I sometimes see posts on social media that something along the lines of âif you donât walk your dog everyday youâre a bad owner!!!!â and I want to amend this statement:
Dogs need age appropriate stimulation every day.
I like this statement much more than âwalk your dog every day or else!!!â for a couple reasons:
1. Life happens. There are days where you wonât be able to walk your dog. Maybe itâs the weather, or the safety of the area youâre in, an injury, or you just got home from work really late and now have 3 kids you need to feed, bathe, and get ready for bed. Anyone who says theyâve never had to forgo a walk for their dog is lying.
2. Walking is great exercise and enrichment for both dogs and people, but the quality varies. A brisk walk non-stop with no chances to sniff? Not as enriching. A quick walk around the block? Of course better than nothing but not necessarily enough. Is a 2 year old border collie going to be satisfied by a walk around the block? Probably not. A 12 year old arthritic lab? Probably. Different breeds and different ages need different types of stimulation. An 8 week old puppy shouldnât be taken on a strenuous hike anymore than that senior dog with joint pain.
3. You should only do what you can maintain. If your dog learns that they will get a 3 mile run every day, guess what they will expect every day, even in the middle of winter? If youâre the kind of person that can manage that every day out of the year, great! But just based on the climate of my area alone I know that there will be days that are either too hot or too cold to walk, let alone rainstorms, blizzards, and even tornadoes. I want my dog to learn that there are other productive ways to burn energy for the days when I canât walk him.
I donât want people to take this as an excuse to not provide enrichment/exercise for their dogs, I just want to manage expectations and stop some of the ridiculous shaming. No joke I saw a post on Facebook saying that if you didnât walk your dog EVERY SINGLE DAY you shouldnât have one. Thatâs just not realistic. Weather happens. Life happens. You can be the best owner in the world and some days it just wonât happen. It also sets owners up for failure, because their husky is still tearing up the house despite being walked every day. Or, people literally go up and down the street and think thatâs enough (again, better than nothing but doing that every single day really doesnât do much for your dog).
So instead, letâs focus on encouraging people to stimulate their dogs every day, because thatâs better for everyone. So what does that mean? Walks are of course on that list! Letting dogs sniff around on walks provides great enrichment and actually burns more energy. And on the days you canât walk or just want to mix things up? Puzzle toys, training, scent enrichment, play time with a friendly dog, fetch in the backyard, sports classes, hide and seek, kiddie pools in the summer, snow sculptures or mazes in the winter, piles of leaves in the fall, a trip to a pet friendly restaurant or store, frozen treats, stuffed Kongs, at home agility courses, box forts, and so much more. There are so many options besides âwalkâ that can be incredibly stimulating for your dog!
There are some days when you wonât do enough, or at least you feel like you wonât do enough. I am a firm believer that you shouldnât get an animal if you canât provide for its basic needs, and that includes enrichment! But that doesnât mean youâre a bad owner for being an imperfect human. You will have bad days. Whether itâs mental or physical health, bad luck, work, weather, or other circumstances, it will happen. Do your best, be realistic about your petâs needs, and ask for help if you need it. Hire a dog walking service or consider an appropriate doggy daycare. Join a training class. Work toward a trick dog/do more with your dog title for fun. Not being perfect doesnât mean youâre a bad owner, it just means youâre human.
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