Simple ways to add adventure to everyday walks

Do you walk the same route every day with your dog?

The same streets, the same park, the same loop around the block.

Familiar walks can be great, but a little variety can make things much more interesting. Dogs experience the world through their noses, and new routes, smells, and experiences provide valuable mental enrichment and can make walks more enjoyable for both of you.

Here are a few simple ways to shake things up:

• If you always do the same loop, go in the opposite direction.
• Explore every street and lane way around your neighbourhood, including both sides of the road and different directions. You’ll discover new smells, sights, and spaces you may never have noticed before.
• Let your dog choose the route occasionally. If they want to turn left instead of right, follow them and see where they take you.
• Give them more time to sniff than you usually do before moving them along.
• Give your dog more freedom to sniff by using a long line (if safe).
• Stop at random places and do some tricks together: a few spins, a back and forth in peek-a-boo, a jump over your foot, then a short stay.
• Turn your walk into an urban parkour: get your dog to jump and walk along low brick fences, do a paws up on a mailbox or park bench, “go round” a bollard.
• Walk at a different time of day and experience different sights, sounds, and smells.
• Bring a handful of treats and scatter them in the grass now and then for a mini sniffari.
• Find a quiet spot and simply sit together for a few minutes while you and your dog watch the world go by.
• Jump in the car and go somewhere new. It doesn’t have to be far. Even a neighbourhood can provide a new perspective.

Just some simple changes will make things more interesting for everyone. 

Walking your dog is about the journey, not the destination

How’s that for the perfect cliché?