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The Health Benefits of Walking Your Dog

Sam Becker

Dogs love walks! However, it can be easy to keep watching TV, finish your drink, or roll over and go back to sleep on a Saturday morning rather than get up, pull on some shoes, and grab the leash. But it’s important to know that a stroll can help keep both people and their pets healthy and happy. Even short walks are enough to lift your mood. 

Here are some of the main benefits of walking your dog that all pet owners should keep in mind:

Exercise

From burning calories to relieving joint pain and boosting energy levels, walking has numerous health advantages — again, for both people and their pets! Past research suggests dog owners move 22 minutes more than people who don’t own dogs, too. 
With that in mind, you can think of dogs as accountability partners; your pet motivates you to go outside even when you don’t feel like getting out of bed.

Walking also keeps your furry friend agile. Stepping out with your dog exercises their joints and muscles to keep them flexible. Moreover, exercise maintains the pet’s weight to improve their physical health. According to a past study, canine obesity exposes your dog to cardio-respiratory conditions, orthopedic diseases, endocrinopathies, and metabolic disorders. 

But be sure to consider your dog when creating your walking routine. Younger dogs usually have more endurance than their elderly counterparts. And remember to bring water, too. The ground where you walk should also be comfortable to walk on. If the pavement burns your pet’s paws, buy dog booties or stroll in the grass.

Obedience

Walks around the neighborhood are a chance to train your dog, too. For starters, you can teach your puppy its name and offer treats when it responds to your call. Likewise, you can train the dog to sit by holding treats near the pup’s nose and moving your hand up and down. Once they understand your gestures, hold an empty hand before the dog and say “sit” while moving your palm towards the ground.

It can be a good idea to keep your sessions short to maintain the dog’s attention. If your pet has learning difficulties, slow down your training to make it easy to follow. Also, allowing your dog to sniff around acquaints them with their surroundings while providing mental stimulation. 

Calming Effects

Your pup might have too much energy if it constantly barks, spins in circles, or destroys the house. Some owners may confuse these signs with happiness, but encouraging such behavior could result in aggression.

Walks can burn energy and help stave off some of that behavior, and you can try to incorporate playtime into your walks, too. You could even look at doing group walks with dog owners in your neighborhood. This way, dogs can play together while you chat with other owners. 

Improved Mental Health

Some research shows that walking with your dog reduces stress better than solo walks. So, if you needed yet another reason to walk your dog, there you have it! Walking your dog also unites you both with nature. The fresh air, green spaces, and sunlight lower stress and depression and improve your concentration. Walks in nature have even been shown to increase the attention spans of children with ADHD. 

It’s not uncommon to receive friendly glances when walking your pup. You could also strike up conversations with other pet parents or receive compliments from dog lovers. Harvard Health suggests pet owners are 60% more likely to forge friendships in their communities than those who don’t own animals.

Dog Walking Tips

A good rule of thumb for walking your dog is to adopt a routine. Setting specific hours for your daily walks instills self-discipline and keeps your pet calm during walks. Don’t forget to bring poop bags, too!

Make sure your dog has its collar on, too, with all of the relevant details: Its name, medical needs, contact info, and more. You could also use a front-clip harness if your pet pulls on its leash. It’s not uncommon for pups to lunge forward because they’re excited, following scents, or the handler is too slow. A few harnesses we recommend are below:

In all, walking your dog has a myriad of benefits — for both you, and your dog. And when you live in sunny San Diego, there’s no excuse to not get out for a walk every day!

Contact us to make an appointment today!

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