The TRUE Importance of Leash Walking

Leash Walking isn’t as important to a dog’s well-being as much as we think it is. Yes, it’s important to make sure that your dog is receiving regular exercise and physical stimulation, but walking really is not the best way to do that.

Instead of thinking of the walk as a physical workout for your dog think of it as a mental exercise for them. Your dog has a different experience every time they step foot outside. They experience different sights, sounds, and smells. All of this takes a lot of mental energy to process and will affect your dog’s ability to stay focused on you.

This eventually leads to most dogs becoming “burnt out” very quickly and the walk becoming a disaster in most cases.

Another reason we may think walks are important is that we think our dogs need to “socialize” and interact with people and dogs in order for them to not react to them anymore. Socialization is not about interaction as much as it is about exposure. Every time your dog goes out for a walk exposure is happening which in turn means socialization is taking place. We want our dogs to be calm and neutral around distractions and stimuli, not excessively anxious or excited.

If you are experiencing difficult walks and excursions with your dog, then we need to break it down into more manageable steps for both you and your dog. These steps may include; fixing leash pulling, getting more focus from our dog, and eventually adjusting their behaviour towards any triggers they might have.

This is always going to be a process, so patience and consistent are crucial to you and your dog’s success.