Dog Life Unleashed Calming the Chaos 30 day Experiment. We all know exercise changes our bodies and our mindsets for the better. We just don't do it. Especially if you are a high performer, you've got a lot on your plate. That's when the simple most fundamental things tend to slide. Like walking your own dog. You've got a sense of underlying anxiety about all that you need to do. Or you have a dog that's got some issues like selective reactivity, the fundamentals get overlooked and before you know it, frustration sets in. Here are some fundamentals to a structured walk with your dog.
1. What a structured walk is not
It's not a sniff fest. As a trainer I get this question all the time.
Is it okay to let my dog sniff?
The answer to that question is yes an no.
Here's the deal. People actually stop taking their dog for a walk because their dog is so focused on sniffing EVERYTHING they never actually get anywhere. The dog is dragging behind or pulling ahead then stopping. It becomes frustrating and no fun, even though your dog might think it's a blast.
When I say the answer is yes and no, it's because dogs should have time to fulfill the sniff, have a blast. That's the yes part. A structured walk fulfills another purpose though, so no is the answer for most of a structured walk.
I like to go with the 90/10 rule. 90% of the time your dog should be walking with you on a loose leash. 10% is of potty and sniffing.
A dog that runs with you should be focused on running and not all the sudden putting the breaks on to sniff something. A structured run means way less sniffing.
