Dog Walking 

As part of our drive to promote responsible dog ownership, this month we’re focusing on the importance of dog walking.

 It is important to ensure that your dog gets the right amount of exercise. The general rule for most dog breeds is 15 – 30 minutes of exercise every day. Some active breeds may need more, and others less. If your dog has been spayed or neutered it becomes even more important to exercise them. Regular daily walks or runs are a great way to exercise your dog. Take extreme precaution when letting your dog off their lead, even if they are reliable at coming back when they are called. Too many deaths occur each year due to unleashed dogs. It is in a dog's nature to chase things that are moving quickly, such as kids, cars or even squirrels. They may not recognize dangerous things in their environment, such as a car headed at them, if they are focused on what they are chasing.

The Kennel Club’s Good Citizen Dog Scheme is the largest dog training scheme in the UK. Training is a fun way of developing a real bond between you and your dog. It also means that when you go out for a walk, you can trust your dog to be obedient and well behaved. You can find out more information at http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/

Some interesting facts! Did You Know…..

 - Walking keeps you and your dog happy and healthy. Did you know that walking only 30 minutes every day makes you feel good, gives you more energy, helps to reduce stress, can lower blood pressure and helps keep your heart in good working order?

- The UK dog population excretes roughly 10,000 tones of poo a week. That’s enough to fill four Olympic sized swimming pools! It is anti social to not clear up after your dog and if you’re caught leaving dog poo behind in a designated area, you could be served with a fixed penalty notice.

 - It is an offence to allow your dog to worry or attack livestock. As a last resort a person is legally entitled to shoot a dog if they can’t stop it chasing or worrying their livestock.

- A study carried out at the Queen’s University, Belfast, reported that dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Writing in the British Journal of Health and Psychology, Dr Deborah Wells said that regular “Walkies” may partly explain the difference. There was also the suggestion that dogs could aid recovery from serious illnesses such as heart attacks, and act as 'early warning' to detect an approaching epileptic seizure.