The Key to a Perfect Walk

Hello, and welcome.

I hope you’ve been enjoying your walks this past week, with the changing colours and crispness in the air.

Last time, I challenged you to discover your dog’s favourite things using the deepened relationship you’ve formed in the past 18 months. Which type of treat, toy, play style, or specific social interaction do they most love? Today, I’d like to invite you to incorporate those into your walks.

Whether you have an over-playful pup, an anxious hound, or a happy-go-lucky dog, you most likely have experienced some form of disconnect on a walk at some time in your lives together. Maybe it has been an unreliable recall, saying ‘hello’ to the wrong dog, or rolling in some sort of disgusting scent? When we don’t use our dog’s individual preferences to our advantage we’re missing out on a world of opportunities.

Perhaps you discovered that your dog likes to work for their food instead of getting it for free - well then you can use their breakfast to create a “Hansel and Gretel” style trail for them to follow. Instead, if your dog loves to hold an object in their mouth - you can try planting a toy (in advance) on your walk and then going on a hunt together to find it. As specific as it sounds, if you realised that your dog prefers interacting with your hands over making eye contact - you can you use a ‘hand target’ cue to ask them to recall back to you, instead of bending low and calling them to you while looking at them.

If your dog seems to have a range of interactions they really enjoy, well you have fodder for lots of different experiences. Even when walking the same route every day, by changing up your approach to your dog, you can make each individual walk as unique as the smells your dog will be sniffing.

I’d love to hear how you’ve enjoyed your walks over the coming weeks.

Until next time, happy exploring!

Caroline