Benefits Of Walking Your Pets During National Walk Your Dog Month And Beyond

Dogs and dog owners are celebrating because January is National Walk Your Dog Month. The simple activity is good not just for pets but for the dog owners, too.

National Walk Your Dog Month promotes pets' exercise and bonding time between pets and their owners. Although dogs do need regular exercise, whether it's National Walk Your Dog Month or not, the month is a good time to reflect on the many benefits that come with walking our pets and perhaps change the way we see this activity.

Now let's have a look at some of the benefits of dog walking, courtesy of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), National Today and VCA Hospitals.

Walking Is Good For Dogs' Health

Just like humans, even pets today are more at risk for obesity. In fact, National Today cited The Association of Pet Obesity Prevention's 2017 study wherein they found that about 56 percent of dogs in the U.S. are obese. That's about 50 million dogs in the U.S. with health troubles.

As such, walking our dogs is an important part of keeping their weight healthy and preventing them from becoming obese.

Walking dogs also benefits their overall health, VCA Hospitals said. This includes their joint health, since walking keeps their joints in motion, and their digestive and urinary health, since routine trips can help dogs "go" regularly.

It's Good For Human Health, Too

Humans can benefit from such walks, too, since walking is a good form of exercise. As the ASPCA noted, it is good for the heart, joints, waistline and muscles.

"In addition, walking for 30 minutes a day will reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, colon and breast cancer, and type-2 diabetes," VCA Hospitals noted.

VCA Hospitals also cited a study in Seattle and Baltimore, which found that the people who regularly walked their dogs were less likely to be obese compared to their neighbors who didn't have dogs.

Simply put, in the act of walking our dogs, they're also keeping their humans healthy.

Walking Benefits Mental Health

Again, both humans and their pets' mental health can benefit from going on walks. In humans' case, walking pets can help with stress relief as it provides more bonding time with pets. In a busy world, walking our dogs can also provide some time away from technology, ASPCA said, and perhaps may even lead to meeting new friends.

Among dogs, walking helps them release excess energy and prevents them from engaging in destructive behavior. As VCA Hospitals explained, dogs don't like getting bored, so having them explore and see many things on their walks gives them something "constructive" to do. This way, they may be less likely to chew on the couch or your favorite pair of slippers, and the bonding time spent with our pets could lead to less attention-seeking behavior such as whining or excessive barking.

Having dogs get better sleep at night is also an added bonus. After all, we all need a proper amount of shut-eye.

Overall, walking our dogs not only leads to healthier dogs but happier ones. Indeed, during National Walk Your Dog Month, we should start thinking of walking our dogs not just as a chore so they can "go," but as a way to bond with them while keeping each other happy and healthy.