THE LINK BETWEEN WALKING YOUR DOG AND
HIS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CONDITION
Many dog owners don’t understand the link between regular walks and preserving their dog’s health.
In most cases when a dog doesn’t get out enough, he spends his days lounging around.
As a result, a vast amount of energy builds up in his body, which needs to be released.
Our pet dogs originate from the wolf that lives free in nature. Staying indoors in a confined area is therefore not natural for them.
Staying at home for extended periods, can lead to a reduction of the Serotonin hormone, the so called ‘feel
good’ hormone, which, among other things, affects your dog’s learning ability, quality of sleep and moods.
Subsequently, your dog may develop behavioural problems such as separation or abandonment anxiety.
Most of us devote most of our attention to providing our dogs with a healthy and balanced diet, which matches their breeds and ages.
This is important, as high-quality food is essential to ensuring and preserving your dog’s health. Nevertheless, food generates vast amounts of energy in dogs’ bodies that they must release during long relaxing walks just like their ancestors the wolves used to do.
The problems arise very quickly when dogs aren’t taken on such long walks.
The most common cause for abandonment anxiety among pet dogs is stress due to a lack of regular and prolonged was.
Dog owners who spend many hours outside the house, due to the pressures of their work, don’t have the time for long walks, and
this is why abandonment anxiety is a widespread problem for so many dogs in the Western world.
The symptoms of abandonment anxiety can appear in various and often strange forms in dogs, such as the destruction of furniture, carpets, door frames ad paperback books, howling or persistent barking, sudden escapes from the house upon the return of the owners,
or, in extreme cases, self-harming.
Out of all of a dog’s needs walks are the most fundamental and crucial. During a walk, dogs relieve their bowels and batter, meet and play with other dogs and humans, build their confidence, shape their personalities and learn to cope with stimulation that they do not experience while indoors (i.e. cats, seeding cars, small children). Thus, the correct way to keep your dog healthy is rather simple and doesn’t require superhuman efforts. What it boils down to is a warm, comfortable corner in the house, lots of love, healthy food and – most importantly- frequent and extensive walks. In return for all of these your dogs will give you endless loyalty and joy.