A Balanced dog

Hey everyone, my name’s Helder and I’m a part of the big paws team. I love dogs and everything
about them, that’s why I joined this awesome team of dog enthusiasts. We love to work our dogs and
use them for whatever it is they were meant to be bred for. In this blog, I just want to briefly give you
some tips on what I do to keep my dogs happy and balanced.

One of my favorite things to do with my dogs is walk them. I can’t stress enough how important
it is to walk your dog every day. Just cause you have a 2 acre lot doesn't mean you don’t have walk your
dog. A walk is not only for physical exercise, but also for mental stimulation as well. Working your dogs
mind will tire him out faster as opposed to trying to drain him physically. When I walk my dogs, there
is a structure and they must follow that. If they fall away from it, I will correct them and get them back
on pace with me (their pack leader). First thing to remember when you take your dog out for a walk
is to wear comfortable shoes, I like to wear my Air Jordan's as they not only look good, but are super
comfortable on my feet.

The next step would be to put a collar on your dog. If your dog gets all excited when he sees the
collar or when he sees you going to the door, wait for him to calm down. You want to start your walk
with a calm dog and end it the same way as well. So once you’ve got the collar on your dog and his leash
attached and he’s calmly waiting for you to open the door, go ahead and open the door. Remember that
you always want to walk out first as this is what the pack leader does. In the wild, the pack leader will do
everything first, whether it’s eating, playing, walking, etc…

Ok, so now that you’re on your walk, try to make it fun for both you and your dog. Work his
brain a little bit by making him heel next to you, Heeling for a dog is very draining mentally and is an
excellent way to tire him out. We like to put our dogs through an obstacle course, climbing and jumping
through anything we can find here in an urban environment. A walk doesn’t have to be a chore, it
should be fun both for you and your companion. When you’re ready to come back home, remember
to end the walk the same way you started it. I make sure my dogs are calm and then I walk through my
door first and let them in after me in a calm manner. There you have it folks, make your walks fun and
enjoy that personal time bonding with your dog. To me, there’s nothing better than a balanced dog.


Thanks for reading everyone :)
Helder, Stella & Brandy