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5 Simple Ways to Make Walks More Fun for Your Dog
Did you know that walks can offer your dog a lot more than just a form of exercise? In fact, they’re an important part of your dog’s happiness and wellbeing. Adding a little variety can turn an ordinary stroll into a stimulating and entertaining experience for your pooch. This article covers five simple ways to make walks more fun for your dog. 1. Switch up your routes While there’s nothing wrong with having a favourite route, adding in some variety at least a few times per week can be very beneficial. Variation makes each walk less monotonous for both yourself and your canine companion. Exploring new paths or simply taking a familiar route in reverse keeps things mentally engaging, as different sights, sounds, and smells stimulate your dog’s curiosity. When they don’t know exactly what to expect or where they’re going next, the walk becomes exciting and adventurous rather than predictable. Your bond with your pooch can also strengthen when you try our new hiking trails, parks, or even city walking routes (if they are comfortable with it) together. 2. Include training along the way In addition to offering fresh air and exercise, you can use walks as a chance to practice training and commands like recall, sit, or loose-lead walking. This keeps your dog mentally engaged as well as physically active. It also improves their ability to follow commands and exhibit positive behaviours. Additionally, training that involves rewards (like training treats) and praise can help strengthen your bond with your dog. This may be particularly beneficial for dogs who need extra practice to pick up on new commands or tend to become bored on standard walks without stimulating challenges. 3. Embrace sniff time Sniffing is how dogs explore and process the world, so allowing them to pause and investigate enriches their walk. While it seems a little gross to us, sniffing the urine of other dogs gives them a chance to gather information about the surrounding canine community. Additionally, sniffing helps meet some key sensory needs as it is a natural behaviour. While they may end up being a little shorter, walks with regular sniff stops can be as physically tiring for your dog as any other walk thanks to the dual cognitive and respiratory engagement they entail. If you want to take this option a step further, you could try taking your pooch on “sniffari” walks where exploring with their nose is the main goal and they get to lead the way. This is a great method for keeping it interesting, boosting their confidence, and reducing stress. 4. Add some play If your walks tend to only involve walking, you could try adding some excitement with the addition of outdoor playtime. Try going to a safe off-lead area during your walk, and bring a ball or tug toy along that your dog enjoys playing with. Whether it’s fetch, tug of war, or even hiding treats for them to find, playtime with you will make it all the more special and exciting for them. It also helps burn extra energy and makes the walk more mentally and physically engaging. This option is particularly ideal for playful dogs with lots of energy who thrive on variety and interactivity. 5. Walk with a friend Dogs who enjoy company can benefit from walking alongside a canine buddy. This change to their routine offers a chance for socialisation and extra mental stimulation. If you have a friend or family member with a dog that your pooch gets along with, walking with them can add excitement and happiness to your dog’s day. The extra company can also make walks more enjoyable for you, too. This option is especially beneficial for dogs who enjoy the company of canines but don’t live with other dogs at home. If your dog is more into people than dogs, inviting their favourite person (excluding you, of course) along on your walks can also add some pep to their step. Final thoughts A few simple changes to your usual walk routine can make a big difference to your dog’s enjoyment. By mixing up routes, encouraging sniffing, incorporating play or training, and adding some canine and/or human companions, you’ll turn walks into a daily adventure. For most dogs, walks are the highlight of their day, so it’s worth going the extra mile to make sure they’re as stimulating, enjoyable, and exciting as possible.
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What Your Dog’s Chewing Habits Might Reveal About Their Mood
Chewing is a very natural behaviour for dogs, but how they chew can be surprisingly telling. Patterns like hoarding, shredding, or speed-chewing may reflect their mood, energy levels, and preferences. This article covers five common chewing styles that could help indicate how your pooch is feeling. 1. The Fast Chewer This type of chewer tends to devour everything quickly. So, if your pooch always finishes their treats in seconds, they probably fit within this category. Here’s what this behaviour could mean: Fast chewing could indicate that your dog is feeling high levels of excitement or has a lot of pent up energy. This could also mean your dog is very food motivated and is therefore enthusiastic about the special treats and chews you offer to supplement their regular diet. If your dog seems at all stressed while gobbling down their goodies, it could be a mild case of resource guarding to prevent their chew from being taken away. This is more likely if other dogs or people are around. Tips for supporting your fast chewer: Use longer lasting, sturdier chews like tendons and antlers to help slow them down. Give your dog a safe, calm space to enjoy their chew to reduce resource guarding. Use a chew holder or grip to encourage slower chewing and reduce gulping. 2. The Slow and Steady Chewer In contrast to the fast chewer, the slow and steady chewer takes their time with each chew, savouring every last nibble. If your dog takes a long time or multiple chew sessions to get through their chews, this is likely their category. Here’s what this behaviour could mean: Chewing slowly can indicate that your dog is feeling calm and content while enjoying their chew. If your dog is particularly slow with certain types of chews, they may be picky or selective about which flavours and textures they enjoy. Slow chewers also tend to be less food motivated, and are therefore not in a hurry to devour everything in sight like other types of chewers. Tips to support your slow and steady chewer: Choose flavourful chews with a strong scent to help keep them engaged, like trachea, for example. Pay attention to their preferences and stick to chews with their favourite flavours and textures. Offer chews during safe, calm, and relaxed moments, as their slower chewing style may reflect a need or desire for peace and quiet. 3. The Hoarder Instead of chewing straight away, some dogs like to stash their chews away. If you often find your dog’s chews stashed in their bed, behind furniture, or under cushions, they likely fit into the hoarder category. Here’s what this behaviour could mean: Your dog’s hoarding behaviour may be caused by their natural resource preservation instincts, and they likely see the chew as high value and something to protect. While not always the case, hoarding can indicate feelings of anxiety or uncertainty. If the environment where you give them the chew is busy or overstimulating, they may be saving it for later when they feel more comfortable. Tips for supporting your hoarder: Offer chews on a consistent schedule to help build trust that more will always come, as this can reduce their urge to build a stash. Try offering what they consider to be lower-value chews during busy times so they’re more likely to chew immediately rather than hoard. Create a safe, quiet space for chewing to help them feel relaxed and undisturbed, as this can help make them comfortable enough to settle down to enjoy it instead of hiding it away. 4. The Shredder Some dogs find it fun to rip and shred their chews into little pieces. They may then eat all of it, or just some if they’re more interested in the ripping aspect. If your dog’s chews tend to look like they’ve been through a shredder, this is their category. Here’s what this behaviour could mean: If your dog’s chews get completely obliterated, this can reflect high energy levels or strong prey drive, both of which may be related to their breed. Some dogs have a natural urge to “dissect” and destroy rather than consume. Your dog could be chewing (or shredding) as a form of stress release, and it may just be their way of self-soothing or decompressing. Tips for supporting your shredder: Choose textured, tough chews that can withstand tearing, such buffalo horns and cow hooves, to give them something to really work at (you could also fill these chews with peanut butter to encourage chewing and licking while reducing shredding). Supervise closely and remove small shredded bits to prevent accidental swallowing or choking on pieces that seem unsafe to eat. Offer chews after exercise or during downtime when they’re more likely to focus, as shredding can be a sign of built-up tension, so timing matters. 5. The Carry-Around Chewer Some dogs show a lot of interest in the chew you’re offering, only to pick it up and carry it around without really chewing. If your dog likes to carry their chew around like an accessory, this is their category. Here’s what this behaviour could mean: In the same way that some dogs like to carry around their favourite toy or blanket to feel safe, your dog may be using the chew like a comfort object. Their unwillingness to settle and chew could indicate that they’re feeling slightly uncertain, overstimulated, or anxious. Similarly to the hoarder mindset, your dog may be carrying it around in an effort to keep it safe, especially if it’s a chew they view as high value. Tips for supporting your carry-around chewer: Try offering a soft toy they can carry around instead, something safe and comforting that satisfies the urge to “hold” something. Once they have another object they like to hold instead, encourage actual chewing by giving flavour-rich chews during quiet, calm moments. Strong-scented options like pig ears are more likely to help redirect their attention back to chewing than odourless chews. Final Thoughts Did you find your dog’s chew style in this article, or do they do something different? Every dog has their quirks, and no chewing style is inherently good or bad. Additionally, you may notice these patterns can shift depending on their age, environment, or mood. Try to explore different chew types to see what your dog prefers, and in watching them enjoy their goodies, you might learn something new about them!
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The Best Dog Chews for Dental Health (Part 1)
Dental health is an incredibly important and often overlooked part of any dog’s overall health and wellbeing. At first, excess plaque and tartar may lead to mildly unpleasant issues like bad breath. However, this buildup can also result in discomfort for your dog and expensive vet bills for you if the state of their oral health deteriorates into any form of dental disease. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to combat and prevent poor dental health, some of which your dog will actually enjoy. For example, natural chews can help reduce buildup and strengthen their jaw while also keeping them entertained and adding extra nutrients to their diet. This article covers some of the best natural chews for supporting canine dental health. 1. Beef Tails Beef tails are very popular as they’re easy to digest and their flavour always gets tails wagging. As they’re quite tough and chewy, beef tails are ideal for scraping off plaque while strengthening the jaw. They’re long-lasting, which means they also provide plenty of entertainment for your pooch. Our beef tails come in standard and jumbo sizes to accommodate different breeds, sizes, and needs. If you’re looking for a high protein, nutritious, natural, low fat chew to help support your dog’s oral health, this could be the perfect option. 2. Ear Chews Ear chews come in many varieties, from cow ears to pig ears to rabbit ears and beyond. The natural texture of ear chews allows them to gently clean your dog’s teeth and gums as they happily gnaw away. The type of ear chew that suits your dog depends on various factors, like their dietary needs/restrictions and general flavour and texture preferences, as well as any additional benefits you want the chew to offer. For example, rabbit ears with fur can aid digestion, while cow ears are very high in protein. If your dog prefers a specific type of ear chew, getting them a bag to work through is a great idea. However, if you don’t know what your dog prefers or would like to offer them some new options, our All Ears Chomper Box with eight different types of ear chews could be ideal. 3. Beef Tendon Beef tendon is the firm favourite of one of our resident pooches, Peanut (as you can see in the featured image of this blog post). It’s the perfect balance between flexible and chewy, which works well for cleaning between teeth. Plus, beef tendon is very easy to digest, low in fat, and contains plenty of protein and collagen. As this type of chew is long lasting, it can keep your dog occupied and happy while providing important oral health benefits as they chew. Some pup parents prefer beef tendon chews to other options as they offer a wide range of benefits with little to no odour. So, if you're looking for an all natural dental chew that your pooch can enjoy without offending your nostrils, this could be the one. 4. Pizzles (Bully Sticks) Pizzles, also known as bully sticks and pizzle sticks, are excellent for dental health due to their naturally firm texture that encourages extended chewing. This allows for deeper cleaning and increased oral health benefits. Pizzles are long lasting, low fat, very high in protein, contain beneficial amino acids, and appeal to even the fussiest of pooches, making them a great choice for any dog. Our pizzles come in three different sizes (standard 12cm, extra thick 12cm, and thick 20cm) so that dogs of every breed and size can enjoy a pizzle chew that’s right for them. So, if you have a dog that’s hard to please or needs a dental chew that’s equally delicious and long lasting, pizzles are calling your name. 5. Buffalo Horn As far as durability goes, you’ll struggle to find a better chew than buffalo horns. Their tough texture is ideal for strong chewers, providing mental stimulation while scraping tartar as they work on it over time. Plus, buffalo horns are full of protein and low in fat. This is not a single sitting chew, and it can be used in multiple ways. For example, some people like to use buffalo horn chews as a natural kong by stuffing them with kibble, pate, or peanut butter for an extra enriching experience, while others find that their dogs prefer the horn on its own. It’s important to note that while this is an excellent dental health chew, its extra firm nature means that it’s not suitable for puppies without fully developed adult teeth, dogs with pre-existing teeth issues, or senior dogs. However, if you’ve got a mighty chewer at home who could use some extra entertainment while improving their dental health, you’ve just found their perfect match. 6. Antlers Antlers make for a hardy, long lasting chew that provides excellent jaw exercise while helping to remove plaque. They’re also rich in collagen, lipids, glucosamine, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, and magnesium, helping to supplement your dog’s diet with extra nutrients and health benefits. Our antler chews come in two varieties (split and full), to cater to different preferences. Some dogs love full antler chews, while others prefer the split version as the tasty dried marrow centre is easier to access. Either way, antlers are ideal for persistent chewers, but like with all chews, they require supervision. They are meant to be chewed and gnawed away rather than bitten in an attempt to break them up, so be sure to look out for this. Due to their hard texture and density, antlers are recommended for dogs aged 12 months and up. So, if your adult pooch needs a serious chewing challenge, antlers might be the way to go. 7. Yak Chews Did you know that yak chews were originally created for human consumption, and are still widely eaten by Himalayan people and their dogs? In the UK, they’re a very popular type of dog chew, usually made from the milk of yaks and cows. Some of the options on the market contain added nasties, but the yak chews available on our site contain only natural ingredients. We offer different sizes (small, medium, large, XL) to suit any dog’s needs, as well as convenient multipacks. Their texture is hardy, but they soften as your dog chews and gnaws them. This process helps strengthen the jaw while encouraging plaque removal from the teeth. So, if your dog is tired of conventional chews or you’re looking to switch up their routine, this could be an excellent new dental chew to add to their rotation. Final thoughts Supporting your dog’s dental health may feel daunting, but regularly offering healthy, natural dental chews will allow them to do some of the work for you. However, regular teeth brushing and routine vet visits to assess their dental health are always recommended as well. If you tick all three of these boxes, your dog’s oral hygiene should be excellent, helping to reduce the risk of uncomfortable and expensive dental diseases and procedures in the future.
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