How do you know if your dog enjoyed the walk?

Dogs can tell us a lot without actually talking. For example, they can often tell us if a walk was good for them or if it was too much.

How? With their behavior, if we just pay a little more attention.

Usually, if a walk was good, a dog gets enough mental stimulation and physical exercise, but does not end up exhausted. After a truly nice walk, a dog would usually be calm, relaxed and want to rest quietly.

On the other hand, if a dog got overstimulated or exhausted, we would usually see some stress symptoms, which may include:

• Biting or pulling on the leash

• Excessive digging

• Picking up things from the ground

• Over-reacting to stimuli (other dogs, bikes, cars ...)

• Not being able to settle after coming back home, for example running around, playing with toys, etc.

• Being physically exhausted

If some of the above happens, it's good to think about how the walks are arranged, including the following:

• Was the walk too long? Younger dogs, puppies and older dogs need shorter walks than healthy adult dogs.

• Was the place too busy with stimuli (including other dogs, people, cars, other animals, sounds, etc)?

• Is the dog in good health? Often being ill makes dogs (and us people alike) get tired more quickly and react to different things more intensively.

• Is the dog wearing comfortable equipment (H-shaped harness and a long lead)?

All dogs are different and have different needs. A little consideration from our side and some effort to arrange proper walks can go a long way in improving our dogs well being.

This was also one of the topics of our last Live chat. You can watch it on the link below: https://www.facebook.com/102622994550347/videos/212280530623274