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| iheartteacups |
Do you really need to walk your dog? Yes you do. Having a big house for them to
run around in or a big yard for them to patrol doesn’t take the place of a
healthy walk around the neighborhood.
Walks provide a couple things. There are the
obvious health benefits. Dogs need their exercise. Walking strengthens their
muscles and provides good cardio workout. This is essential for your dog’s body
to function at a high level and promotes healthy long life. This type of
exorcise can be obtained by letting your dog run around in the yard and also by
cruising around a large house.
However, the benefits of a good walk are vast and
irreplaceable. Walks not only provide excellent exorcise, they also present the
perfect opportunity to improve both you and your dog’s quality of life. Your
dog is a pack animal. This means that there is always a leader of the pack.
It is very important for your dog to know that you
are the leader at all times. Walks, when done correctly, can provide a great
opportunity to assert your position as pack leader. When you walk, the leader
of the pack is always at the front. This is why it’s so important for you to
make sure your dog knows how to heel.
This will reposition them as your dog and not the
other way around. When your dog walks out in front of you, as we see so often,
that is your dog taking over as leader of the pack. When this happens, the
thing to do is make sure your dog is pulled back in its proper place, behind
you.
This will establish a docile and obedient
relationship with your dog. When you get
back home, your dog will know who is in charge, and will take comfort in that. Your
dog will be much happier knowing that you are the boss. When a dog doesn’t know
who the boss is, it becomes very stressful for them and for you.
They will continue to test you and their limits at
the same time. This can lead to aggressive behavior, such as barking, growling,
chewing up things, and even biting.
Walks help to establish you as the master, and your dog as the pet. This is the way your dog wants it, even if it
doesn’t seem that way.
The other up side of walking is your dog gets to
live out it’s natural instinct to roam. A dog’s natural instinct is to wake up with
their pack every morning and walk for miles. This is done mainly to look for
food, but also to take in their surroundings and claim their territory. This is
why your dog goes teetee on everything he can while he walks.
When you leave your dog in your yard to run around
instead of a walk, you miss the point. Your dog already knows this area. He
knows that it’s his turf. The activity of exploring and walking and marking
territory with his pack is lost, thus affecting his overall sense of belonging
and being. He will be confused as to his purpose and place among the pack.
Dogs need to walk in order to live out their
mission as an animal. It’s very important. Walking your iheartteacups can be as simple as strolling down the block and
back, depending on the size of your pup.
As long as they are with you and they’re given a
chance to feel a part of the pack, in the right order, you will have a happy
and healthy dog.
