Do you ever try different routines to keep your dog excited about his daily walks? We all get bored sometimes. It’s just a fact of life: Routine becomes monotonous with time. So, it should come as little or no surprise that your dog, too, can become bored, even with his daily walks. No matter how much your dog looks forward to his daily walks, he will eventually tire of them if you don’t change things up and keep him interested.
Here are some fun and easy ways to keep your dog excited about his daily walks:
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Change the route
Explore different areas when you can. Maybe you walk one way around the neighborhood one day and the other way the next day. Or, perhaps you and your dog jump in the car and head to local trails. A change of scenery will keep your dog excited. After all, he’ll have new places to sniff, new dogs and people to meet, and plenty of new experiences.
Even if you are limited where you can walk, you can still spice it up. Walking on the other side of the road from your normal walking path will allow your dog to discover new scents and enjoy a different experience.
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Walk with friends
If your neighbors or friends also have a dog who loves to walk, set a group date to walk together from time-to-time. Your dog will enjoy the socialization with other dogs and will likely lap up the attention from the other walkers.
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Visit the dog park
Most communities have dog parks where local dogs gather to run, play and burn off excess energy. Every now and then take your dog to the dog park instead of going on a traditional walk. If you live in the Los Angeles area, check out from Yelp a list of the best dog parks.
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Practice training
Reinforce training on walks. By practicing basic commands, this will keep your dog involved. Then if you give him a treat for a job well done – it can help keep your dog excited about his daily walks.
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Try an off-leash walk
An off-leash walk– only if you have a well-trained and disciplined dog – could very well entice your dog to walk even more. It could also garner the biggest yelps of joy you’ve ever heard when you ask “Who wants to go for a walk?” Off-leash walking, which provides your dog with more freedom, is an effective training exercise and a way to keep your dog excited about his daily walk.
If your dog knows exactly what to expect on his daily walk, eventually he’s going to become bored. So, use the preceding ideas or ones you come up with on your own to change things up every day.
If you work full time or have an injury that deters you from taking your dog on daily walks, why not hire a professional dog walker? There can be many benefits to hiring a dog walker for both you and your dog.
How do you keep your dog excited about his daily walks?
* This blog post was updated in March of 2019. *