A DOG expert has revealed the real reason why you shouldn’t walk your pooch every day, leaving many totally stunned.
Not only this, but Lily, from Best Barking Behaviour, also revealed other ways that you can tire out your pet, without even needing to leave the house.
The dog walker explained that although dogs need stimulation every day, it’s also good to do playing, sniff work and mental enrichment with them too.
Sharing her advice on social media, Lily revealed that she doesn’t walk her dogs everyday, and revealed the alternative activities that she recommends instead.
Posting online, she said: “Okay, let’s talk about this. Why do I not walk my dogs everyday?
“So dogs need stimulation every single day. They need enrichment every single day. Whether you do that through walking or through playing, or through things like sniff work, or you do mental enrichment with toys, snuffle games, kongs, that kind of thing.
“Doing mental enrichment with them can wear them out more than a walk can.
“I personally just prefer to give them a complete, varied life. So some days they’ll have a walk, some days they’ll have a playdate, some days they’ll do mental enrichment.
“Every single meal we feed them with some sort of enrichment.”
Lily then explained the training that tires out her dogs, as she added: “I do a lot of training with them and trick training with them. So, for example, yesterday I didn’t walk, but we learnt a new trick and she was knackered.
“In the dog world, we are very much brought up to say that dogs have to be exercised this much every single day and actually now, there’s a lot more things like mental enrichment that you can do for them which have just as much benefits.
“I’m not saying I don’t walk them, I just do other things as well. And my dogs are crazy happy.”
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @bestbarkingbehaviour, has clearly left many stunned, as it has quickly amassed 644 likes and 127 comments.
But social media users were left divided by the clip – while some agreed with Lily’s claims and shared that they too don’t walk their dog every day, others ‘couldn’t get on board’ with the idea of not going out every day with their pet.
One dog lover wrote: “I agree with this too! Mine don’t get walked everyday due to illness but we do nose work in the garden on days we don’t walk.”
A second chimed in: “Totally agree we don’t walk every day but do enrichment. Our routine is different every day to fit around work and it works well for us.”
Whilst someone else penned: “We don’t walk everyday and people are shocked! He’s a cocker so everyone thinks he must not stop but this dog is very chilled with his varied routine.”
However, at the same time, not everyone was on the same page, as one person said: “This is something I just can’t get on board with. I’m all for stimulation but my dogs are walked everyday.”
Another added: “Mine still get walked every day even though they have playtime, training and mental games. I’d hate to be stuck in all day and don’t expect my dogs to be.”
Whilst a third commented: “I showed my dogs and did competitive obedience… but they never ever missed a walk.. every morning at 7am for one hour..”
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