rescue dogs, and they do them a great disservice by locking them away from other dogs. The usual logic goes that these dogs have suffered enough, that they have become aggressive, or that they are too timid. Whatever the excuse, it is just an excuse. The only way of bringing a dog back to being normal is to slowly introduce it back into associating with other dogs.

While this might mean more on-lead walks than off-lead to start with, you are doing this because it is best for the dog, and will eventually make them very happy and satisfied. If you need to walk your dog with a correction chain and haltie (head chain), so be it.

If you need to have them with a muzzle on, then do it. There is never a good time to start learning how to bring your dog back to being social, you just need to dive in, and do it every day, until you are both accustomed to the routine.

THIS IS MAKING YOUR DOG HAPPY …

 

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