Monday, December 17, 2012

Better Dog Walking

By Allyson Westcot


Would you choose the time you spend with your children to talk on your mobile, work, enjoy listening to music and do other activities? Or would try and give them your undivided attention and hear them when they spoke? When you arrive home after sundown and take your dog for a stroll, do you give your dog your full attention, or are you distracted with other things like phone calls and MP3s?

Dogs may not be our youngsters, but they miss us when we're gone and need our attention, too. Walking your pet with this in mind can both enhance your dog's safety and your relationship.

Many owners put something like an EzyDog harness on their dog and head out, already hitting buttons on their cells. Calls, texts, videos and e-mail are taken care of while walking their pet. While many people do like to multitask, and that walk is a chunk of time that you might use to do it, there are sound excuses for avoiding it.

First, if you are having a look at your cell phone and giving it a lot of attention, that is less attention your dog is getting. That also suggests you are less likely to note an approaching person, dog or vehicle. Can your dog dash in the path of advancing traffic? Could the leash be yanked out of your hand too easily?

Aside from these potential accidents waiting to happen, there's the problem of bonding with your dog during this time together, as well. Your dog has missed you, just like kids would miss you. Make it your time and your dog's so your pet can get some of the undivided attention he's been craving. And since interacting with our pets lowers blood pressure and helps with stress, it's good for you, too.




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