There's no debate here - walking with your dog is great for both of you. Many times as humans, however, we forget that our pups have different needs than us. If you go for two walks a day, make one walk for you, and one walk for THEM.
What do I mean by this?
What a walk for the HUMAN can look like:
-Quicker pace
-Few stops
-Work on "heel" or casual loose-leash
What a walk for the DOG can look like:
-Slow pace
-Stop and sniff (and pee on) everything
-Sit and take in the world
Sniffaris allow your dog to take in the world around them through their strong senses - smell, sounds, sight. By allowing your dog to take in and smell everything, they are getting all the information about the neighborhood that they need. Think about how we get physical mail and e-mail, this is their version. This is pee-mail! Who's been around? What have they been up to lately? How are they feeling? All of this can be answered in the pee-mail.
There have been times where Bella will just sit near an intersection. She'll watch and take in the moving surroundings. We'll spend quite a bit of time just hanging out there. Yes, boring for me, but amazing for her. And the purpose of those 15 (yes, 15 one time!) minutes sitting there was for her benefit. Decompression and exposure.
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments!
