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There is a question I ask my dog clients that can sometimes cause a look of shame. That question is, “Do you regularly walk your dog?” Whether a dog owner routinely walks their dog, or not, can be a litmus test in people’s minds about a dog’s owner (I don’t believe this is a valid test). In other words, if you walk your dog, you’re a good dog owner; if you don’t, you must not be.

“In addition to the mental and physical exercise your dog gets when walking with you, there is another benefit that is frequently overlooked.”

— Scott Sheaffer

Let me explain why I ask this question to clients. It’s not that walking is necessarily a sacred responsibility for dog owners. It’s that owners must engage their dog in some form of mental and physical exercise. With some breeds (e.g., Belgian Malinois, Border Collie, German Shepherd) this requirement is even more important. For dog owners who do some type of exercise with their dog, the majority walk their dog in order to fulfill their dog’s physical and mental stimulation needs.

Before I go any further, I want to clear up a misconception when it comes to dog behavior issues. There is almost an obsession with the “exercise-will-fix-all-behavior-issues” mindset among many dog owners and even among some animal professionals and behaviorists. While exercise can influence behavior in dogs with aggression, separation anxiety, fear, etc., it is not the holy grail of behavior treatment. It is simply a variable in treatment.

You might ask, “Is walking my dog really good mental and physical exercise for them?” The answer is “yes.” While dogs are smart animals, their mental and, to a lesser extent, their physical stimulation needs can be significantly met by just walking them. Think about it from the dog’s perspective. When walking on a leash, your dog has to: walk with you, pay attention to the leash, keep an eye on you and investigate their environment through smelling, seeing and hearing (in that order). They are actually fairly busy.

In addition to the mental and physical exercise your dog gets when walking with you, there is another benefit that is frequently overlooked. That benefit is the relationship you build with your dog. That’s right, the bond between you and your dog will necessarily be enhanced when the two of you are engaging in something they enjoy. It’s inevitable. This relational aspect of walking your dog is one of the reasons why “letting your dog run around in the backyard” is absolutely not the only exercise your dog should get.

While you could argue that there are other exercise activities that are better for your dog, walking is a realistic daily activity that can be done by both dog and owner. How long should you walk your dog? My rule-of-thumb is 20-30 minutes, but that can vary by your dog’s breed, age and general health. How you walk your dog is important too. While I’m not a proponent of Hitleresque styles of walking your dog (I know you’ve seen this before), there should be some level of humane control over your dog. Seek out a good dog trainer to help you with this if you need to.

Please be careful that you primarily walk your dog. Most dogs and dog breeds are not built to run marathons with their humans. Dogs are predators with excellent sprinting abilities, but they are not long distance runners. Humans are just the opposite. If you intend to run long distances with your dog, please consult with your veterinarian first.

While there are numerous things you can do to exercise your dog, walking is accessible to just about everyone and is the exercise that most dog owners will faithfully commit to.

Do you really need to walk your dog? In a word, “yes”. It makes sense for a number of reasons.