Dog-Walking Tips During Quarantine

While most states have asked folks to stay home when possible, something that is allowed is exercise! To stay busy and keep your dog happy during quarantine, you can take them on plenty of walks for exercise. Of course, it's still important that you stay smart and healthy on walks. Here are some tips for you and your pup!

1. Avoid Popular Parks

While you might love taking your dog for a hike through a local park, many other people probably have the same thought during this time. Going to a popular location might put you at risk to be in contact with more people, and it can be make it harder to stay six feet away from them. 

2. Wear Masks

While your dog doesn't need a mask, you should wear one while walking! If you're handy, you can make a cute homemade mask, or, if not, you can buy one. Wearing a fabric mask can still offer breathability and the smell of fresh air while helping keep you and those around you safer.

3. Cross the Sidewalk

When you're taking your pup for a walk, use the "cross the sidewalk," method. It's very simple - if you see somebody approaching, cross the sidewalk, street, or grass median to ensure that there's enough space between you. Of course, you can still give them a friendly wave!

4. No Pets, Sorry!

While our dogs are usually total hams who love to socialize, we unfortunately need to limit their socialization as much as ours. If someone asks to pet your pup, kindly tell them that now's not the best time. If someone pets your pup, they're likely to get closer than six feet to you, and there is always a risk of cross-contamination. 

5. Find Wide Hiking Trails

If your pup is itching for a hike, you can still get out on the trails! Just be sure to choose carefully. Just like we mentioned with parks, you'll want to avoid the most popular hiking spots near you. Another tip is to go somewhere with wide trails, that way it makes it easy to stay as far away from others as possible. If you go hiking somewhere with narrow trails, it's hard to to keep enough distance between yourself and others.

It might seem as if all we have to do now is think of new ways to be cautious, but you know that they say - better safe than sorry! The good news is, you can still enjoy plenty of stress-free outside time with your dog if you follow these tips.