Health Benefits of Walking Your Dog
Having a furry friend brings lot responsibilities along with all that joy and love. They give us unconditional love and it is our responsibility to endure they are well-taken care off. Apart from providing good food and shelter, we must take care of their health too.
Walking your dog is essential and can be beneficial for both you and your dog, health-wise.
Here are the top five benefits:
- Lose Weight while walking your dog
Walking and losing weight is unanimous. Both you and your dog can lose some weight due to these lovely long walks. Yes, dogs need to be within the correct weight range too. Since they can walk, trot and even run, you can change up your pace while walking and get a good workout every day.
- Bonding while dog walking
When you take your dog out for a walk, it is just you and your furry friend. When this walk becomes a habit, your dog will be waiting for you to take him out for a walk. This will become one of your special routines and improves the bond between you two. Since you will not be distracted by your gadgets or other people (apart from the small talk when you run into people you know), you tend to focus more on your pet and they can sense this private time.
- Better Joints from dog walking
The joints are worked well when you both go out for a walk. Dogs need their muscles to be flexed and used too. They need to walk on different terrain for their legs (be sure to protect their paws) to get stronger and for them to stay healthy. The chances of you suffering from knee aches will also be lesser as you are exercising it on a daily basis.
- Walking your dog Keeps Both of You Active
Dogs don’t behave like humans when they go out for a walk. They observe things around them; chase a few birds, insects, etc, which requires them to change their walking pace, climb platforms and walk through uneven terrains. This will keep their minds active as they are constantly looking for something to catch or chase. When they do spot something, they will require you to put in more effort to hold them back. Both of you are hence kept alert and active while you are on these walks.
- Walking your dog is a Stress Buster
When you walk your dog on the road or the park, you are bound to run into people you may know, get to know other dog walkers and make friends, and have dog lovers come over, pet your dog and chat with you. All this helps you socialize, make new friends and forget the stress you have back home or at work. When stress is low, you feel happier, can do better at work and handle delicate situations more calmly. Sometimes, one needs such a breather to get a better perspective and handle situations without letting it go out of hand.
For your dog, he is going to get extra attention, love and be petted more when he is out walking.
After the walk, be sure to keep your pooch well-groomed and clean too! Here’s a great list of tips for washing your dog thoroughly.
Wrap Up
Walking your dog may be part of the deal of owning a dog. However, if one tends to see the health benefits and start walking their dogs more frequently, the benefits can increase. A different route every few days will get you new friends and new views. This is an activity that can benefit both you and your dog.
Hiring a professional pet sitter to walk your dog
Sometimes you are unable to take your dog for a walk so the next best thing is to hire a professional dog walker. If you are in the Union County NC area and need help with walking your dog, call Love and Kisses Pet Sitting. They are always available 24/7 to help you with your dog walking and pet sitting needs.
ALWAYS HAVE A PET FIRST AID KIT ON HAND. GET YOURS HERE
Author Bio
This post was contributed by Pete Decker, the Lead Editor at The Goody Pet. Pete loves to share his passion for pets through snippets of interesting and helpful information. You can find more of Pete on his website, Twitter or Facebook.
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