walking | Lisa Graham Health

Benefits of daily walks with your dog(s)

Jun 11, 2024 | Dog Health

This photo was taken on my favorite stretch of my favorite trail in my favorite State Park in Tennessee. If you were to scroll through my photos app, it would be very evident that my dogs are a big part of my life. It’s also evident that most of my favorite photos and memories are from a walk/hike in my neighborhood or in one of the many State or National Parks we have visited over the years.

Recently, I decided to write an article about the benefits of daily walking for the human and the dog. For me, the benefits are intertwined, but I decided to create two articles instead of one. Interestingly, my research reinforced what I already knew: the benefits of daily walking are very similar for the human and the dog. For this article, I will focus on the dog … or dogs in my case.

“If your dog is overweight, YOU aren’t getting enough exercise.”

Health benefits

The number one reason most dog owners walk their dogs is for the health benefits gained by a daily walking routine. Just like a sedentary lifestyle is bad for humans, it’s especially true for canines. Dogs need to get outside and move every single day. (I would argue that humans have the same need and I wrote about it here.) All humans have different exercise needs and the same can be said for dogs. However, just because you have an older dog or a breed that “doesn’t require that much exercise,” do it anyway. At 16 yr old, my Golden/Lab mix, Kaley, had a tough time getting around, but 3-4 times a day she went out and made a lap around the house (not the neighborhood). Those old bones and joints needed a little lubrication so they wouldn’t freeze up.

Keeping your dog trim and fit should be a high priority and walking is a perfect way to do that. It is estimated that about 50% of dogs in the United States are overweight and 25-30% of dogs are obese. Sadly, many veterinarians won’t tell you if your dog is overweight (seems this is a touchy subject for the human) and most kibble feeding instructions call for more than the average dog actually needs. Not a good combination. Please don’t be one of those people who is proud to tell anyone who will listen that your lab weighs over 100 pounds. I have encountered these people and their poor dogs were visibly uncomfortable and easily 25 pounds overweight.

Walking your dog is about so much more than just “potty breaks.” Walking your dog provides mental stimulation, physical exercise, chances for socialization, and opportunities for behavioral training.

Every walk is an adventure. New sights, new sounds, new smells.
All need to be checked out and explored.

Mental stimulation

Sadly, I am aware of a few dogs in my neighborhood who never see anything but the back of their house and 3 walls of fencing. Never. In my very humble opinion, that’s abuse. In addition to the health benefits of walking, every dog should have the opportunity to explore life beyond the fence. Pippin never tires of seeing one of the gazillion squirrels we encounter every single day. I tell her that she has seen a gazillion squirrels and THAT one is no different. Pippin thinks otherwise. Every walk is an adventure. New sights, new sounds, new smells … all need to be checked out and explored.

The olfactory sensors in a dog’s nose are amazing. Dogs have evolved to have a strong sense of smell, with approximately 900 genes that code for smell receptors, versus humans, who have fewer than 400. They also have 125–300 million olfactory receptors, compared to our 6 million. In addition, the part of their brains that analyses and processes scents is (proportionally) 40 times greater than ours. The brain power necessary to facilitate all that analysis and processing is huge and you will find that a short time sniffing can tax them as much as an hour long walk.

All of this blah blah blah, or facts, just reinforce that your dog has a NEED to smell his way through his environment on every outing. Every single day.

It’s time to walk the Goldens!

Training opportunities

“How do you teach left and right?” I get asked this a lot. There are many ways to teach this and one way I reinforce their understanding can be as simple as telling my dogs “left” or “right” as we are walking. I then look for a head turn in the correct direction, add a “good” or “yes” marker and we are on our way.

Walking three dogs is always a balancing act – three leashes and three dogs who don’t think straight ahead is very interesting usually keeps me on my toes. I say usually because we have tumbled a few times when a dog (or two) have wrapped themselves around me. Stop is a helpful word which gives me an opportunity to unwind myself before we get moving again. Daily we work on Close, Side, Behind, With Me, Come, Wait, Sit, Break, Cross the Street and Cool Off (we love most sprinklers). We are usually out for an hour each morning so why not use the time for more than just walking?

It is a mind bender to think that I have been walking with dogs just about every day for almost 40 years. There are days when I feel like the guy from the Dunkin’ Donut commercial ohhhh so many years ago. But, instead of “it’s time to make the donuts,” my version is this: “It’s time to walk the Goldens”. There are days I curse the fact that we don’t have a fenced yard, but mostly I embrace that fact that walking the dogs is and hopefully always will be a constant in my life.

It would be tough to overstate the importance and health benefits of daily walks for (you and) your dog. The amount of exercise a dog needs varies based on age, breed and health — it can be as little as 30 minutes a day or as much as a few hours — but virtually all dogs need exercise in some form. However, I hope you get the idea and will also take advantage of the many resource articles listed at the bottom of the page.

When I am out walking, especially with three dogs, a frequent comment is “who’s walking who?” I just smile and say “We are walking each other.”

Just as it should be.

Resources

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/the-benefits-of-walking-your-dog

https://animalfoundation.com/whats-going-on/blog/importance-walking-your-dog

https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/how-find-your-dogs-body-condition-score

https://www.thewildest.com/dog-lifestyle/how-often-do-you-walk-your-dog

https://www.thewildest.com/dog-lifestyle/tips-hiking-with-your-dog

Obesity in dogs. A major health threat hiding in plain sight.

Geek out on this great study:
I Walk My Dog Because It Makes Me Happy: A Qualitative Study to Understand Why Dogs Motivate Walking and Improved Health

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/how-dogs-use-smell-to-perceive-the-world

https://www.purina.co.uk/articles/dogs/behaviour/understanding-dogs/dog-sense-of-smell

Benefits of Daily Walking

May 15, 2024 | Get Healthy

No excuse. You should be walking. Every. Single. Day.

If you do an online search for the “benefits of walking,” you will get several pages from a bunch of different sources all explaining the amazing advantages of walking as exercise. Try it yourself and you’ll see what I mean. Everything from mood enhancer to joint lubricator to heart stimulator. Walking does it all.

One of the most powerful ways to maintain a healthy weight, keep your joints strong, and live longer is also one of the simplest, no matter your age. The health benefits of walking are endless, and experts agree by adding walking to your daily routine, you can greatly improve your physical and mental health.
Prevention

But please, don’t head to the gym (if you can avoid it). Get outside. In fact, I have known for years that if you want to get to know your neighbors, grab your dog’s leash, put your baby in a stroller or your youngster on a bicycle and go for a walk. What if your neighborhood doesn’t have a lot of active outdoor participants? Do it anyway. In fact, conduct your own experiment … get out and walk every day and in a few months, you will probably see other people getting out and walking every day. I promise. It’s a thing. I’ve seen it happen.

When I was in my mid 20s, I did something that changed my life: I got a dog. Kaley was a Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever mix and was about as awesome as they come. She was an active puppy and pushed me into a twice daily walking routine.

That was over 35 years ago. An overseas trip, a few bouts with the flu when I could not lift my head off the pillow and a week or so after my hip resurfacing surgery are pretty much the only times I have missed a day walking with my dogs. That’s a long time and a lot of walking.

It hasn’t always been easy, but active dogs are quite an incentive. Walking with the flu is no fun, but I’ve done it. Walking dogs after hip surgery is tricky … but possible. Crutches helped me hobble the block or so to the park where a chuck-it sling shot allowed my dogs to run, retrieve and enjoy some time outside. Extra benefits? I got out of my “rehab” chair and actually started rehabbing my hip … and the rest of me.

My keeping up with The Goldens daily walk has been going on for close to 40 years. I have met and become good friends with many neighbors who didn’t necessarily live close by. I have watched children grow and friendly faces come and go. I have forged special bonds with fellow dog owners as we watched our dogs greet each other with joy and then run and chase each other around the yard. This is magical stuff that can’t be duplicated on a gym’s treadmill.

So, that’s the short of my long relationship with daily walking. For me, walking is so much a part of my life that I feel awkward and incomplete if I miss a day. And if this little testimonial doesn’t inspire you, maybe these little facts about the benefits of walking … will.

Walking is free

Here’s the best part – you are already equipped for this exercise. If you are bipedal, and able to hold yourself upright, you can walk. A decent pair of shoes is helpful, but not always necessary. Your bare feet would absolutely LOVE to wander around on grass at home or in a park. But for the most part, any type of foot covering will do. The “barefoot” movement has created a growing industry of minimalist shoes. For many years, the shoes I have worn not just for walking but also for dog agility are Vibrams, otherwise known as gloves for your feet. Neither option is free, but they do allow your feet to work the way nature intended.

Walking helps to strengthen the spine and improve mobility

As we walk, the motion helps push our body fluids throughout our joints and muscles. You’ve heard the phrase “Use it or Lose it?” Well, it’s true. Think about the last time you got out of your car after a several hour drive. If you are like me, you are a little stiff. It takes a few steps and some regular movement to loosen things up. If you stay more active each day, your body won’t have the opportunity to freeze up. Dr Steven Hulme shares more information here.

Walking reduces stress

As the saying goes: “Walk it off!” Research has proven that walking helps people feel better and especially when outside, is an instant mood booster. As you walk, you can either try to work though any problem … or … you can allow yourself to concentrate on the birds and flowers and trees and nature all around you. Is that bird just chirping? Or is he saying something to you? Ha! Listen and find out. Blue Cross has a nice article here.

Walking improves your cardiovascular system

As you walk, Your calves act like a pump and they help to circulate blood back to your heart. Better circulation means lower risk of blood clots. Walking is one of the easiest ways to increase your physical activity and improve your health. Frank S. Ring from Walking for Health and Fitness has more information here.

It is my belief that unlike running, walking is something that you will be able to do until the day you die. If you do nothing else but start walking every day, it is very likely that you will lose weight and build muscle. And then if you choose to adopt a healthier lifestyle by being more careful about the food and drink that you ingest, I guarantee that your health will improve, you will lose weight and your body will change for the better. A simple way to start your journey to better health is to walk for exercise every day.

There you have it … a bunch of reasons to get out, put one foot in front of the other and walk as exercise. So, off you go! Grab your partner’s hand, your dog’s leash or your baby’s stroller and take a walk. Proven benefits that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.