Twelve days of Christmas -rescue dogs -Day 6

Day 6

Exercise / walking

I won't apologise for my choice of pictures when I am discussing the early days that a rescue dog should experience

The more you try to cram experiences in the more likely it is for a newly rehomed dog to become more anxious. Pushing too hard is not beneficial and will not help a dog to enjoy the world

Please forget the advice you are invariably going to be given by friends and family and do not submerge your dog into busy places that are teeming with other dogs and people

This is called "flooding" and yes it is sink or swim except many dogs do sink as they have never been taught to "swim" at least not in this metaphorical pond

Exercise should be limited -often to short walks and should not be taxing. If the dog is expected to walk miles and meet people and dogs on the route this is likely to be detrimental

I have lost count of the number of people that are dismayed that their dog has become "reactive" during the early days of their lives in a new home

This is due to being out of their depth and overwhelmed.

Newly rehomed dogs rarely need a huge amount of exercise - in fact many need no exercise at all until they are sleeping and resting and are eating without either bolting their food or walking away from their bowls (this by the way could be due to the height of a bowl, because it makes an unfamiliar noise as they eat of they may have stomach pain)

There really are so many things to consider

At this point allowing a dog to observe what is going on in the neighbourhood is often better than going for walks that take them away from the safety of the home

What about watching a bit of life from the car? I know many rescue dogs that have travelled from other countries are often not fond of climbing into a car-but this can be a good replacement for walking if a dog is happy to get into a car

Think of it as a car safari, the dog can experience the outside world while remaining insulated. Find a nice view and just chill. Take some chews or treats for the dog and a coffee and treats for yourself and let your dog take in the smell and movement outside of the car rather than having to join in

I am not saying movement is not important but what I am saying is that it is not important right now

While on this topic -did you know that fascia holds memories of injury and trauma?

Fascia is an interesting organ-not only the largest organ in the body but it doesn't always heal fully after injury

Scars may be visible on a dogs body or you may never see an injury but if fascia has received an injury or trauma it can restrict movement

Which is another reason why a dog may be reluctant to move in a difficult situation.

Things are not as simple as they appear

If you are walking make them enjoyable Make walks enjoyable by letting the dog lead from time to time-choice is incredibly important ......and if they want to turn back just follow

This post has links to all the other topics discussed those of safety, time, stress and environment and just becoming your dogs friend

Observing and gentle movement are so much more important than walking miles-walks are often negatives not positives

NB

Please do like and share this post-even if you know all of this and are providing it for your own dog there are many dogs out there that need their people to read these posts

Pennie Clayton 2025

#speakingdogs