“Should I let my dog sniff while walking?”
What should the dog’s walk look like? Should he sniff? Or not?
Should he walk in front of me…beside me…behind me?
How long should the walk last?
Walking the dog is a big part of our suburban, American culture, and it’s something I frequently cover with my clients.
Despite its prevalence, many owners may have questions about what the walk should actually look like.
Here are some of my answers!
“Is it okay for the dog to sniff?”
YES, YES, YES.
Walks should be mutually enjoyable: fun for you and fun for your dog.
A massive bit of your dog’s fun comes from exploring and sniffing. Prohibiting that activity is like trying to window shop at the mall with a friend who just wants to power walk.
If steady movement is an absolute must for your walk, don’t take the dog. Go do your auto-pilot walk and then take him for a separate sniffy walk.
“Does the dog need to walk next to me?”
In most cases, not really, no.
Here’s the thing: heeling for a neighborhood walk or park adventure takes a TON of concentration and energy from both ends of the leash, ***and*** you can have a pleasant walk without it.
When I walk dogs, I rarely ask them to heel. Instead, they’re allowed to walk wherever they like as long as they aren’t dragging me or crossing right in front of me.
I use an 8 foot leash so they have plenty of room to move out for sniffing and exploration without pulling.
“So the dog never has to heel?”
A smart client once told me, “there’s a time and place for everything.”
Although I don’t require dogs to stay next to me during most walks, there are places where it is necessary:
Apartments. Hallways and sidewalks are narrow and it isn’t always safe or polite to let your dog range outside your bubble. If you live in an apartment, your dog should learn to heel for short stretches when asked.
Pet-friendly stores/patio restaurants. I LOVE taking dogs to pet-friendly stores like Academy and Hobby Lobby, but that isn’t the time or place for them to explore and sniff.
It doesn’t matter how friendly they are, they need to stay in a rough heel the entire time out of respect for the environment and shoppers.
Dogs naturally move faster than humans, and when his excitement and gait carries him ahead of you, that doesn’t make him “alpha.” He’s just happy to be out.
“Walks should be mutually enjoyable: fun for you and fun for your dog.”
“How long should we walk?”
I usually mark by time instead of distance.
If you go into the walk thinking, “we must get from point A to point B,” you’re more likely to hurry the dog along. The relaxing activity to do together turns into conflict as you try to move along and he wants to keep stopping.
Instead consider how much time you have to walk and then split it in half. Walk out for half your total time and then turn around and head back.
“Should I hire a dog walker for ‘pack walks’?”
I don’t recommend it.
Remember, the main attraction for your dog is sniffing and exploration. But most ‘pack walks’ are more like a bunch of dogs crammed together on an outdoor treadmill. #notimpressed
“But what about exercise?”
So, leash walks aren’t actually exercise for most dogs.
They are movement, but they aren’t exercise.
If you want to tire your dog out, add some sniffing and reward-based training games to his routine. These activities offer a different kind of exercise that also enrich his life.
And beware exercising your dog into an Olympic athlete you can’t keep up with!