Scout hates walks.
I'm serious. She's a terrier mix. She's supposed to be energetic, feisty, bouncing off the walls. But if I try to take her for more than 15 minutes, she stops. Plants her feet. Looks at me. And says, with her eyes, "No."
Not "I'm tired." Not "I need a break." Just "No. I don't want to do this. And you can't make me."
I used to fight her. I used to pull the leash. I used to bribe her with treats. I used to get frustrated. I used to think there was something wrong with her. Or with me. Or with both of us.
Then I realized: Scout doesn't hate exercise. She hates walks. There's a difference. Walks are boring. Walks are repetitive. Walks are "we go this way, then we turn, then we go back." Scout needs variety. She needs purpose. She needs a job.
So I stopped trying to make her walk. And I started trying to make her move. In ways she enjoyed.
First: fetch. Not with a ball. Scout doesn't care about balls. With a flirt pole. It's a stick with a rope and a toy on the end. You drag it. She chases it. She catches it. She shakes it. She kills it. It's prey drive. It's instinct. It's exercise disguised as hunting. And Scout loves it. Ten minutes of flirt pole? She's panting. She's happy. She's exhausted. And she never once stopped and said "No."
Second: scent work. I hide treats around the house. Scout finds them. She uses her nose. She uses her brain. She uses her body. It's not running. It's not jumping. But it's movement. It's mental exercise. And it's physical exercise. Because she's walking, sniffing, circling, climbing. For 20 minutes. Without complaining. Because she thinks it's a game.
Third: swimming. Scout loves water. Not baths. Not rain. But lakes. Rivers. The dog park pond. She'll swim for 30 minutes without stopping. She'll fetch sticks from the water. She'll chase ducks. She'll swim until she's exhausted. And then she'll swim some more. Because it's not a walk. It's swimming. And swimming is fun.
I have a client named Jennifer. She has a 60-pound bulldog named Brutus. Brutus hates walks. Hates them. He'll go 5 minutes and then sit down and refuse to move. Jennifer was frustrated. She thought Brutus was lazy. She thought she was a bad owner. She thought she was failing.
I asked her: what does Brutus love? She thought about it. "He loves chasing the vacuum," she said. "He loves playing tug-of-war. He loves swimming in my parents' pool."
So we stopped the walks. We started vacuum-chase sessions. 10 minutes, twice a day. We started tug-of-war. 5 minutes, three times a day. We started pool time. 20 minutes, twice a week. Brutus lost 8 pounds in 6 months. Without a single walk. Because exercise isn't just walking. Exercise is movement. And movement can be anything your dog loves.
So if your dog hates walks, stop walking them. Find what they love. Find what makes them move. Find what makes them happy. And do that. Because exercise isn't a chore. It's a gift. And your dog deserves to open it in their own way.
—Megan (currently on my third cup of coffee because writing this made me tired)
Let me tell you about the most frustrating dog I've ever worked with. His name was Tank. He was a 90-pound English Bulldog. His owner, a woman named Lisa, brought him to me because he was "lazy." Tank wouldn't walk. Wouldn't play. Wouldn't move. He just sat on the couch and snored.
I examined Tank. I checked his joints. His heart. His lungs. Everything was fine. Tank wasn't lazy. Tank was bored. And overweight. And depressed. Because he never got to do anything fun. He just got dragged on walks he hated and forced to play fetch with a ball he didn't care about.
I asked Lisa: what does Tank love? She thought about it. "He loves food," she said. "He loves sleeping. He loves watching TV." I asked if he liked anything active. She thought harder. "He likes chasing the laser pointer," she said. "And he likes playing with the garden hose."
So we stopped the walks. We stopped the fetch. We started laser-pointer chase sessions. 10 minutes, twice a day. Tank chased that red dot like his life depended on it. He ran. He panted. He collapsed afterward. And he loved it. We also started garden-hose play. Lisa would spray the hose. Tank would attack the water. He'd jump, bite, chase, and wrestle with the stream. For 15 minutes. Three times a week. And he was exhausted. And happy. And losing weight.
Tank lost 15 pounds in 8 months. Without a single walk. Without a single game of fetch. Just laser pointers and garden hoses. Because exercise isn't walking. Exercise isn't running. Exercise isn't fetch. Exercise is movement. And movement can be anything your dog loves. Even if it seems silly. Even if it seems weird. Even if it's not what you think exercise should look like.
So if your dog hates walks, stop walking them. Find what they love. Find what makes them move. Find what makes them happy. And do that. Because exercise isn't a chore. It's a gift. And your dog deserves to open it in their own way. Even if that way involves a laser pointer and a garden hose.
—Megan (currently on my third cup of coffee because writing this made me tired)
Let me tell you about the most important lesson I've learned as a dog owner. Exercise is not a chore. It's not a punishment. It's not something you "have to do" because your dog is fat. It's something you "get to do" because your dog is alive. And the key to making it work is finding what your dog loves. Not what you love. Not what you think exercise should look like. But what your dog actually enjoys.
Scout loves swimming. She loves fetch. She loves the flirt pole. She loves scent work. She hates walks. And that's okay. Because I don't love walks either. I love watching Scout swim. I love watching her chase the flirt pole. I love watching her find hidden treats. I love watching her be happy. And that's what exercise should be. Happy. Fun. Enjoyable. For both of you.
So if your dog hates walks, stop walking them. Find what they love. Find what makes them move. Find what makes them happy. And do that. Because exercise isn't a chore. It's a gift. And your dog deserves to open it in their own way. Even if that way involves a laser pointer, a garden hose, and a frozen green bean. Because happiness is the best exercise. And love is the best motivation. And your dog deserves both. Every single day.
—Megan (currently on my third cup of coffee because writing this made me tired)
