14/01/2026
đ How do you interact with your dog when out on walks? đž
Most people walk their dog round a loop with very little interaction or enrichment other than allowing some stopping and sniffing đ
Whilst allowing your dog to stop and sniff is absolutely essential to their well being and should be encouraged there is loads more you can be doing with your dog when you're out and about! Interacting with your dog whilst on walks can encourage:
1ī¸âŖ More engagement with you, i.e. a dog that is easier to recall! đâĄī¸đ
2ī¸âŖ A more satisfied and thus more relaxed dog at home đ¤
3ī¸âŖ A better bond with your dog đ
There's so much you can do with your dogs when you're out and about, and it doesn't matter where you are walking! So many of these games can be played in urban areas too! đī¸
Here's a list of some things you can try out with your dog:
đž Off lead time â find safe areas where you can allow your dog some freedom to explore and run freely.
đ Scatter feed â take a handful of treats and chuck them into a pile of leaves or some long grass for your dog to sniff out.
đž Pause and play â Stop for a moment and play a game your dog loves, this could be chasing you, playing tug or playing with their ball (when playing with a ball try playing find the ball rather than chase games to limit injury).
đ Engagement games â Try tossing your dog a treat any time they look at you or tossing treats left to right for them to chase.
đŗ Sausage tree â squish some treats into a tree stump for your dog to forage for.
đ Short training session â pause on your walk and try out some loose lead walking, recall exercises or some fun tricks!
đŊ Stop and sniff â Pause and encourage your dog to sniff.
đĒ Sit down and observe â Have a seat on a bench and watch the world go by for a few minutes.
đ§ Parkour â teach your dog how to jump onto obstacles on walks and have fun together. (ensure your dog is physically well enough to do this activity).
đđ Scent work â teach your dog how to indicate on a scent and then hide it along your walk for them to seek out!
There's so much you can do with your dog, have a go and let us know how you get on! đ
For more guidance on making walks more enjoyable why not join our Bronze Life Skills course starting on the 21st February đĨ
đ https://www.goodalldogtraining.com/service-page/bronze-life-skills-dog-training-class?referral=service_list_widget