#139 2 Houses Up

Have you ever felt guilty about not taking your dog for that long neighborhood walk? This episode flips the script on what makes a quality dog walk, showing why a quick "sniff walk" is better than no walk at all.

Chapters

• 0:00 Why Short Walks Matter
• 0:40 Sniffing: How Dogs Experience the World
• 1:01 Benefits of Decompression Time
• 1:41 Making Time for Brief Walks

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

You know, sometimes we all want to just skip that walk with our dog. We think, oh, I don't have the time, the day got away from me, oh, it's dark outside, I'm just too tired to commit to a 30-minute round-the-neighborhood walk. But here's the thing A quick sniff walk can be just that quick. And a quick sniff walk doesn't have to mean distance. You don't need to do a full loop of the neighborhood or hit your step goal. You can literally just go two houses up and two houses back. And that still counts, because for your dog, a walk isn't about distance, it's about being able to be a dog. It's their time to sniff and explore and experience the world.

Speaker 1: 0:54

Sniffing is how they process everything. It's mentally stimulating and it burns energy. So while you're thinking, wow, we didn't go far enough, your dog is thinking, wow, that was fun. When you give your dog five to ten minutes to sniff at their own pace, even if you barely leave your driveway, you're meeting their needs in a meaningful way. You're letting them decompress, gather data and just be a dog. This approach also helps with behavior. Dogs who get regular decompression time tend to be calmer at home, less reactive and more focused during training, and that's a big payoff for a short commitment. So next time you think, oh, I don't have time for a walk, remember you do. Five to ten minutes, two houses, no rush, that's it. And, honestly, some of the best walks you'll ever take with your dog happen right outside your front door.