Today is the day!! For those of you reading this in real time, today is the first official day of our walking challenge! I’m super excited to help you all achieve more pleasant walks beginning with a walk every day for 7 days. We’re all about to get real committed here, because in Arizona we’re expecting rain this week! It hasn’t rained in months, yet here we are awaiting 2-3 inches of it!
To start the week off, we’re going to talk about exercising your dog before you go on your walk. I know, I know. Some of you are thinking ‘wait, so I’m supposed to exercise my dog, before I exercise my dog?’ but hear me out!
We aren’t talking about hours of fetch or running, but just 5-10 minutes to release some of their pent up energy. This will help them to focus better on the task at hand when you’re actually out on the leash.
When I say exercise, I mean both physical and mental. A combination of both would be ideal, but some dogs do fine with just one form. Figure out what works best for your dog and then repeat that before your walks.
Ideas for exercising your dog before your walk:
- Throwing the ball in the yard (or down a hall for my apartment dwellers)
- Asking them to perform routine basic obedience (sit, down, stay)
- Teaching them a new trick (how to spin, how to jump over your leg)
Now, if you’ve been working at it for 10 minutes and your dog is still rowdy, don’t worry. We aren’t here to completely tire them out. We just want to release some of their pre-walk jitters.
Get ready to head out the door! Remember to make this no big deal. Don’t ask your dog if they’re ready for their walk, just clip on their leash and go.
Tomorrow we’re going to talk about two different behaviors we’ll be using throughout this challenge. But for today, I want you to start working on asking your dog to wait at the door. Don’t just let them bolt out in front of you as soon as the door opens. More on this tomorrow- for now, get out there and have some fun!
