Notes on dog walking

There is more to dog walking than clipping a lead and going out, at the same time, the beauty of walking a dog is that this is exactly what it can be. I will explore dog walking from different angles by describing how it impacts on our health, wellbeing, relationship with our dog and the environment we live in. I want to talk about what a dog walk means for a dog and how it may impact our companions.

1. The obvious start is to explore what dog walking really is: what does it mean to us and what actually happens on a dog walk.

2. Next, I want to bring up the politics of dog walking. Yes, dog walking can be political and controversial and researchers have described how it can help to include you in a local social network or do the opposite.

3. What we do and don’t know about the impact of walking dogs on our health? Dogs can have a positive impact on our health and well being (although, recently, research has shown that their impact is nowhere near that straightforward). I want to go through some of this research to crystallise what is clear.

4. Similarly, what impact does walking have on the welfare and happiness of our dog? Do they always benefit from being out? What do they get out of it? How do they experience it?

5. Finally, I want to talk about how dog walking affects the human-dog bond…

6… and end with a list of tips of things to do on your walks.

Stay tuned.