Who Is The Walk For?

1 hour ago

4 min read

I’ve seen a number of videos from trainers recently talking about how to have ‘better’ dog walks. The idea of a better and more enjoyable walk sounds great and yes, typically, I am all in favour of more enjoyable and fulfilling walks. The problem is that many of these videos are focusing on ‘better’ from a single perspective: that of the human.

They focus on the dog walking on a loose lead (which is something that is absolutely worthwhile putting in the time to train, although often with the types of trainers I’ve been seeing, it comes due to the use of an aversive tool rather than reward-based training) and in a heel position or staying right by the side of the person holding the lead. This apparently is the trick to having a relaxed and comfortable walk.

Now, I don’t disagree that sometimes we need to go from A to B with our dogs in a relatively quick manner, if you are walking to the vet’s surgery for an appointment, for example. But when out for a typical walk, if the whole time has the dog in a heel position, is it really enjoyable for them?

As humans, we are primarily visual processors of the world around us. Dogs use scent as their main way of analysing and understanding their environment. This means that a walk where the dog is permanently in position beside the human and not able to sniff is like a human being driven through beautiful scenery with their vision severely restricted. The dog’s nose is so sensitive that they will pick up some information, but it is very limited.

A study was completed a few years ago, the Dog Field Study, that looked at how different walks affected the dog, with different lead lengths which gave the dogs varying amounts of room to explore their environment, and the effects were clear. Dogs were walked on short leads of 1.5 metre length, longer leads that were 5 metres long, and off lead walks.

The study found that dogs spent nearly three times as long sniffing when on the longer leash, and over three times as much when off lead. When looking at the dog’s physiology, dogs who spent more time sniffing had lower pulse rates, and the more they sniffed, the more this became apparent, showing the calming effects of sniffing.

While clearly off lead walks are the best way for dogs to get in serious sniffing time, on lead walks can still be structured to allow dogs to use their noses to explore the environment.

Using a longer lead can allow much more freedom, while still allowing for a dog to be kept close by when needed. I use a 5-metre lead as standard with my dogs, letting out or shortening it as needed. Years of having horses means I’m used to shortening and lengthening lines but, with a little practice, most people can get the hang of it quite quickly.

Even with a shorter lead, we can still make sure to give our dogs the space to sniff and explore their environment. Let them have some time to stop and sniff whenever possible, check their pee-mails as some have humorously labelled it. It’s their version of social media, checking on what others in the area have been up to, who’s gone where.

The amount of information they can gather and process using their olfactory systems is way beyond what we can imagine experiencing as humans. As their caregivers, it is part of our responsibility (including legally in the UK as part of the Animal Welfare Act 2006) to allow them opportunities to carry out natural behaviours and sniffing is one of the most natural behaviours of all for a dog. Sniffing is also incredible brain exercise for dogs and a 20 minute sniffy walk can often have the same effect as a much longer walk (including for my Border Collies!)

Being able to ask our dogs to walk close by is a useful skill to have, for narrow pathways or passing others on pavements, for example. Beyond that, do we really need to keep a strict heel all of the time? My dogs are rarely asked to heel (although they can when asked) but they do walk on a loose lead – with the caveat that I use a longer lead and define any time when they are not pulling the lead tight in my hand as loose lead walking. This means that I can give them as much space as possible or bring them in closer to me as needed, but also that they can have more room to explore whenever there is space and it is safe to let them have that space.

And this is important to me, for one reason in particular. As humans, we can generally leave the house when we’d like and go where we want. Our dogs can often spend a lot of time at home, with or without company, and they may only get to leave home when we take them out for a walk. So maybe, whenever possible, think about who this walk is actually for and find some time and space to let them sniff and gather all that important dog information. Learn to see the joy in letting them be dogs – it will benefit your relationship and make walks more enjoyable for you both.

For more pointers towards a happy and harmonious life with our dogs, check out my book Building the Bond.