Author: Lisa Maria Stöbich
It is not for nothing that your four-legged friend sniffs every bush, every fence post and every street lamp very carefully during the daily walk. Dogs can extract a lot of information from other dogs' urine tracks. For example, your nose knows what gender and age the neighbor's dog is, whether it is healthy and whether it is ready to breed.
Although we love our dogs more than anything, we often perceive walking with them as a chore in rainy seasons or stressful phases of life. But the repertoire does not only have to consist of routine walks and daily walks. There are many ways to break out of everyday life with excursions together, to discover new things and experience adventures.
Get new ideas for walks here and find out how you can create little adventures for you and your nose. We will show you how to bring variety into your everyday life.
When and how often should you explore the world?
Are you and your fur nose ready to set off and discover new things? But when is the right moment for a long walk and how often does your dog really have to go out?
How much movement your nose needs to move depends on race, age and state of health. Breeds such as German shepherds, terriers, huskies or greyhounds should be kept busy for several hours a day, while dogs such as pugs, bulldogs or chihuahuas tend to be satisfied with significantly less exercise. As a rule, puppies and young dogs prefer to romp around than old dog seniors and dog ladies.
In any case, allow at least 1-2 hours a day for exploration tours. You can split this into one long walk or into two smaller ones. Walks on the gas don't count here, of course, and are added to that. It is best to plan your adventure when you and your four-legged friend are rested and he has not eaten for about two hours beforehand. Then the food won't feel heavy in his stomach when he's playing.
Of course, your action plan should also depend on the weather. In the pouring rain or scorching midday heat, you're doing yourself a disservice by spending hours outside exploring the world. If the weather is bad, you can safely switch to activities in the living room.
Reading tip: You can find a whole handful of ideas in our blog article Tips and tricks for rainy days - How to keep your dog busy at home.
Ready for the exciting dog walk
The weather is nice, you and your four-legged friend are motivated and ready for a new adventure? Then get on your way with our tips for a walk of a different kind.
Enjoy togetherness
A mistake that often makes the walks sluggish is the lack of guidance from mum or dad. The dog moves here, then there and you move back? The walk quickly becomes a torture for both four-legged and two-legged friends. The better your dog listens to you, the more pleasant the adventures together will be.
Enjoy togetherness with your four-legged friend.
The important thing here is: If you want your snooper's full attention, you have to give them yours too. So get rid of your smartphone and stop thinking about your next working day. Quality time with your four-legged friend is now the order of the day and you should both enjoy it to the fullest.
If you are fully engaged and busy with each other instead of just walking side by side, then you will quickly become the highlight of the dog walk. Your fur nose concentrates much more on you than other distractions like hopping rabbits or bicyclists.
Doing brainwork with the dog
Once you have the full attention of your nose, you can mentally support it with tricky exercises and tasks. Walk around on purpose on the other side of a lamppost or street sign. If the leash then gets caught, your furry friend will look around in confusion. Try to let them find the solution on their own. Maybe she recognized the problem in no time and walks around the obstacle on her own. It's more likely that you'll have to lure them around the post first. If you succeed, you can praise your dog extensively and repeat the whole thing at the next street sign.
If your dog is a special detective, you can also organize hidden object games for him. For example, drop his toy without him noticing and then start looking for it excitedly after a few meters. Your four-legged friend will surely help with the search and quickly find the lost treasure.
These exercises with the dog for outside can be ideally integrated into the walk, whether in the country or in the city. Don't forget to always give your fluffy companion plenty of praisewhen he did something right. This keeps him motivated and happy about your enthusiasm. Treats are also not out of place. It's best to stow them in one of ours dog walking bags with washable treats compartment or ours hip bags Hanover.
Incorporate fun and games into the routine
With all the mental work, you shouldn't forget about games and fun, because the walk is not just for learning, but also for enjoying. Just start a spontaneous race and see how quickly your four-legged friend catches up with you. Next time you may be chasing after him and realizing that catching a playing dog is not at all easy.
Pulling games or retrieving can also be a fun addition to the walk. Just bring your favorite toy with you, throw it as far as you can and let your four-legged friend storm through forest and meadow to reclaim his lost belongings.
Even without utensils you can make your walk more exciting. Just go a bit faster or slower and see how your dog reacts. Maybe he doesn't even notice, then seize the opportunity and hide. Your nose will surely look around in amazement after a short time and ask itself where the mistress or master has gone. Then she will eagerly look for you and be very happy when she has discovered you and you are reunited. Here, too, a large portion of praise is called for in the event of success.
Explore new ways
Even if you don't feel like playing games or exercises, a walk doesn't have to be a walk. Just look for new routes or spontaneously go cross-country. Who knows, you might discover exciting new trails or even a pond or lake for your dog to swim in. This is not only an exciting change for him, but also a healthy sport that is easy on the joints.
Get out of the routine - into adventure
Redesign your shared adventures with our tips.
With all the exciting ideas, there are many new things to try out and there are no limits to your imagination. Always try new games and exercises, so the walk never gets boring. Your dog will be grateful for the change and your bond will grow stronger through the numerous activities together. But breaking out of everyday life also has positive effects for you.
Now you can finally switch off and leave your worries at home. Concentrate on the here and now and take our four-legged friends as an example. We leave the marking and sniffing to them, but in the topic be present and enjoy life we can certainly learn something from our fluffy friends.
Cover photo by ArtHouse Studio. More pictures by Polina Tankilevitch and MART PRODUCTION.
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