'A Granel'
Did you ever wonder – Are you walking your dog correctly?
Pet pawrents should be spending more time outside with their fur-kids, we all know that.
But what else could we be doing wrong on our doggie walks?
1. Is your pup wearing the right gear?
Since we live in a hooman world, our kids need to be leashed in most places and in such case it is best to wear a harness.
Collars can cause a lot of problems, like a throat injury from pulling.
Many doggies constantly pull on their leash during a walk. Even if the collar is too tight, it can cause harm, as the neck is a very, very sensitive area. Repeated stress on the neck can even lead to long-term medical issues—including damaging the thyroid glands and tissues around the neck.
2. Are you rushing your dog?
“Let them sniff!”should be the motto. Dogs are all about smells, it is like their newspaper or Instagram. Everything they need to know and want to know is in that scent. So take time for your doggie to explore the world by nose and don’t forget – this is their walk. You are just joining in. A good walk should be a minimum of 30 minutes, but so longer so happier that tail.
3. Are you giving enough importance to the the ‘pee-pee moments’?
Where doggies choose to relieve themselves is an important decision. It’s not just about taking a pee, it’s about communicating with doggie world.
Dogs use their urine to signal their presence to other dogs. And in turn, smelling other dogs’ urine tells a dog all about the other pups in the community, including their gender, age and maybe even looks. Let’s think of it as a sort of ‘pee-mail’.
If pee or ‘number two’ isn’t enough of a message, dogs sometimes scratch the ground with their feet to further enhance their signal. They use special glands between their toes to leave extra scents on the ground, adding even more impact to the smelly mark.
But remember, all of this sniffing and scratching requires concentration and time. So please give your dog the opportunity to compose his own pee-mail in his own pace.
4. Do you pick up after your dog?
Picking up your dogs poop is more than just being polite and caring. As dog poop that isn’t picked up can cause health concerns to humans and other pets.
As doggie poop often contains a few harmful organisms such as E. coli, roundworms, hookworms and even salmonella that can spread to other animals and humans.
5. Did you bring water?
If you are going to be walking for more than a half hour or if it is a really warm day, always make sure to bring plenty of water along. Dog’s have a harder time regulating their temperature than we do, and it’s easy for them to overheat. Hence all the panting! At Cooka’s we love collapsible water bottles.
6. Make Sure Your Dog is Wearing a proper ID
Every time you leave the house with your dog ensure that he/she has the ID tag. Unfortunately you can’t control everything that happens, and sometimes dogs get lost.
Be prepared by making sure your dog is wearing tags that are up to date. (I use a personalized collar with our phone number as well since we’ve lost plenty of tags over the years) And since collars can break or be wriggled out of talk to your vet about getting a microchip
.
If you get a microchip for your dog be sure to register your information. As long as your information is current anyone who scans your dog for a chip can get in touch with you. If you’ve seen those stories in the news about dogs being lost for months & turning up hundreds of miles away they’re almost always reunited because of a microchip.
Happy walkies
Love, your Cooka
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