Think about it for a moment. As a dog owner, isn’t one of your main responsibilities of canine ownership to take your best friend out for daily strolls? Nonpurposeful lumbering and ambling around the back yard is simply not enough to get your buddy buff and back to flexing his paws at the beach. Going on walks, with or without a leash supplies your dog with not only exercise, but also an opportunity to respect its boundaries.
Think way, way back to the early dog development years. Didn’t most of the early canines have a job? Pulling carts, carrying objects, herding livestock, hunting for food, defending territory, etc. Now, most of their exercise has been dumbed down to jumping off the sofa, dashing to the food bowl, or barking at the UPS guy. What a pity…
Unfortunately, many of us are time crunched when it comes around to walking our dogs. Yes, we love them and certainly want the best for them. We permit our dogs to be a part of our lives, but we work long hours and have family obligations. AND when it comes down to walking them, we may be either out of shape ourselves or the day ended before we knew it, and who wants to be out walking in the bitter cold or rain?
The bennies of keeping Rover in shape and fit? Countless…it helps keep your guy at his best fighting weight. Builds muscle mass and maintains the integrity of the musculoskeletal system (especially good for dysplastic dogs as it build muscle mass around the displaced joint). It’s great for your pup’s digestion and helps them sleep soundly when bedtime rolls around. It’s a really refreshing antidote from boredom and house and yard lounging. AND as we know, in reducing doggie doldrums, we cut opportunities for the roll of toilet paper to be reamed throughout the house, gnawing on Granny’s antique rocker, and coming home to a roomful of shredded blinds, along with other symptoms of hyperactivity. Sounds like a pretty good trade-off, doesn’t it?
When we talk dog walking, we’re not talking about the senior shuffle and sniff and dawdle ramble, we’re referring to heart rate elevated, movin’ on out kinda stuff. Walking for fitness is much much different than walking to the mail box with your dog and heading back inside.
Soooo….maybe you need to hire a dog walker for many of the reasons mentioned above? Your dogs will love you! It will give YOU peace of mind and less guilt knowing that someone is coming to your house to take your dog out for a delightful spin! Your dog will enjoy the quality time outdoors and will even more love the fact that he is not locked in the house or crate for long periods of time. Hiring a dog walker is relatively inexpensive and they usually charge by the hour or half hour. Besides, a really good dog walker will know/discover the fun and safe routes for walking.This is their job and they LOVE it!
Some things to think about before you start with a dog walking program. Have your dog thoroughly checked out by a veterinarian. Have them monitor heart fitness, and muscle and joint agility and flexibility. Consider the age of the dog – don’t start running or power walking a young dog for extended periods of time; this can lead to dysplasia and ligament issues. Research your breed. Be careful with small/short nosed breeds that are prone to breathing issues. Watch out for the deep chested, narrow bodied dogs as they are subject to bloat. Other breeds like sight hounds are built only for short term runs.
Isn’t it time to put on your track shoes or pick up the phone and call a dog walker? Your pooch will give you big sloppy kisses on your face!
