IMPACT OF WALKING SOME DOGS LESS & WHAT TO DO INSTEAD

Impact of walking some dogs less & what to do instead

#dontwalkyourdogday was on Sunday 2nd of April and I’m looking at why some people aren’t walking their dog and what people do instead. I also look at findings from a survey that I did with people that have been walking their dog less.

#1 What were people posting on #dontwalkyourdogday?

Lots of people were sharing the reasons they don’t always walk their dog and some of the things they do with their dog instead:

There were also posts about health conditions, dog reactivity, over-walking leading to joint problems and fatigue in some smaller breeds and the bonding benefits that can come from games and cuddle time at home.

#2 Was everyone supportive of the awareness day?

There was the odd comment from people that think the day might encourage lazy people to be lazier and just not walk their dog because they don’t feel like it. Some people still think that dogs just need to keep facing whatever they struggle with – to just ‘get it over’. I’ll have to disagree with that one!

I think it’s hard for some people understand if they never had a dog that’s really struggled, particularly with reactivity towards dogs or people or noises.

#3 Don’t Walk Your Dog Day survey findings

In the run up to DWYDD I carried out a survey among people who were walking their dog less and what, if any, changes had they noticed.

The first question I asked was why people were walking their dog less.

85% of people that are walking their dog less, say it is due to reactivity, especially to dogs and people. Other reasons include a medical condition, surgery or injury (10%) and other people’s dogs being out of control (3%). The remaining 2% of dogs suffered from noise sensitivity.

When I asked about positive changes people has seen in their dogs:

69% of people that have reduced or stopped walking their dog noticed positive changes in their dog:

– 1/3 said their dog was noticeably more relaxed in day-to-day life.

– A 1/5 said their dog seems less stressed when they do go for a walk.

– And 16% had seen improvements in their dog’s behaviour.

Then I asked people about how they were feeling:

70% of people report walking their dog less has improved life for them:

– 1/3 felt more hopeful/confident they can help their dog with their behaviour struggles.

– 28% of people say there is a closer bond/more trust between them and their dog.

– 10% report their dog is calmer with visitors to their home and life being more relaxing.

When I asked how people were feeling about walking their dog less 76% of people said they felt generally less stressed or anxious.

Just over half  felt relief. 44% felt guilty and a 1/4 felt they needed to justify themselves to friends and family.

The last question found that 71% of people that are walking their dog less report their quality of life as improved.

#4 Useful ideas from the survey

At the end of the survey people had the option to share more about their experiences of walking their dog less.

These are just a few of things that I’ve picked out that might give you some useful ideas:

– Offering their dogs the choice to go for a walk or not.

– Doing less walks and more activities at home has meant a more confident human and less stressed walks when they do go out to selective locations.

– Shortening up the length or duration of a walk. And adding in some games and sniffing at home instead. This has helped all sorts of behaviours like humping, barking, lunging, noise reactivity at home and struggling to settle at home.

From one survey respondent “We built a machine that couldn’t switch off and instead of activating his brain we would walk him more thinking that was the right thing to do. We now tend to walk him once a day or not at all if he’s had a reaction the previous day. He’s calmer in the house, doesn’t expect walks all the time.”

Thanks again to everyone that took the time to participate in the survey.

#5 To celebrate – a very special offer

To celebrate #dontwalkyourdogday I’m doing a special offer for people that want to find out what it’s like to work with me.

So for the first time I’m doing a special of joining my dog training membership PTTP for 1 month for £1 (depending on when you read this blog)!

It’s normally £25/month. There’s no tie-in period; come in and see if it’s right for you and your dog.

Having a dog with any kind of struggle can be really hard work. The membership means I can give people access to training information but also emotional support. And it’s an amazing community of people that understand what you’re going through. When sometimes, people around you aren’t on the same page as you.

We have drop-in Zoom Q&A sessions twice a month so that you can pop in and get real time help from me.

Plus I do weekly lives in the private members Facebook group for quicker answers in between.

There’s also a searchable video library to help with all sorts of struggles from nervous dogs that need more confidence, to pulling on the lead and dodgy recall and every other type of struggle.

Useful links

Calm-K9 Lick mats, great for calming, but do supervise to make sure they don’t become chew toys – https://a-ok9.com/collections/accessories?ref=rYbcILADiwnc

Long-lasting chews, look at the 6 sizes of Puppy Selection Box  – https://friendsandcanines.co.uk?ref=puptalk