Hiking with a dog can be a wonderful experience if you give it a try. There are hiking trails suitable for dogs for you to discover that will make everything easier and more enjoyable.
So, let us think about some reasons why we should take our dog with us on our next hike.
More Exercise
Hiking is a way of giving yourself and your dog more exercise. You can travel greater distances when you have more time to do it. Your dog will start to look forward to when you go out in the car, anticipating that longer walk at the end of the journey.
Exercise for dogs, as well as being healthy for humans, is known to prolong lives and reduce the risk of obesity.
It is considered that the average dog will happily hike for between 5 to 10 miles. However, seasoned hikers have reported covering distances of between 25 and 30 miles, with their dogs covering most of these miles off the leash. Working up gradually to these distances is a good idea, as we would as a human. Also, your dog may not be able to keep these same paces up for several days in a row. But then, hiking can be more of a weekly or monthly treat.
Hiking with your dog is good for them and an extension of walking your dog, which is important to maintain for their health and well-being.
Mental Stimulation
Dogs require mental stimulation just like humans do and walking the same streets will only provide some of that stimulation. In contrast, hiking trails will provide new scents as well as different sights and sounds. A dog can have more freedom. Where it is not suitable for them to be completely free off their lead, you can at least give them a longer lead, which is possible with retractable plastic devices.
Mutual Enjoyment
It is one of the reasons that we buy a dog to enjoy time together and there is no better opportunity when hiking together in the open air and enjoying the environment around us. This can be compared to tripping over each other in a tiny space, in some cases.
Hiking can be a time to explore new sights. Perhaps head towards old ruins, maybe the remains of a castle, after looking it up in a history book. Work out your route in advance so that you know it is suitable for your dog, as well as it offering some interesting sights for you to see. A checklist will make it more interesting as you can say that you have visited certain places and know that there are more on your list to look forward to exploring.
If you hike on the same days and at similar times, then you may well meet up with the same people, who are also dog walkers sharing the hiking experience. This can add extra interest to a hike. It can be good to make the arrangements to meet again and create something of a social occasion, with several people and dogs enjoying a single hike.
Fresher Air
The air is fresher in the country or rural areas as opposed to walking your dog around traffic in towns, cities, or urban spaces. For the benefit of your lungs, it is good to walk your dog in hiking-type environments as often as you can. It is a healthy way to enjoy life. This can be as two or more companions because you might decide to take other family members along too and make it a family outing.
Fresh air will benefit your lungs because it will mean that you are breathing deeper and drawing more air into the bottom of your lungs. This provides the body’s cells with more oxygen, which will expel more of the airborne toxins out of the body. Hiking in that sense will be giving you a cleansing from the inside. Taking your dog along will not only provide good company but it will be keeping them healthy too.
In conclusion, we can keep fit alongside our dog when we hike, both breathing in a better quality of air and receiving extra mental stimulation from exploring a new environment. A shared enjoyment will result and you will both be looking forward to hiking together regularly soon.
