Are your dog walks miserable? I’ve been there.

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Hopefully walking your dog brings you joy and happiness. If so, I’m happy for you. But there is a dark underbelly to the world of dog walking, one that not a lot of people talk about. It could be that you are at the end of your rope (or leash) and can’t imagine anything worse than having to walk your pup every day, let alone twice a day, for the foreseeable future. Please know that I’ve been in your shoes.

When we moved from the country to the suburbs, we started walking our two dogs twice a day. It was a nightmare. I came home day after day almost in tears mumbling about how walks were supposed to be fun, a bonding experience for us. These walks were anything but fun. Between the dogs with invisible fences, squirrels, other dogs on the leash, loud trucks and motorcycles, bunnies, geese, and anything else you could think of my dogs were losing their minds. We saw other dogs walking happily and calmly. I wanted that for us. What we were doing wasn’t working and I didn’t know how to fix it.

I tried everything

I combed the internet looking for tips and tricks. I tried only moving when the dog was calm. I barely made it two houses away in a half hour. That was unsustainable.

I tried walking with treats. Our food-loving hound loves treats, but he was so crazy with excitement he couldn’t focus, even when he could I wasn’t sure that the message was getting through to him.

I tried harnesses, collars, behavior modification, nothing seemed to work. We walked before dawn and after sunset which sucked, to be honest. The walks were better, but we weren’t happy.

What changed everything?

Everything changed when I dislocated my shoulder falling in the garage in a non-dog related accident. The week after Mark had to go out of town on a trip. I would be walking both dogs. Alone.

Suddenly, I needed a very quick solution to our months-long problem.

My mom recommended the Gentle Leader Headcollar (available from Amazon). I was hesitant to order yet another device that was supposed to help with our walking problems, but with just a few days before my solo walking debut and with nothing to lose, I ordered the Gentle Leader. To my shock, it worked. To say that this collar was life-changing might be hyperbolic, but it felt that way to me.

Time and Consistency

I wish that there was one collar or product that instantly made our walks fun and easy. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses after we started using the Gentle Leader. Walks were better, for sure, but our dog is a wily one. Soon he figured out how to pull even with his new collar. He was still a spaz. Just a much more manageable spaz.

Then, we moved again and the dogs had to learn a whole new neighborhood. That’s when I had a lightbulb moment.

Just like us, dogs love routine. Consistency is important. In fact, consistency was the key for us. Putting in the time, every day started to slowly, very slowly, solve our walk problems. Not only did we learn about our dog, but we also got to know our neighborhood and what sets our dogs off.

Starting Over

Throwing our dogs into a whole new environment upped the ante. The first month or so in our new house was rough. We had to learn all new triggers, the rhythms of the neighborhood, and the other dogs that would be out and about, one year later, we’re still working it out.

With two and a half years of consistent walking our dog is much better on the leash. He still has his moments, trust me. But now I know his triggers. I’ve started bringing treats to help combat the things that set him off. Since I know what they are I can usually spot them before him. I am actually excited to walk my dogs these days. I love getting out there and seeing what is happening in the neighborhood, waving to other dog walkers, and checking out the changing seasons.

I’m here to help

I know, because I’ve been there how frustrating it can be to walk your dog. How isolating it feels to walk a spazy and barking dog. How painful it is to walk a nonstop pulling dog.

I also know that it is possible to change this experience into a positive one.

Besides time and consistency there are a few products that could make your life easier. I’ve tested out many (many!) of them. I decided to compile my favorites in one place.