Dog owners sensationally told not to walk pets every day as trainer upends years of advice

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Help your pet be as active as nature intended. Exercise and play time are necessary for your pet’s mental and physical well-being. If you don’t give your dog opportunities to be physically active, or if you don’t encourage exercise for your kitty and find ways to make it happen, you may well end up with a bored, destructive, overweight pet whose health will spiral downward throughout her lifetime.

The bestselling author of ‘STOP Walking Your Dog’ instead encourages pet owners to sometimes replace their usual 30-minute hike with an alternative, more stimulating activity.

She recommends replacing walk time with training games at home to promote wellbeing in canines.

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"Replacing walk time with training games at home can give the dogs the skills they're missing to live calm and happy lives."

She said: "Contrary to popular belief, dogs with behaviour struggles can get more reactive or more excitable when we try to exhaust them through too much exercise.”

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She said: "A growing number of my clients have nervous or reactive dogs and I've shown them all the amazing activities you can do at home to help dogs grow the skills they’re lacking to be happy on walks.

"Skipping some walks can help both dogs and owners alike destress.

"When more than half of walks are stressful (for the dog or you), it's time to do something different."

Pet owners should also skip a walk, for example, if the weather is too hot or cold, it can be dangerous to the dog.

Express yourself. Dogs’ ears are extremely expressive. It’s no wonder! There are more than a dozen separate muscles that control a dog’s ear movements.

Also for new puppies that aren't vaccinated, and dogs who are unwell, a walk might not be best.

Niki said: "Playing games at home is a great way to build skills our dogs need and boost our relationship with them.”

She became a dog trainer three years ago after having a life-long passion for animals.

The trainer focuses on positive reward and enrichment games like digging sandpits, playing with cardboard boxes, using lick mats and hide-and-seek activities.

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She said: "It's good to have other things in your toolkit. This applies to all dogs and surprisingly it can work best for breeds that need lots of exercise.”

For some owners, who have reactive or anxious pets, it can be intimidating and stressful leaving the house for a simple walk.

She said: "I want these people to know that they aren't alone, and we aren't judging them.”

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