How often do you get exercise? The Center for Disease Control has found that only 23% of Americans are getting enough exercise.

Perhaps the general attitude toward exercise is that it’s just not necessary for everyday life. We’re overscheduled, exhausted, and distracted.

After a long day or week, the thought of even more activity can be so unappealing.

With exercise falling off a daily routine, this means dogs will often go without a walk as well.

What does it mean for a dog when they aren’t being walked on a regular basis?

In Their Biology

Dogs have a natural inclination to be on the move. This stems from their ancestors moving in packs in search of food. It’s in their blood to migrate.

Consider all the freedom you have to just go. Like if you’ve been cooped up with a cold all week and now that you’re feeling better, you have the urge to go shopping or to a restaurant. It’s likely that your dog would get “cabin fever” too.

Some animals end up being confined to their homes and unable to carry out the basic instinct of movement.

Working long hours? Schedule too full for a dog walk?

Dog walkers in Columbus, Ohio would love to give your dogs the exercise they need!

Call or text Fur Star Pet Care and book a dog walk this week! (614) 439-1621.

The Special Needs of Breeds

The necessity for regular walking and physical activity increases according to breed.

If you have a sporting or a herding breed, they have even more of a primitive drive for movement.

The more your breed has been conditioned for strenuous tasks, the more they will need exercise for wellness.

Psychological Wellness

Getting Vitamin D from the sun is good for humans and it also benefits dogs. The benefit of serotonin can help them sleep better.

If you have a dog who is too active while you’re trying to sleep, making sure they get exercise during the day can help get them back on a diurnal sleep schedule.

Think of it this way. Humans can suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder from a lack of sunlight exposure. Making sure your dog is getting plenty of sunshine can help with mental wellness.

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We are the luckiest dog walkers in Columbus! Above are the sweet faces we get to spend our days with. This is the best job in the world! 

(Pictured: Katie, Hachi, Scully, Nemo, Bandit, JoJo, Bobby, and Sully)

Active Minds Need Sensory Stimulation

Put simply, dogs need sensory stimulation. Their senses are so much stronger than ours, so it makes sense that they require more environmental engagement.

Smelling is particularly important. Some dogs have a tendency to stop and urinate several times along the way.

While we’re thinking, “How much pee do you save for this?” they’re thinking, “I’m greeting all the dogs around here!”

Lifting a leg on that tree stump is like making a social media post. Dogs marking their scent everywhere is like their own social media network.

They need social engagement just like we do.

Read More: Top Rated Dog-Friendly Parks in the Columbus Area!

Continuous Manners Training

Also important to a dog’s social life is learning how to act around strangers; both other animals and other humans.

Taking your dog for a walk or to the park for exercise gives both you and your dog practice with discipline and control.

Also, it’s important to train your dog against pulling or zig-zagging. This puts them in control but the human needs to maintain control. When you maintain discipline, it mitigates for misbehavior among strangers.

Our professional dog walkers recommend body block and high-value treats as distractions from interfering stimulus (like other animals they want to get after).

A halti, a gentle leader, or an easy walk harness are products we recommend to help with getting walks under control.

Taking regular walks gives both the owner and the dog a chance to maintain good habits.

Walking a dog properly instills discipline in your pet. Professional dog walkers in Columbus Ohio will do it right!

Call or text to schedule a walk this week with Fur Star Pet Care at (614) 439-1621 

Strengthen Your Bond

Thanks to technology, we have a highly distracted culture. When we realize that life has taken time away from our pets, scheduling routine walks is a way to reclaim time with our dogs.

It’s an activity that makes them very happy and you get to share this experience with them. It’s quality time

Behavioral Issues

Is your dog barking too much? Are they tearing things up in the house? Chewing on things? Getting into the garbage?

Many of these behavioral issues happening in the home can be symptoms of being stir crazy.

After about a week or two of consistent walking, you may be able to tell a difference in your pet’s behavior.

Bonus: Benefits for You

Whatever they’re getting, you can get too. The exercise, the sunshine, the quality time are all benefits to you as well. You may both sleep better after an evening stroll.

What’s more, you will also be working out kinks with behavioral matters. This can reduce your frustration with naughtiness.

What seems like just a walk in the park turns out to be a vital part of a dog’s wellness.

Has it been a while since your pooch went for a walk? Professional dog wakers in Columbus, Ohio are here to lend a hand! Fur Star Pet Care really cares about doggies getting enough exercise and stimulation.

Call or text us today at (614) 439-1621.