The regular dog walk doesn't have to be monotonous, even if you walk in the same areas every day. Remember that new routes, smells, activities and environments challenge your dog more mentally than if you always do exactly the same thing.
Use your imagination to change the tour with fun features along the way to vary the tours.
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Use nature or playgrounds
Let your dog crawl, balance or spin around on tree trunks, stumps, playground props, firewood piles, benches, bike racks or whatever you can find that can be used safely.
Remember to support and help your dog and to make sure it does not fall or get injured along the way.
With the dog wearing a harness, it is easy to support if necessary. The dog will love having its body control challenged and will gain confidence by learning to master new tasks.
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Visit other environments
Go on different walks. Take your dog into cities or other new environments regularly, so there are new smells and experiences.
For a dog that rarely goes to cities, there are lots of impressions to be gained from a trip to Frederiksberg Have or similar.
Remember dog bags and having a fixed line which provides better control than a flexline.
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Hide and seek
If there are several of you on the trip, hide and seek is the perfect way to both play and practice recall. One hides while the other holds the dog. When you are ready, the dog is called and must find the other person. Remember to praise the dog when it finds you.
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Nose fun
Nose work is definitely one of the most effective ways to mentally tire your dog and challenge them. You can easily tie your dog up and let him wait somewhere while you hide toys, treats or, if you are training NoseWork, containers with the scent that is being trained on.
Here, only your imagination sets the limits for how long and how difficult it should be. Remember to vary the hiding places in terms of heights, types of materials and whether the dog needs to go up, down, into narrow places or be challenged in other ways.
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Make new friends
Plan walks with other dog people. If your dog has difficulty with other dogs, walks where everyone is on a leash and takes into account the distance between the dogs are a great way for the dogs to learn to relax together, all while still being together.
Even though the dogs don't play and may not greet or sniff, but actually just walk together at a distance from each other, it is a very good form of socialization and activation of the dogs.
Have fun with your dog walks.
How to spice up your dog walk
The regular dog walk doesn't have to be monotonous, even if you walk in the same areas every day. Remember that new routes, smells, activities and environments challenge your dog more mentally than if you always do exactly the same thing.
Use your imagination to change the tour with fun features along the way to vary the tours.
Let your dog crawl, balance or spin around on tree trunks, stumps, playground props, firewood piles, benches, bike racks or whatever you can find that can be used safely.
Remember to support and help your dog and to make sure it does not fall or get injured along the way.
With the dog wearing a harness, it is easy to support if necessary. The dog will love having its body control challenged and will gain confidence by learning to master new tasks.
Go on different walks. Take your dog into cities or other new environments regularly, so there are new smells and experiences.
For a dog that rarely goes to cities, there are lots of impressions to be gained from a trip to Frederiksberg Have or similar.
Remember dog bags and having a fixed line which provides better control than a flexline.
If there are several of you on the trip, hide and seek is the perfect way to both play and practice recall. One hides while the other holds the dog. When you are ready, the dog is called and must find the other person. Remember to praise the dog when it finds you.
Nose work is definitely one of the most effective ways to mentally tire your dog and challenge them. You can easily tie your dog up and let him wait somewhere while you hide toys, treats or, if you are training NoseWork, containers with the scent that is being trained on.
Here, only your imagination sets the limits for how long and how difficult it should be. Remember to vary the hiding places in terms of heights, types of materials and whether the dog needs to go up, down, into narrow places or be challenged in other ways.
Plan walks with other dog people. If your dog has difficulty with other dogs, walks where everyone is on a leash and takes into account the distance between the dogs are a great way for the dogs to learn to relax together, all while still being together.
Even though the dogs don't play and may not greet or sniff, but actually just walk together at a distance from each other, it is a very good form of socialization and activation of the dogs.
Have fun with your dog walks.