Going for a walk is an important part of your dog’s daily routine, and it’s a great way for you to spend time together. On the other hand, doing the same thing every day can feel a little boring, particularly if you have a tried-and-tested route.
Luckily it’s easy to mix things up and make walks exciting again! We’ve put together five of our favourite dog walking ideas to help you and your dog get the most out of their exercise.
An easy way to make your walk more interesting is to change your pace. Switching between fast and slow walking encourages your dog to stay alert and respond to your movements.
In the middle of your walk, try increasing your pace to a light jog, and give a matching voice commands such as ‘fast’. After a minute or so, slow back to your normal pace and give another commands such as ‘walk’. After another minute, slow right down and say the word ‘slow’. Mix them up and make the length of each burst unpredictable – your dog will soon start to recognise these commands and hang on to your every word!
Invent your own easy dog walking games by taking a favourite toy. (Just remember to use toys that are specific to your dog’s size.) Throw their toy for a game of fetch, or, if your dog knows the ‘stay’ command, pause in your walk to hide their toy and see if they can sniff it out.
A great toy to take on your walk is a flying disc, as you can challenge your dog to catch it before it hits the ground. This is a great way to get your dog to cover more ground, particularly if your route is short or they are particularly active.
If you have a friend with a dog, why not ask them to join you on your route? If your dogs get along it’s a great chance for them to interact, and they’re likely to have plenty of fun chasing each other, playing with toys, and sharing their favourite dog walking games.
This is also a great way to help socialise younger dogs, as a more experience dog will be able to show them that there’s nothing to be scared of. (Just make sure your dog has had all their vaccinations and are ready to go outside first.)
One of the easiest ways to make your walk more fun is to change your route. Everyone has a favourite place, but sometimes you and your dog can get stuck in a rut by seeing the same thing every day. To make things more exciting, go to a new place full of exciting and unfamiliar sights, smells, and sounds. For example, if you always walk through town, try a trip to the woods – or vice versa!
If you can’t change your route, you can still make the familiar more interesting by doing something as simple as walking on the other side of the road, going at a different time of day, or doing your usual route back-to-front.
Turn your normal surroundings into a playground with this fun dog walking game, whether you’re in the park or on the pavement.
Encourage your dog to walk or run around obstacles, balance on low, safe benches, and interact with the other things they meet on their walk – with a little creativity, there are countless ways for them to safely explore their environment in unusual ways. Use your creativity to turn the world into an obstacle course – just make sure that everything is safe for your dog, that they’re capable of each move, and they are confident enough to tackle the game. Stuck for ideas? Check out some dog agility videos for inspiration!
Do you have any fun dog walking ideas? Let us know about them!
