Do Dogs Need Days Off From Walking? Why Rest Days Matter
What if I told you that to improve behaviour, some dogs need days off from walking? There are many benefits to walking a dog but in this post I’m going to explore why rest days are crucial to help self regulation and reduce frustration and overwhelm. I’ll also briefly delve into alternative activities that will help keep your dog fulfilled and stimulated during this period of time.
Have you heard the saying âa tired dog is a happy dogâ? This saying gets thrown around loosely and actually does more harm than good.
Many people truly believe doing more is the key to having a happy dog – more walks, more running around, more training. When in reality doing more can be harmful, especially if it’s more of the wrong thing.
Sometimes what is needed is more of the right things – more stimulation, more adequate exercise, more enrichment, more play and especially more rest.
So when the question âdo dogs need a rest day?â is asked, the right answer is yes!
3 Drawbacks of Walking Your Dog Daily
Now firstly, I want to mention that walks obviously have numerous benefits for many dogs. I am not using this as an excuse so people can become lazy with their dogs. Not walking your dog can be very detrimental over the long run without finding alternative ways to fulfil them.
The majority of dogs can go on their walks stress-free, deal with situations without getting overstimulated and regulate their frustration and arousal levels quickly without it becoming an issue.
What I am talking about is the dogs who really struggle on walks. The dogs that struggle with self regulation, constantly see triggers and stressors on their walks, practice unwanted behaviours, get worked up constantly.
The dogs that are more stressed after walks are those where daily walks may not be the answer, here’s 3 reasons why dogs need a rest dayâŚ
#1 – Stress, Frustration and Trigger Stacking
Stress can be a very serious issue when it comes to dogs. Those that can’t self regulate and stay in a chronic state of acute stress can find themselves acting erratically and performing unpredictable behaviour.
For many dogs, walks are actually super stressful and not being able to deal with this stress can cause overstimulation on walks which can be interpreted as reactive behaviour.
Constantly going on walks causes an issue known as trigger stacking in dogs.
Trigger stacking occurs when multiple stressors or triggers build up over time, overwhelming a dog’s coping mechanisms causing frantic, unpredictable and even reactive behaviour.
The dogs that will really struggle with trigger stacking are those that have issues with self-regulation. These will be the dogs that are labelled reactive, high energy, anxious, challenging etc.
Being unable to escape triggers and stress can lead to a chronic state of stress which can lead to behavioural issues and on a long enough scale other health issues too.
This is where taking a rest day, or even more than one, can be beneficial to reducing this level of stress and arousal to a more manageable baseline.
#2 – It Isn’t Adequate Exercise
Walks are great for keeping a dog active, healthy and stimulated, but for many this is not an adequate form of physical exercise to fulfil a dog.
Many owners of dogs that are high energy, anxious or reactive try walking their dog more to tire them out. This doesn’t work though, walking a dog more and more will better the cardio requiring longer walks in the future (I made this mistake).
A lot of owners only focus on the walk as well, they believe a 1-2 hour walk is fine and then don’t bother doing anything else throughout the day.
Taking a day or some time off from general walking to actually fulfil and meet your dogs needs may be the reset that you are looking for to help eliminate or reduce the unwanted behaviour problems that you are dealing with.
#3 – A Place To Practice Unwanted Behaviours
For some dogs, walks are a place that unwanted behaviour is practiced. How many times have you heard owners say âhe’s great inside but outside he’s a nightmareâ.
Whether it be not listening to commands, reacting to triggers, jumping on people, not coming back when called. A lot of behaviour problems out the door are linked with both training but also stress levels and overstimulation.
If your dog is running around slowly getting more frantic and aroused, what are the chances they’ll come back when called?
If your dog has had a stressful walk and is over threshold and someone walks up to say hi, what are the chances your dog will remember to sit and stay instead.of jumping up to say hi (or even in the worst case scenario bite someone?).
A lot of behaviours that owners are trying to eliminate are strengthened on walks because they are repeated constantly due to the dog constantly being in a state of stress and unable to self regulate.
If you’ve been struggling for a while with issues like reactivity, constant jumping up, whining, recall and more then maybe the answer isn’t going to be more training. Maybe the answer is to take some time off training to allow your dog to relax, let their stress and frustration drop and get them to a point where they can think more and make better choices.
Why Rest Days and Detoxes Matter
Rest days are great for reducing stress and helping a dog self regulate.
Rest days involve staying away from triggers and stressors and replacing them with other beneficial activities. This means that rest days realistically are spent indoors and without walking but increasing enrichment and stimulation.
For some dogs 1 rest day will be enough to reduce the stress and arousal levels in the system, just by keeping away from the stressors they normally endure, others may need a few days whilst others may be in need of something longer, a detox.
A stress detox can range from as little as 3 days, but for some dogs who struggle with self regulation, this may take longer. Dogs that have constantly been in a chronic state of stress may find that they need a detox period over 2 weeks to reach the desired results.
Whatever the time frame, the goal of this detox is to eliminate stress. This is by reducing anything that is stressful to the dog and replacing it with meaningful activities but also focusing on rest and relaxation where the magic happens.
If you’re struggling with a dog that you believe is over threshold, stressed, frustrated and acting out of behaviour then you can download my 5 day detox for free below! An easy 5 day programme that you can follow and personalise for you and your dog to help bring them down to a better mental state that allows them to make better decisions.
Alternative Adequate Exercise, Enrichment and Stimulation
So when dogs need a day off from walking, what are the alternatives? You’ll be surprised to hear that there are actually loads of different activities that you can substitute in for your daily walks.
Below I shall briefly touch on some of my favourites. More information on these can be found in my activities inspiration guide found in my 5 day dog stress detox!
#1 – Scatter Feeding
Scatter feeding for dogs involves scattering your dog’s food in a certain area and letting them scavenge for it.
This is a highly stimulating activity and makes mealtimes more enriching. Doing this for a minimum of 20 minutes can have huge benefits to your dog.
This activity can also be done inside as well.
You can find more about scatter feeding for dogs on my blog post here.
#2 – Sniffaris
Sniffari dog walks are a walk led by your dog, one that allows them to explore, sniff and be a dog. Sniffaris are great for decompression, confidence building and stress relief.
You can discover more about Sniffari dog walks on my blog post here.
#3 – Flirt Pole
Using a flirt pole is great for exercise especially for dogs who have a high prey drive. This game can get intense so adding a mental element like obedience to avoid overarousal will be beneficial
#4 – Running/Biking
An activity that is overlooked is running or biking with your dog. This is a great outlet especially if you have a dog that loves to run and even pull!
#5 – Enrichment Box
This is one of Jasper’s favourite activities. Get a cardboard box, add extra bits of cardboard and paper in and then put some food or treats inside and leave your dog to “forage” the rewards.
#6 – Lick Mats
These are great options for stimulation on top of a routine. They can help wind a dog down after physical exercise or when they are worked up.
You can find out more about lick mats and their benefits in my blog post here.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this post will make you realise dogs need days off from walking, whether its one day, a couple, or even over a week!
Taking time off can do wonders for your dog’s behaviour, allowing their stress and arousal levels to drop and get them to a better state of mind. A better state of mind allows for better decision making, a more responsive dog and makes training a lot easier to do.
