January is always a time of us reassessing our lives, diets and exercise are usually top of the list. So this is of course an excellent month for us to highlight Walk Your Dog Month which emphasizes the importance of regular exercise and outdoor activities for dogs. As we know physical exercise helps our mental and physical wellbeing and this is no different for our four legged friends. They just love a good walk and play. The sniffing, snuffling, running, pulling, playing, sights, sounds, smells all activate their brains and help them to be both physically and mentally tired, which is all good when trying to help your dog relax. Walks can often though be stressful for those with sensitive or reactive dogs, so this is also a good month to remember to be considerate of those around you and to have space etiquette for dogs.
Yellow Dog charity is persistent in sharing this idea for all dog owners as it is so important and can make all the difference to both dogs and their owners, not only on their walks but in how this affects their whole character and behaviour.
It is important to remember that all dogs are different, as we are and they do not all want to be approached by another dog so when out walking this month please use your space etiquette awareness for your and other dogs.