Thank you to Pet Lifestyle Expert & Animal Behaviorist Colleen Paige, National Walk Your Dog Week founder: http://www.walkyourdogweek.com/.
We completed our 7 days of walking for #DogWalkingWeek, and even extended it to 8! We hope that your week, whether you have completed it yet or not, motivates you to keep walking as well. We won’t make Day 9 because of appointments, but we hope to get back to it right after that.
How do we stay motivated to keep it up though? I think we can use the same reasons and principals to keep going as we did to get going in the first place.
- Walking keeps both you and your dogs healthier. Not only does it burn calories, but it is especially beneficial to senior dogs with arthritis, like our two girls. Dogs who get plenty of exercise are often more well behaved.
- Fresh air and exercise are good for the soul as well. Whether you enjoy an interesting walk seeing sights in the city, or a country walk enjoying the fall foliage, it really clears your head and gives you a break from the stresses of every day life. New sights and sounds keep your dogs stimulated.
- It’s bonding time for you and your dogs.
- Remember how much your dogs are enjoying themselves! Seeing them out there having fun, and then later seeing them sleeping in total relaxation is great motivation.
Remember some of the principals we shared:
- Keep It Simple – Walks don’t have to be a project – stay close to home if that’s easier. A short walk is better than no walk at all.
- Switch it Up – If you can, get in your car and visit some place new further away. If you stay close to home, change your route, go for a longer distance or time, and work on some training while you’re at it.
- Use the proper equipment. We shared some of our favorite leashes and harnesses in our previous posts. Use whatever works for you and your dogs; there are so many options out there. Don’t forget your own equipment too; wear proper shoes and clothing for your weather. Dress in layers if it’s cool and might warm up while you’re out there.
- Have fun! Let your dogs stop and sniff if that’s what they enjoy! We added our own fun little twist to our week by taking a selfie each day before we headed out.
- Make a plan but be flexible as well. I had a plan for our Day 8 but when our realtor called about a showing for our house, I had to switch things around. It would have been easy to just cross the walk off our to do list for that day, but instead we just went out at a different time.
- Split up multiple pets if you can and if that’s easier for you. I walk our dogs individually, and they enjoy their one on one time with me.
We ended up sticking close to home after the first day when Luke and I drove to a different place. Things have been kind of crazy, and that’s just what worked this time. But I still have some outings planned coming up. I have really enjoyed being out there enjoying our gorgeous fall weather and foliage, and I hope to keep walking as often as possible.
I also wanted to share this short video of Cricket and I on one of our walks. Just in case you didn’t believe me that our arthritic little beagle still moves right along, here’s the evidence. Note two things: the constantly wagging tail, and the way she occasionally quickly looks back at me, as if to see if I’m still coming or not (I apparently slow her down)!
Have you finished your week of walking, or are you still going? Will you extend your walks beyond the 7 day commitment? Remember, our celebration is open until October 15th so bloggers can continue to share their posts, and everyone else can continue to leave comments on the host blogs (ourselves, Cascadian Nomads, and Dolly the Doxie), and social media using the hashtag #DogWalkingWeek!
what great walks. Love the selfies!!
Love the selfies. 🙂
Cricket looks cute taking her nap. I didn’t know about walking week, but I insist that every week is walking week! It’s good for the bipeds to get plenty of exercise.
We agree, you need to keep the bipeds moving! Well, we’ll consider you joined in our fun anyway then, even though you didn’t know it! 🙂
I love these selfies so much, especially Cricket’s. And I love how enthusiastic she is in her video 🙂 We’ll be posting our recap sometime soon–but grading is keeping me from spending as much time writing as I’d like!
Darn work gets in the way, doesn’t it? I’ve been just keeping up on my writing, but getting behind on visiting and reading everyone else’s posts, with all the stuff we’ve had going on!
Congratulations you did great! We walk everyday but for this week we really went all out! Mom’s knee got really bad too and needs to call the doctor. Not sure if we’ll get a final recap done or not. Glad you had so much fun! Love Dolly
Thank you, Dolly! Sorry to hear about your Mom’s knee, has it gotten any better yet, or has she had to go to the doctor?
zthanks for all the motivation. I just finished a walk with my girl!
Yay, we’re so glad we could pass our motivation along! I know that we often need to get it from others too. 🙂
Wow, the fall colors are gorgeous! Our trees are just starting to turn now. This is the time of year that walking is so much fun…as long as the weather cooperates. 🙂
You are right. This is the time of year I love getting out more than any other time. I don’t like the cold much, but after a hot summer, the cool fall air feels so good! We’ve had perfect weather so far this fall.
Well we will keep walking. 🙂 Watching Cricket reminded me of Sampson. You can see the happiness in the way she is running and almost hopping ahead. He does the same thing when he is amped up.
Walking is so good for all of us. Keep up the good work!
Cricket does everything with total intensity, ball playing, playing with toys, walking…is Sampson like that too? Even when she sleeps, it is a sound sleep…she takes it all seriously! LOL
He is a lot like Cricket. Although his ‘playing’ is short, but it is intense.
Oh my goodness that is too cute!! The way she always is looking back at you. And she moves!! We had a rainy walk this morning but get out in all weather. I don’t always want to go but Cocoa does!!
My dogs don’t mind the rain at all either. I’m the one that minds it! But I am going to try to get some raincoats for the dogs and do better. We actually have had so little rain lately, it hasn’t been an issue yet!
Cricket is really moving! I think she was trying to run a couple of times! We have been walking and the boys love it. Bentley has become a laser light maniac and gets a ton of exercise chasing it throughout the house. Pierre doesn’t chase the light, he chases Bentley. It is so funny.
Oh yeah, she was definitely trying to run. The only thing slowing her down was the deeper grass, and me, of course. 🙂
I’m so glad you’ve been out walking!
Oh, that sounds so cute with Pierre chasing Bentley, chasing the light! I don’t think you usually do videos, but maybe you should give it a try!
I got the laser light out for Luke again, but he didn’t seem too into it this time. I swear, sometimes he is really hard to keep entertained! LOL
We are going to a camp with Mom this weekend and are actually stopping at a state park to take a hike with friends on the way. We love walking!
What a fun day! We like little adventures
Lily & Edward
Ok I love your photos!!!
BTW – that is an adorable harness Cricket has! Love it!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
WOW! I don’t think that was a walk, it seems like you and Cricket were running.
Abby & I are trying to walk daily too, but it’s a lot slower than that. No wonder Cricket is passed out on the sofa. 🙂
I know, no wonder, right? I used to take Cricket jogging, before she got her arthritis diagnosis, then I stopped. I’m thinking that her walk is a jog for me anyway, so I might start taking her again, at least for a short time.
we walk efurry day and I have an eye on my staff that they walk me 3 times per day… with an umbrella for me when we have rain, of course :o)
3 times per day is really great, keep that staff moving, Easy! And of course, keep them holding that umbrella for you too, you wouldn’t want to get that beautiful mistygrey fur wet, now would you? 🙂
We are still walking! I am going to try and continue the daily walks, even on weekends (that is where I let it slip) until Old Man Winter comes and it is not safe to do so. I hope this winter isn’t as cold as last (which was the coldest on record) because we could barely walk for 2 months (it was -40 C/F – the place where they overlap). Today I wasn’t thrilled about it, but we walked in the rain.
One way to look at it, at least walking in the rain is better than the snow and ice! I also hope we have a better winter…I want to get out on my snowshoes more.
I always slack on weekends too, and it seems like that would be the easier time to walk because we have more time, right?
You have been doing so great, keep it up!