ONE SIMPLE HABIT: FOR A CALMER START TO YOUR WALKS

Sep 7

3 min read

You’ve heard me talk about transition points: pausing at doors (on both sides), pausing after getting out of the car. I’ve even noted GET THE YA-YA’s out before you go on a walk. Well, here are a few other things to consider.

**A dog who can check in is ready for their walk.**

If beginning a walk with your dog means they’re already bursting with excitement; rushing through the door, pulling toward everything they see, or having difficulty listening because the walk is simply too exciting. Then one small additional change before you head out could make a noticeable difference.

BEGIN with a Pre-Walk Decompression

We always think about DOING a Decompression Walk, where the dog gets to lead the way, but what about flipping the idea to the beginning of your walk to start out in a calmer state.

Before asking your dog to walk through a busy neighbourhood or any other exciting environment, give them 5-10 minutes to slow down, sniff and settle into the outing.

YOU COULD TRY:

A relaxed sniff around your backyard
A few minutes in a quiet grassy area
A simple “Find It” game using treat scatters in the grass
Allowing your dog to wander and explore on a long line before switching to their regular walking leash.

Now, don’t misunderstand, this isn’t about tiring your dog out before the walk. It’s about giving their brain a chance to settle.

WHY DOES IT HELP?

Well, our dogs view their world through their nose. Generally, they’re sniffing away at a relatively easy pace, nothing really hurried; they’re checking out the P-mail to see if their buddy has passed by.

This sniffing and slow, unhurried movement can help bring your dog’s excitement level down. Which then means when your dog begins the walk in a more settled frame of mind, they may find it easier to:

Walk without immediately pulling
Pay attention to you
Make better choices
Move past distractions
Even recover when something exciting happens

A dog who starts the walk at a 10-out-of-10 excitement level has very little room left for anything else, which includes even listening to you.

HOW TO GET STARTED

The GOAL is to BEGIN your walks a few levels lower than you may have been doing.

Choose a quiet area.
Your backyard, if you have one or a small patch of grass can work perfectly well.
Give your dog time to sniff.
Allow them to wander and investigate without asking for any formal type behaviours or walking.
Add a “FIND IT” game if needed.
Scatter a few treats in the grass and encourage your dog to search for them. Don’t always wait to use the treat scatters and a distractor.
Keep your OWN movements relaxed.
Avoid hurrying your dog along, tightening the leash or repeatedly calling them away from every interesting smell. This is the time to let them “be a dog.”
Allow 5-10 minutes
Set a timer if you need to make it easier to build this into your daily routine.
Transition into your regular walk.
Once your dog appears a little more settled, switch to your usual leash and begin walking. If they’re not quite settled, wait a little longer.

You may be very surprised by how much easier the rest of the walk feels when your dog isn’t starting out in total overdrive. They should feel quite balanced if you’ve done the GET THE YA-YA’s out to address the physical side and then done the PRE-WALK Decompression.

SMALL CHANGES CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

This one pre-walk decompression habit won’t magically create perfect leash walking overnight. It still takes the work you’ve all been doing with foundations to help you guide your dogs.

However, consistently giving your dog time to express physical energy and time to decompress through sniffing before a walking adventure can help them begin in a calmer more thoughtful state of mind.

And that gives both of you a much better place from which to start your walks.

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