Walking the dog is one of the main obligations we have as owners. In the street he relieves himself, entertains himself by smelling aromas of all kinds, interacts with people, with other dogs and exercises.
How long is it advisable to walk your dog?
A healthy dog should be walked for at least an hour a day , although nothing happens if we walk it more. In fact, the best thing is to go outside whenever we can and for as long as possible.
These sixty minutes of daily walking are an estimate, so it's okay if one day we only go out for forty because we don't have time for more, but we do have to try to be outside for at least an hour every day.
How many times to walk a puppy
Puppies are one of the special cases when it comes to walking, since when they are small we must go out more times and for less time, which is the opposite of what is recommended in the case of adults.
Thus, with puppies you have to start by going outside about five times a day (it is better to take them where adult dogs do not go until we finish vaccinating them) and in very short periods of just a few minutes.
There is a reason that explains why they have to go out so much and it is that they are not able to control themselves. For this reason, they will do their business inside the house, so while we get them used to it we have to take them out more times.
As for time, you have to be very careful. If we force them to exercise too much, they can suffer bone problems when they reach adulthood.
How many times to walk an adult dog
As the puppy grows and when we consider that the dog is an adult, the walks can be reduced in quantity and increased in time.
It is always said that you should go out at least three times a day with an adult dog, walks that should last 20 minutes at least whenever possible , although this is only indicative.
This way, if daytime walks are very short due to work or other obligations, we will compensate for it at night when we can have more time.
The daily hour is just an estimate, since there is no problem in going out twice if we can. Furthermore, here you have to take the breed into account, since walking with a Chihuahua is not the same as walking with a Labrador, since their exercise needs are very different.
How many times do you walk an elderly dog?
Another special case is that of elderly dogs, whose walks will be very similar to those of puppies.
When a dog reaches old age, there is a time when we see gradual changes taking place, so it will be enough for us to walk a little more slowly , without needing to shorten the distances.
However, as the months go by, we have to completely change the way we carry out walks, as we notice how the deterioration advances at high speed, affecting the abilities of our best friend.
It is at this time that we introduce changes, walking around five times a day, shortening the distances and pace considerably .
The reason is that they can no longer hold their pee like before (if we don't take them out they will often urinate at home) and that on many occasions we have to give them diuretics for their heart, so they urinate a lot more and need to go out often.
Tips for walking your dog
Walking your dog is very important. Therefore, we must follow a series of guidelines or rules in order to make it pleasant for both him and us.
You have to walk with many dogs since the animal is very young
Once the puppy has completed the vaccination schedule, it must be taken to a place where dogs gather for walks, always asking for the calmest ones so that it can begin to socialize.
If we do this, the puppy will become a balanced adult who will be able to walk with any dog, without aggression or fights.
Be careful during the hottest hours
At the end of spring the heat is already suffocating in Spain, so we must be very careful when we go for a walk, avoiding the central hours of the day and moving the outings to the cooler ones , which are usually the first and last hours of the day. the day.
This care must be taken extra in the case of puppies, elderly dogs and brachycephalic dogs such as boxers or pugs, which breathe worse due to the shape of their head.
We must always keep this in mind, because if we forget it, the animal can suffer heat stroke that leads to death.
We avoid humid areas
In many places there are water courses such as rivers and streams, which invite relaxation and are cool places, but are usually crowded with mosquitoes when we go out for a walk.
In addition to the inconvenience of bites, mosquitoes transmit leishmaniasis to dogs (also to us) , so it is advisable to stay away from areas where there are many insects of this type.
We move away from cars
The biggest danger we face every time we take a dog out for a walk is getting hit by a car.
In this way, you must do everything possible to stay away from cars, going out to remote areas or going to parks with spaces for dogs, where there is a fence that separates them from other users and cars.
You have to change routes from time to time
Routines are part of our lives, so little by little and almost without realizing it we will be walking the same route every day.
This is not a bad thing, but the truth is that dogs love to explore new places, face different smells , etc., so they will appreciate it if we make a change of itinerary.
You don't have to take the car and go to the mountains, but it will be enough to go through other streets, enter another park or exit through another area of the city.
Other training tips that may interest you:
