Why I Don't Walk My Dog

YES, REALLY.

You might be surprised to hear a dog trainer say that she doesn’t walk her dog. You might also be surprised when I say that not all dogs SHOULD be walked. Dog owners have had it drilled into them that they should be walking their dogs. They should be going to dog park and making sure their dog gets out and gets exercise. Responsible dog owners walk their dogs! Maybe even multiple times a day! But why do we think this? Where did this come from? It comes from the notion that all dogs are the same - that they’re all social, outgoing, confident dogs. But we know that isn’t the case.

Embry + his sister in 2018 - his last walk. He was so stressed the entire time.

The reality is that not all dogs enjoy walks. Embry is one of my two feral dogs. He and his sister were born to a stray dog and spent the first 4 months of life living in the woods with little to no human interaction. From the moment I brought them home, they were incredibly fearful of everything - me, other people, new places, the car, being on leash, just life in general. While in some aspects this has gotten better, one thing has never changed: Embry hates walks. He hates them. When I grab the leash, he runs and hides. It’s a struggle to get him out the door. He will lie down and refuse to move, his body locked in terror. When I made him go on walks, he was a bundle of nerves and full of fear. He didn’t enjoy it. He was on high alert every second. He couldn’t relax and sniff and pee on things and be a dog. He was terrified. His relief at returning home was palpable, his body finally relaxing and exploding with joy.

At a certain point, I came to realize that walks were not beneficial to him and they never would be. Embry is a dog who wants a very small world. He wants his familiar home, his familiar yard and that’s it. He doesn’t like new places or new things. He doesn’t want to explore. He just wants his safe, cozy, little world. And I’ll give that to him. He hasn’t been on a walk in years.

WHAT SIZE WORLD DOES YOUR DOG WANT?

At one end of the spectrum, we have those dogs who thrive in a huge world. These are the social, confident, outgoing dogs who love meeting new people, new dogs, and exploring new places. These dogs love going to busy places and being petted and fawned over by strangers, and they’re perfectly at home at a dog park. This is what most people think every dog wants, and this is the dog most people want.

At the other end of that spectrum, we have dogs like Embry, dogs who thrive in a small world. They want a small group of familiar people, maybe a few dog friends (or maybe no dog friends at all), and they like to stay in quiet, comfortable, familiar locations. They don’t like new places, new people, new dogs, or new things. These are the dogs who are less social, less confident, less outgoing - the shy dogs, the anxious dogs, the fearful dogs.

For some reason, people tend to think that all dogs want a very large world. Surely dogs want to spend all day at doggy daycare, in an enclosed space with hordes of other dogs, and then come home and go to a dog-friendly pub and lie on the patio with their owners while loads of people are milling about, reaching for them, manhandling them, while loud music is playing and traffic is blaring…

The truth is, not every dog wants that. Not every dog wants to spend every waking second being overly stimulated and surrounded by noise, people, dogs, and general busyness and chaos. In fact, for many dogs, that’s a pretty miserable life. Many dogs fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum, but a smaller percentage is on the more extreme ends.

“Accept your dog for who they are rather than trying to force them to be who you want.”

THE FALLOUT

I work with a lot of clients who have shy dogs, those dogs who prefer a smaller world. The owners force them into large worlds and are surprised by the fallout. They take their terrified dogs to the farmer’s market, the dog park, force them to interact with other dogs on walks - and then are surprised when aggressive behaviors emerge. These dogs are forced, over and over again, into situations that make them uncomfortable and anxious. At a certain point, they’ll decide they’ve had enough, and since the owners have made it clear they won’t advocate for their dog, the dog will speak up for themselves the only way they know how. Regularly forcing a dog to do stressful things isn’t helpful. It’s not socialization. It will not make them suddenly like these scary things or become more confident.

RESPECT YOUR DOG’S WISHES

Don’t try to force your dog to be someone they aren’t. Respect them for who they are - after all, you chose them. If your dog doesn’t enjoy walks or enjoy the dog park or dog daycare - STOP FORCING IT. Just because YOU want it, doesn’t mean your dog does. There are other things you can do to exercise your dog and provide mental stimulation. Embry loves fetch, so I throw the ball for him in the backyard. He also loves tug, so we’ll play tug. If your dog doesn’t enjoy walks, find something else that your dog DOES like! Walking isn’t the be-all and end-all of having a dog. Yes, it’s great for dogs who enjoy it, but don’t feel guilty if you don’t force your dog to go on walks.