Walking your dog is essential. Yet, many dogs don't have the opportunity to leave their garden. Understanding your dog's needs will make them happier.
Understanding your dog's needs
A common and persistent misconception is that a dog needs a garden to be happy! This may be human logic, but it's not canine logic. To ensure your dog's happiness, you need to understand its needs so you can better meet them.
Indeed, regardless of your dog's breed or problem, walks are necessary for its well-being.
Failing to meet your dog's needs can lead to behavioral problems such as excessive barking, house soiling, fear, destruction (walls, sofa, etc.), running away, digging holes in the garden, substitute activities such as self-mutilation (often localized to the paws and rump), aggression towards family members or strangers (other dogs and/or humans).
These problems sometimes escalate to such a point that the dog's owner ends up giving it up. However, it's not the dog's fault if its needs aren't met. A good quality walk will satisfy most of a family dog's needs.
Need to feel
Dogs need to explore the world with their noses! Indeed, your dog has approximately 200 million olfactory cells per 2 square centimeters, compared to only 10 million per 10 square centimeters for a human. We clearly don't have the same capabilities. A dog's sense of smell is its most important sense. It can find a scent forty times faster than you, detect odors from several kilometers away, warn a diabetic of hypoglycemia, detect cancer, and search for humans buried under several meters of earth or snow. In short, dogs possess an extraordinary sense of smell, which they naturally need to use. This isn't the case in a garden! From a canine perspective, the garden is simply an extension of the house. There aren't really any unfamiliar scents. It's therefore not stimulating!
Walking your dog for its social needs
Dogs are social beings. They are not meant to be deprived of contact, whether with other dogs or other human beings. A dog that doesn't get used to communicating with others will create a bubble into which others will not be invited. And that's a real shame, because in addition to depriving the dog of something natural, it will develop aggression towards other dogs and/or humans.
In today's society, aggressive dogs struggle to find their place. They often frighten and are misunderstood despite themselves. Aggression in dogs reflects a distress they cannot express in any other way.
On the contrary, your dog might then become afraid of everyone. He might also become aggressive in self-defense, or even depressed. These are not states of well-being for humans, and the same is true for our canine friends.
It is therefore very important that your dog meets new people regularly outdoors, but also canine friends.
On the other hand, it is better to have fewer encounters, but that they are always positive, than to have many and have your dog be harassed or attacked.
Need for physical exertion and exploration
Taking your dog for regular walks is the number one solution to boredom . Going outside provides entertainment and opportunities for exploration. Dogs are generally curious. Furthermore, it allows them to relieve themselves outdoors. Walking your dog is a form of physical activity that costs nothing.
This also helps prevent dogs from running away. Indeed, the primary cause of dogs running away is boredom. A bored dog will want to explore without its owner. Therefore, it is essential for its safety to maintain a balanced relationship with its owner by meeting its needs.
Create links
A dog that regularly walks with its owner will deepen the bond between them. This is essential for a balanced relationship. Walks allow them to build trust and discover new places together. The dog will approach life in a different and more serene way. This is a great way to later travel with your dog with complete peace of mind.
As you can see, walking your dog contributes to its well-being. It prevents the development of bad behavior. It provides your dog with a stimulating life. Finally, walking your dog allows you to build a better relationship with it and gives you your own daily exercise!
