The importance of giving your dog your full attention on a walk

Trying to accomplish other tasks while taking your pet for a walk is perhaps the worst thing you can do, a new report suggests.

Life is fast and getting faster every day. This isn’t really a ‘wake up and smell the roses’ type of existence we’re living. Most of us need to kind of always be on the go and at all times, but when it comes to walking our pets and loveable animals, “multitasking,” as a report at CNN puts it, can be the worst thing you can do, and in the end be harmful to your dogs.

Taking your dog for a walk means paying attention to them and your surroundings

Leslie Sinn, who is a veterinary behaviorist based out of Ashburn, Virginia says that if you so happen to not pay close attention to your dog on a walk by either talking on a cell, or maybe even reading and sending out work emails, or even personal messages, you may just miss important signs that your dog is trying to communicate to you.

"“It’s kind of like the dog-walking equivalent of distracted driving…You’re not paying attention to the signs that your dog is uncomfortable … and if you’re missing all those clues because your head is elsewhere, that’s a problem.”"

Amy L. Pike, who is also a veterinary behaviorist, but based out of Fairfax, Virginia, had the following to say on the matter:

"“If you aren’t paying attention, dogs can pick up and eat things QUICKLY — chicken bones, cigarette butts, dead/poisoned rats, etc…If you didn’t see it, you won’t know to take them into the vet…Or if you do take them in because they are sick, you won’t know what they ingested, which helps your vet treat them…Your dog ‘speaks’ primarily with their non-verbal body language…If you aren’t paying enough attention to what they are ‘saying,’ you won’t know how your dog feels.”"

According to the aforementioned piece (link above), there are other things to consider—other dangers that can come up on a walk, and they definitely vary depending on the environment you live in: Speeding cars and/or other vehicles, and other hazards that may be out there.

In the end, burying your head in a cell, checking out your friends’ latest posts or seeing how your own social media posts doing, aren’t really the things to be doing on a walk with your best bud.

The walk is the dog’s time with you during your hectic day, and this is when he or she will let you in on the secret of their day, so pay attention, because it sure means a lot to him or her. That’s why they’re waiting for you by the door when you pull up, wagging their tails in delight.

So stay safe out there folks, and watch out for them, because this world isn’t only getting faster, it’s getting more and more dangerous as time ticks by.

Any tips for keeping your dog safe on a walk you’d like to share with us, dear readers?