Are You Ruining Your Dog's Walks?

As responsible pet owners, we all understand the importance of walking our dogs. It’s no secret that our dogs love to take their daily patrol around the neighborhood, but could we be unknowingly ruining our companion’s walking experience? Read more to find out.

The number one rule to make sure your pup has a good time - don’t rush the bathroom breaks. Dog’s use their urine to send highly complex smell messages to one another. So when you see your dog peeing, he’s not just relieving himself, he’s purposely leaving behind a message for the rest of the neighborhood dog community to stumble upon and smell how he’s doing. 

Have you experienced a conflict of interest while on a walk with your dog? Pups have a natural opposition reflex, and will quickly devolve into a tug-of-war match. To manage this behavior, and increase the quality of your dog walks, learn how to encourage good walking etiquette. According to the American Kennel Club, you should keep the leash in a “J” shape. When you begin to feel your pup pulling ahead, instead of tugging, and possibly hurting your dog’s throat and neck, simply start walking in another direction. This opens an opportunity for your pup to see you are taking the lead, and hopefully, he will follow. When your dog does turn to follow you, enforce this good behavior with praise and goodies!

Walking is an important part of dog ownership, and as caring pet parents, we should respect our dog’s wants and needs by enforcing good walking etiquette and realizing every sniff and potty break is important to your dog. 

Board Your Dog at Destination Pet

At Destination Pet of Woodstock, we offer a safe and amazing environment for your pup to play and socialize. If you ever need a welcoming place for your pup to stay while you are traveling, contact or visit us today! Our compassionate and skilled staff would be beyond happy to accommodate and care for all your pooches' wants and needs.