Celebrate National Walk Your Dog Day!
Mark 22nd February on your calendars, because its nearly Walk Your Dog Day!
Although as loving and responsible dog owners, we’re sure that every day features a dog walk of some nature, Walk Your Dog Day is a great opportunity to remind us all of why the daily dog walk is an integral part of your dog’s (and your!) overall health.
Why is walking important?
Cardiovascular health
For many of us, walking is the easiest, cheapest and most accessible way to exercise and improve our heart health. Walking can help to manage cholesterol and blood pressure, boost energy levels, improve circulation and keep our bodies fit and healthy, without the need for any fancy equipment! The same goes for our pooches – walking is integral to maintaining optimal cardiovascular health and fitness.
Weight control
Some breeds are prone to weight gain (sorry Labs!). Just like with us humans, regular exercise is imperative to keep the extra pounds – and associated illnesses – at bay. Just 20 minutes of daily walking will help to prevent weight gain when teamed with a healthy diet (whether you’ve got four legs or two!).
Joint health
Keeping the joints active and moving is a great way to keep them supple and healthy. Prolonged periods of idleness can cause stiffness and pain, especially in older dogs. Gentle walks, jogs and runs keep the joints and surrounding tendons and muscles active, healthy and less likely to cause problems later on in life.
Mental stimulation
The smells, sights, sounds and textures of the daily dog walk give your dog the opportunity to utilise their very powerful senses. Stimulating your dog on a mental level, by allowing them to use their brain to sniff, dig, scavenge and forage, is incredibly important for contributing to their overall mental health and happiness, which in turn is more likely to discourage any unwanted destructive behavioural problems from boredom.
Socialisation
As we know, as pack animals, dogs are usually highly sociable creatures. Giving your dog the opportunity to meet other four-legged friends and sniff, play and bond with other dogs has huge benefits on their overall wellbeing.
With just a few days until the official end of winter, we can’t guarantee that the sun will have its hat on come the 22nd Feb, but we can guarantee that an extra special walk in celebration of Walk Your Dog Day will be the perfect way to treat your pooch and keep them content all the way to dinner time.
We’ve put together some ideas on how to make the most of the day…
Try a different trail
If you tend to take the same route round the village and visit the same park or woods on most dog walks, why not take the opportunity of WYDD to try a different trail, route or location? If your dog if a fan of the car, travel a little further afield to explore new territory to add some variation and excite to the dog walk for both of you!
Incorporate some training
Dog walks are the perfect opportunity for sharpening up on some lead etiquette and recall. Take WYDD as an opportunity to incorporate some training into your dog walk to keep you and your dog safe and content on your dog walks.
Stock up on walk-friendly treats
Who doesn’t love a snack?! Leo & Wolf pocket-friendly treats are a great option for dog walks. Keep your dogs on their toes (or rather, paws) by encouraging good behaviour with a treat or three. They’re also a great thing to keep in stock for positively reinforcement during training.
We’d LOVE to see your celebrating WYDD! Tag us in social media snaps of your walks on 22nd February @NutrimentRaw
