Walking the Dog In The Countryside – Advice for Pet Owners

Walking is important for both you and your dog. Walking for about 30 minutes a day makes you healthy and feel happy as well. Walking does not only make you feel good, but also helps you enjoy increased energy levels, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and maintains the health of your heart. However, you need to be aware of certain issues when you take your dog out for a walk. These are as follows:

#1: If you happen to meet farm animals when walking with your dog, you must keep it under control and on its lead. Leave sufficient space in between the farm animals and your dog. If the animals show any kind of aggression, leave your dog and allow it to run away. Moreover, you should also quickly leave the field.

#2: Do not allow your dog to foul open access land or any public place. Train your dog to go in your yard prior to taking it out for a walk. Dog mess spreads some terrible diseases and infections. This is because dog poo may contain microscopic Toxocara Eggs (as many as one million!). The symptoms of Toxocaris infection, especially in children, include nausea, dizziness, epileptic seizures and asthma. Serious infections can cause eye damage and even permanent blindness.

Unwormed dog poo may harbor parasites that can cause harm to farm animals such as cows and sheep. Clear up the mess and dispose it into a dog bin in case your dog gets caught short. If you don’t have access to a bin, ensure that you don’t leave the mess behind. Also, do not put it in a bag and hang it on a tree. Dispose it at home in a safe manner.

Children, cyclists and pushchair and wheelchair users make use of the countryside throughout the year.

#3: Landowners may take action if your dog strays into their property or causes worries to their livestock as it is considered to be a serious offence. Special rules apply to access land and dogs are to be kept on a fixed lead which is less than 2 meters.

#4: Small children may get frightened if a dog comes bounding towards them. Some adults who do not appreciate inquisitive noses and muddy paws also might find it frightening even though you know that your dog is being friendly to them. Be considerate and put your dog on its lead as and when you see people coming towards you.

#5: When going out walking/riding with your pet dog on bridleways, byways and restricted byways, be on the lookout for horseriders, especially in the narrow sections. Many people do not know that barking dogs and those that are let loose can frighten horses. Frightened horses can cause problems for themselves, riders and others, especially if they take flight or rear up. You can prevent this from happening by ensuring that your dog responds to your recall at all times. Therefore, you need to either keep your dog a fixed as well as retractable lead or keep it in sight provided you have confidence that the dog will respond to your control signal or command or signal.