You’ve got time.
In the world we live in, we are on the go, ALL THE TIME!
‘I have to be there, I must do this, I don’t have the time, I’m too busy, I’m exhausted!’
Have you got time for your dog?
Have you got time for your life?
In the many years I’ve been working with dogs, I see quite a lot of them on walks with their guardians.
Some are beautifully mutual walks, the owner is actively engaging with their dog and vice versa, in play, chase, affection, lots of praise and rewards, this is truly beautiful to watch.
But what I mostly see is a dog and a human on 2 different walks.
Human on phone possibly with ball thrower in hand (HATE these things!)
And dog continuously chasing a ball, or going off to find their own entertainment, possibly to the detriment of another human dog walking combo.
Busy lives shouldn’t mean no time to enjoy walking your dog.
It’s a chore, must walk the dog! Quick! Hurry up! Get a move on!
Think about your dog’s life.
WE chose what dog to bring into our home, our family.
WE chose what they eat and when they eat it and how they eat it.
WE chose when they go out to toilet!
WE chose when they go for a walk, where they go for a walk and how they go for a walk.
WE also chose Where they sleep when they sleep and even how they sleep.
Dogs are social animals, (most dogs) love our attention, they get excited when we come home (who else does right?) they eagerly await our undivided attention, they hang on our every word, every movement, every breath.
They celebrate our happiness and comfort us in our sadness.
Are we giving THEM enough of OUR precious time?
.
Walks shouldn’t be about getting from A to B in a certain amount of time!
They should be about the adventure both parties experience in between.
I would rather you and your dog have a 30 min stroll where you are both interacting than an hour walk where you both ignore each other and get to that B point.
Doing this is way more beneficial for you AND your dog mentally, emotionally and physically.
You build and athlete, you live with an athlete. I have met a LOT of people who just can’t seem to tire their dog out. Every time the dog shows a bit of energy they think the dog MUST need another walk, then spend the next hour running their dog ragged.
Think about this for a minute.
If you train your dog to run they’re going to get good at it, build up stamina for it and will need longer and longer and more and more walks to tire them out.
This my friend is how you train athletes.
No one wants to live with an athlete, they’re hard work, so why are you training one?
How to go on a ‘Mutual adventure’ walk:
Other things you can both do together:
What’s in it for us: Spending more meaningful time with our pets…
"You aren’t here forever, You’ve got time, spend it wisely. No regrets."
- Emma Goulding-Bosworth