What is walk your Dog Month?

What is walk your Dog Month?

It’s January and there’s a specific focus on walking our dogs. In the spirit of sending more positivity into this year, we’ve put together some of our tips to get you and your pooch moving!

The reason this month is nationally dedicated to walking your dog is that our pets aren’t spending as much time outside as normal due to the time of year. They need a little more exercise and stimulation. It’s also the perfect time of year to build these habits for a consistent and happy year ahead!

Winter Temperatures

It’s cold and it’s likely to get colder. Wind, rain, ice and even snow are going to make appearances and sometimes this doesn’t fill us with joy to go out.

1.    Make it comfortable for you

Maybe there’s an uncomfortable hole in a boot or your jacket is no longer as waterproof as it could be. This is your calling to check the January sales out and purchase the gear you need to be happy to go out in any conditions.

2.    Making it comfortable for your dog

You know your dog best. You know how far they can walk, you know how cold they can get (or not at all!) and you know if the winter months make them miserable too. Just like you, maybe it’s time to pull out the warm fleeces for them or just take that extra moment to check that they’re happy. With temperatures low, just like us, they can experience chapped skin especially on their noses and sometimes ice and snow burns on their pads. Check out Dorwest or Hownd Skin, Paw and Nose Balms for a gentle way to keep them moisturised.

3.    Find the motivation

Maybe this year you’ve made the resolution to get moving a little more. Now is the time to get started and you’ve got someone who’s more than happy to help you out with it! Once you’ve got everything you and they need you’ll feel even more motivated no matter the temperature!

Make it a training month

It’s not true. You can teach a dog new tricks. Maybe they pull a little too much on the lead, their recall could be better or you’ve always wanted them to be able to walk to heel. Nows the perfect opportunity! You have to take them out and if you need a little more convincing make every day a training day. By the end of January, they’ll be walking exactly how you want and you will have built your daily habit of taking them out!

Be prepared

You don’t want to have to go back. Our biggest tip is to make sure you have everything you need. The last thing you want to have to do is go home to head back out to pick up after someone because you forgot the poop bags (check out Beco Eco-Friendly Poop Bags here!)

We move, they move, they’re mentally stimulated and being outside is amazing for our mental health too. There are only positive benefits from participating with walk your dog month. We look forward to seeing how everyone gets on!