A dog expert urged people not to take their dogs for a walk every day.
Bestselling author Niki French, 53, wants people to break with the old habit of a 30-minute walk and replace it with another, more stimulating activity. The dog trainer, who wrote STOP Walking Your Dog, said daily walks could be unhelpful for some dogs, including those who are sick, nervous or in season.
Niki told The Mirror: "It might come as a surprise, but traditional walks are a human invention and aren't helpful for many of our dogs. Replacing walk time with training games at home can give the dogs the skills they're missing to live calm and happy lives."
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Niki launched her first Don't Walk Your Dog Day on Saturday, April 2, to spread the message that "not all dogs thrive on daily walks". She said: "Contrary to popular belief, dogs with behaviour struggles can get more reactive or more excitable when we try to exhaust them through too much exercise."
The author has been an animal lover all her life and became a dog trainer three years ago. Since then, a growing number of her clients "have nervous or reactive dogs", which can make it stressful and intimidating to leave the house for a walk.
She said: "I've shown them all the amazing activities you can do at home to help dogs grow the skills they’re lacking to be happy on walks. Skipping some walks can help both dogs and owners alike destress. When more than half of walks are stressful (for the dog or you), it's time to do something different."
Instead of walks, Niki focuses on positive reward and enrichment games like digging sandpits, playing with cardboard boxes, using lick mats and hide-and-seek activities. She said: "It's good to have other things in your toolkit. This applies to all dogs and surprisingly it can work best for breeds that need lots of exercise."
She notices her own two-year-old rescue dog, Bodie, is "noticeably calmer" with fewer walks and more enrichment games. The alternatives could also help unvaccinated puppies, dogs in season, or those who are unwell. Niki said: "Playing games at home is a great way to build skills our dogs need and boost our relationship with them."
