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A recent article in the NY Times spoke about the health benefits of walking a dog over walking with friends or other people. It turns out in this University of Nebraska study of older people who walked with other people would often find excuses not to go. However, those who took a bus to pick up a dog at a shelter, stuck with the regimen and showed marked improvement over five weeks. Dogs always want to go for a walk.

I have spent some time recently shadowing a Family Physician who specializes in Sports Medicine. His patients come in with sore backs and other muscle problems. Often he tells his patients to “Exercising more,” and in particular,  “Go for daily walks.”

In the modern world, we spend much of our time sitting at desks staring at a computer screen. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise. It does not strain our muscles, but gets the blood flowing and burns fat. In the Nebraska study after five weeks many of the elderly participants that walked a dog gained the confidence to stop using their canes and walkers, while few of the elderly participants who walked with friends did.

So, walking is good for people, but how about the dog.

This is kind of like the government spending a million dollars to discover that dogs like to go on walks. It’s obvious, right? But, not all the benefits are obvious.

When my dog Jasmine was young, she was often underfoot, and would often chew things she wasn’t supposed to chew. I lost a TV clicker and a phone headset that way. My daughter cried over a chewed up new Bratz doll. I would only occasionally take Jasmine on a walk. I always felt bad about that, but feeling bad didn’t translate into going for a walk more often.

At one point, I had committed to a group of friends that I would take Jasmine on a 40 walks over three months. Three times a week, that doesn’t sound hard. Two months later, I had 30 more walks to go. It looked like to meet my commitment, I had to walk Jasmine everyday.

After two weeks of daily walks, I started to notice a change in Jasmine. She wasn’t so nervous. She wasn’t chewing so much. She wasn’t underfoot. She seemed content. Darn if walks weren’t good for my dog.

Many dogs go on a sniff and mark walk with their owners. They wander around to whatever interests them sniffing and marking at will. The retractable leads encourage this behavior. Although there’s nothing wrong with this kind of walk, it does not help the dog to find his or her proper place in the family. While the dog is in charge, it makes the alpha/beta owner/dog relationship fuzzy. Much better to take the dog on patrol.

Dogs are pack animals. Like many domesticated animals, humans take over the role of the pack or herd leader. In Be the Pack Leader, Cesar Milan explains that we take over the role of pack leader with dogs. Dogs are naturally hierarchical. If there is no alpha or leader dog, then they will take on the role. By being the pack leader, the dog’s owner can fill the role, and a dog will then naturally know it’s place — below it’s owner.

Dogs naturally want to patrol their territory. Dogs in the wold will travel the perimeter of their territory and mark it, sniff for other dogs, read the “newspaper” of scents left by other dogs and animals. This makes them comfortable. They also like get out and present themselves.

A patrol walk is quite different from a sniff and piss walk. First, it starts different. To go on patrol, a properly submissive dog must behave well. I take the lead out, and hold it. I wait for my dog Jasmine to settle down and sit. I don’t prompt her, I don’t even look at her. Most dogs jump and prance around excited about their walk, but by having a dog submit, it reinforces the relationship between the pack leader and the members of the pack.

The first few times I tried this on Milan’s suggestion, it was amusing. Jasmine first pranced around went around me, and eventually started to whine. My patience eventually paid off, as she naturally sat to wait. I clipped the leash on, and we went for a power patrol walk. Jasmine has a dog door, so she is able to take care of her privy needs on her own. No reason to slow down while on patrol. We walk briskly around the block. She may slow down to sniff something interesting, but she knows she doesn’t have much time. We are on patrol.

When I changed the way I walk with Jasmine, it changed her personality. At first, she seemed sad. Anthropomorphizing. She began sitting at her food dish. She started looking to me for permission throughout her day. She became a “good” dog. Rarely does she get into trouble, now.

So, walk your dog. It’s good for you, it’s good for your dog. And, it’s good for the relationship which is good for you both.

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