Sometimes we think that not taking the dog for a walk at certain times, or simply letting him entertain himself in the garden, is not really a problem for him, since he adapts himself and understands it.
Nothing is further from reality, dogs need to go out daily to feel good and stay healthy, not taking them out can lead to the appearance of a multitude of behavioral and health problems. Which we explain in the following lines.
Index of contents
- 1 Why should you take the dog for a walk?
- 1.1 Socialize correctly
- 1.2 Work out
- 1.3 Stimulate your senses
- 1.4 Emotional bond
- 2 Problems not taking the dog for a walk
- 2.1 Behavior problems
- 2.2 Health problems
- 2.3 Socialization problems
- 3 How many times is it advisable to take the dog for a walk?
- 3.1 What if the weather is bad?
Why should you take the dog for a walk?
Contrary to what many people think, it is absolutely necessary to take our dog for walks several times a day. It doesn’t matter if he has a garden or if our house is big, he needs to take walks, take a breath, interact with other people and dogs and be able to relieve himself wherever he wants.
Let’s see next what are lThe main benefits of taking our dog for a walk every day, at least three times a day.
Socialize correctly
All dogs are very sociable, some may be more reserved but they will never make you ugly to say hello to other dogs they get along with, play with, be petted by humans, etc.
It is tremendously important to let our dog smell everything he wants at his own pace during walks, that he can interact with other dogs and people, as this is how he will feel fulfilled and happy.
Work out
Not all dogs need large doses of exercise, but they all need to go for a walk. The simple walk is already exercise for many breeds, being able to walk a good time exercises them well and if they also play a little with other dogs, they will spend much of their energy and feel complete.
Stimulate your senses
We should not only worry about them doing physical exercise, we must also stimulate them on a mental level. Something we can achieve by letting them smell as much as they like during the walks.
Feeling new smells, sensations of cold or heat, the sun on your hair (which also provides vitamin D). During the walks there are numerous stimuli that they receive from different sources.
Emotional bond
Going for a walk with you is an excellent way to strengthen emotional ties, a special bond that only exists between dog and human. The walks not only serve to benefit the dog, but also to intensify the bond that unites you.
Problems not taking the dog for a walk
Only the benefits that the walks bring should be enough, but in case you think that there is still nothing happening to take you for a walk, here we leave you some of the disadvantages that you will find for not taking proper care of it.
Behavior problems
Lack of walks cause anxiety and stress in the dog, which will seriously affect his behavior. The dog will need to expend its energy, and it will do so by breaking things, biting them, barking excessively, urinating where they shouldn’t, and even showing signs of aggressiveness due to stress.
Health problems
Your veterinary expenses will increase a lot since dogs that do not walk are much more likely to suffer from serious health problems. Anxiety about not going out and lack of exercise will make the dog tend to gain weight, even leading to obesity.
This directly affects their health with joint, cardiac problems and even the appearance of diabetes in many cases. All this has an added cost in veterinary bills and medicines.
Lack of encouragement and contact with other dogs and humans will cause the dog to become antisocial, gruff, and even aggressive. And these socialization problems will steadily worsen over time, reaching a point of no return.
How many times is it advisable to take the dog for a walk?
If you’re wondering how many walks does a dog need a dayYou should know that everything depends on the dog’s health, its age and even its breed. At general levels, it is recommended to make a minimum of three daily departures spread over the different periods of the day. One in the morning, one at noon and one in the afternoon-evening.
Each walk should have a minimum duration of half an hour, and it is recommended that at least one or two of them be more than one hour. And depending on the race and the factors mentioned above, it will also be necessary to exercise.
What if the weather is bad?
There are no excuses for not going for a walk with the dog, bad weather only bothers us humans. Dogs play just as happily in the rain, cold or snow. Just remember to wear a dog raincoat / raincoat if it rains a lot.