If you live in a house with a yard it can be easy to think that your foster dog doesn’t need a regular walk. If they have easy access to a secure yard they have somewhere to play and pee, right? No!
Yards are great, don’t get us wrong. A lot of dogs love to lay in the sun, sniff around outside, and pee as needed, but WALKS serve more than one important purpose.
Your foster dog should know where it lives
If something goes wrong and your foster dog gets loose or lost, it should know how to get back home. When a dog has regular walks around the neighborhood, it will recognize visual and olfactory markers (created by her, or other animals).
Your foster dog needs mental stimulation
Sniffing around provides valuable input to a dog, gives them something to do, something to think about and they rely on you to expose them to the world! Try to vary your walk route as much as possible.
Your foster dog needs to meet new people, dogs and situations
When foster dogs are well socialized and exposed to new places & people, they are better prepared to adapt to their forever home.
Your foster dog needs structured exercise
Dogs might play alone sometimes but they won’t usually self-exercise. They need you to include scheduled activity into their daily life.
Your foster dog will learn
Every walk is a training opportunity! They will learn how to be polite when meeting others, sit before crossing the street, pee and poop outside and watch their handler (you) for instructions.
You should probably go for a walk too 🙂 It’s good for you!
