Are you bringing home a new canine family member over the holidays? Adopting a new dog or puppy is an adventure filled with joy, fun, and a lot of responsibility. Your dog’s good health and well-being depend on a cozy home, excellent nutrition and veterinary care, training, and exercise. Regular dog walks should be a cornerstone of your dog’s fitness regime since walks play a crucial role in the health and happiness of both newly adopted dogs and long-time canine family members. 

The Benefits of Regular Dog Walks:

The benefits of regular dog walks begin with improving with your dog’s physical health. We can’t emphasize the importance of regular walks to manage a dog’s weight and improve cardiovascular fitness enough. Dog obesity has been on the rise in the United States, but you can help mitigate that by increasing your walks with your dogs and changing your dog’s diet with the help and supervision of your veterinarian. For puppies and newly adopted dogs, dog obesity prevention in Miami starts with active dog walks in Coconut Grove, building stamina and physical resilience.

Some medical conditions might complicate weight loss, so please consult with your vet. But just like with most human beings, regular exercise is a great way to burn extra calories. If you simply don’t have the time to take your dogs on extra walks, professional dog walkers like us exist to help! We’ll gladly take your dogs out for daily walks in your neighborhood to help get and keep those pounds off!  More physical benefits of dog walks include the following. 

• Your dog’s joint health depends on consistent mobility, including daily dog walks.

  • Even your senior dogs benefit from walks. You want to avoid letting your dogs sleep all day long, the equivalent of humans sitting at their desks for hours. Help them loosen up those joints and keep them active, helping them build muscle and stay strong into their silver years. Our dog walkers walk many senior dogs, which is so helpful for their older joints and well-being, keeping them young and preventing the weakening of their muscles. A walk a day keeps those muscles strong!

• Daily Dog Walks for Digestive and Urinary Health:

  • According to VCA Animal Hospitals, “Regular dog walking helps regulate the digestive tract. Some dogs, like some people, prefer to “go” on a schedule and providing your dog with routine trips outdoors prevents constipation. Also, when urine sits in the bladder for long periods of time, bladder infections are more likely to occur, so regular emptying keeps this part of the anatomy happy as well.” These are preventable diseases, so let’s do our part to keep our dogs healthy inside and out!

Dog Walks Help with Mental Stimulation:

Daily walks provide essential mental stimulation for your dogs. The many dog walking routes in you can take in your neighborhood offer new scents, sights, and sounds, crucial for a dog’s mental health and mirrored by the pet-friendly Miami activities available throughout the city. Our favorite neighborhoods to walk dogs in are Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, since they’re so walkable, but there’s always something interesting for your dogs to sniff regardless of your neighborhood.

Regular Dog Walks for Behavioral Improvement:

This can almost go without saying, but a regular dog walking schedule greatly reduces behavioral issues. Many popular dog breeds are energetic and intelligent. They need stimulus and exercise to stave off boredom and to engage their minds. Equipaws offers tailored dog exercise plans for all breeds and ages of dogs- so some pets might need 25 minutes, and others might need 60 minutes. Daily exercise will help alleviate anxiety and hyperactivity in dogs. Working on good behaviors and tricks on walks is another great way to engage your dog’s mind. We love working on tricks for treats with many of our regular dog-walking clients.

Regular Dog Walks Can Help with Socializing:

Exposure to Other Dogs: For newly adopted dogs and puppies, walks are an opportunity for safe exposure to other dogs from afar. Learning how to walk on a leash and to behave well when walking by other dogs is a key part of early socialization and long-term behavioral health and will make taking them out for walks on weekends an enjoyable experience. Our professional dog walkers know how to help dogs feel comfortable on a leash and employ positive reinforcement and any method your dog trainer recommends for your pups. 

Dog Walks Build Bonds

Walking strengthens the bond between a dog and his parent, which is particularly important for newly adopted dogs who are adjusting to their new environment. We think all pet parents should get out and walk with their sweet pups, but understand that it isn’t always possible. We’re happy to step in and be a part of your dog’s extended family. 

Regular dog walking is essential for pet health, whether you have a new puppy, a recently adopted dog, or a long-standing canine companion. The benefits of these daily walks extend beyond physical health, encompassing mental well-being, behavioral improvement, and the deepening of the bond between you and your pet when you return home from work to a well-behaved pup. We at Equipaws Pet Services are excited to help you get your dogs on a regular walking schedule. We walk dogs in Brickell, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami, Palmetto Bay, and the surrounding areas east of US1. Please contact us today to discuss a personal dog-walking plan for your sweet pups today!

Frankie Berti

A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.