Walking My Human (Our Humans Need Exercise Too!)

Hey, it's Max here! Walking my human is one of the most important parts of my day. It's also my favorite! Woof! My human needs as much exercise as I do, and I bet yours does too. Here's a look at our typical walk and how I make sure walking with my human is great for both of us.

My Dog Walk Diary

October 30, 2020

Getting Ready

Oh man, oh man, oh man. It's almost time to go on our walk! I'm getting so excited I can hardly stand it. Walking my human never gets old. I just finished breakfast, which is the perfect time for us to go out! I nudge my human with my cool, wet nose and give him the eyes. You know, those eyes. My human gets up to get the leash and my tail starts going crazy!

I try to stay close to my human to help remind them of what we need to get before we go outside. Phone? Wallet? Keys? Leash? Doggie bags? Phonewalletkeysleashdoggiebags?

A Breath of Fresh Air

One of the best parts of the walk is our first step outside. It seems new every day and I'm so excited! I'm very, very, very excited and sometimes my human has a hard time controlling me when I just want to look at everything all at once. This is why I make sure my human keeps me on a leash. I like vests better than collars, since they don't choke me when I pull or jump.

Potty Break

As soon as I get used to the outside, I remember I have to go potty real bad. I start sniffing around looking for the best place to go. Sometimes I like to walk a lot first, but other times I'm ready to go right away. I help my human learn patience by giving them plenty of opportunities to exercise it when I'm not sure what I want to do! Woof!

The Walk!

Once I've gotten the potty break out of my system -- whew -- I can start enjoying our walk. When it's very hot or cold out, I can get distracted because my paws don't feel good or might be hurting. If I sit down during the walk or act like I don't want to walk, it's because the ground is too cold or too hot for my sensitive toe beans. There's an easy fix for that though -- dog shoes!

Heading Home

When I start to get tired, I nudge my human's hand to let them know I'm ready to go home. Sometimes, my human gets tired first and decides to start heading home before I'm even ready. No fair, no fair! I'm disappointed but it's okay, because I make sure we get a walk in every day.

Naptime

When we get home, my human is usually energized and I'm a bit tired. I might settle down for a nap at my human's feet while they work on a project, or sometimes we'll take a nap together on the weekends. There's only one thing I like more than walks with my human and that's cuddles!

How Do I Make Walks With My Human Successful?

Woof! Walks with my human are usually really fun, but sometimes if we're not prepared, neither of us have a good time. Here are some of the things I found that make walking with my human easier.

• A dog vest. A vest is so much more comfortable for me and makes it easier for my human to handle me when I'm really excited! Harnesses are okay too, but sometimes they rub underneath my armpits, which is really uncomfortable.
• Dog shoes. Shoes protect my doggo feet from the ground just like human shoes protect human feet.
• Doggie bags. I've trained my human to have doggie bags on hand to dispose of my . . . you know . . . properly. It's just not kosher to leave it there and I don't have any thumbs!
• Click trainer. When I was a pupper, my human used a click trainer to help me understand what I should and shouldn't do when on a walk. When I obeyed their commands, they used the clicker and a treat to let me know I got it right!
• Treats. Duh. Is that bacon flavored?
• Pet insurance. This is something many dog owners forget, but I'm so glad my human didn't. A lot of things can happen on a walk and I need to make sure that my owner can help me if I get hurt. Pet insurance makes a visit to the vet (shudder!) more affordable, so if I get a piece of glass in my paw or am in an accident, my human can get me the medical care I need right away.

I never get tired of walking my human, especially when we have everything we need for a great walk. I love knowing that my human is getting the exercise they need too, because I want both of us to be healthy! Woof!

My human is my best friend and the most important thing to me in the whole wide world is making sure we have as long as possible together. I'm sure you want to do the same for your human and I hope this blog helped. Isn't it funny that blog rhymes with dog?

It's almost time for our walk now, so I need to go. Have you walked your human today?

Love and Fluff,

Max