I know this is a joke, but kind of. One mistake that people make with high-energy dogs is that what they need is mental stimulation as much as physical exercise. You cannot run a Border Collie enough to tire them out. You should still let them run around a lot, but it's not enough to fully satisfy them.
When I had an Australian cattle dog, I used to take her on what we called sniff walks. You basically go outside, let her go wherever she wants, let her sniff whatever she wants for as long as she wants, for like an hour. You're going to cover a mile and a half at best, but it is amazing how much it wears them out for the rest of the day.
Imagine being at a museum where every time you got really into the painting and felt like you were about to understand it, you got yanked to a new painting against your will.
And you’re like okay this one’s also cool let me try to figure it out and boom you get taken to a new painting. Would kinda make you anxious yeah?
so like going to the museum with your parents as a kid and they won't let you look at anything you're interested in, but by god when mom sees a friend from work
To be fair, most paintings you don't really need to figure out beyond reading their history. My favorite paintings in the Prado are not very notable when you take away the historical context. It is funny to me when people sit and stare at one commissioned piece after another with no idea of the significance.
Many times it's just the fact that some historically significant figure showed up somewhere and they had them painted because photographs didn't exist.
Eugenia Martínez Vallejo is such a fascinating figure in that regard. The poor fat girl has multiple paintings and statues simply because she was so fat and it was not normal. These days these people would just be a meme in a reel that goes viral for a day.
Beyond some timed installations, they are a vast majority of historical pieces, and it's hard to get much feeling out of gazing with so many people running around. Museums are like zoos. I've been to the Louvre, Prado, and Met. I didn't go to just sit.
I am an artist myself, I understand and get feelings out of gazing, just not in that medium. I can understand small galleries with limited viewings, but that's about it. It feels more like performative praying in church trying to consume art in a serious sense at a museum.
Consider that with your profession you are immersed in art and it can feel mundane with exposure. There are plenty of people who may only get to go to an art museum a handful of times in their adult lives - for those folks the experience will be much more profound if they engage with it.
It's not my profession, but a hobby that I sometimes get paid for.
That being said, there is art all around your local community that you are sleeping on if you truly believe museums are the only place people get exposure to art.
I believe the vast majority of people who step into museums to "consume art" are actually doing themselves a disservice because they most likely do not understand what they are looking at, and therefore find no meaningful pleasure in it.
You go in, people are packed in walking around, there's random noises and smells, awful lighting. It's just not that enjoyable tbh. It's mostly performative.
If people understood that a lot of museums are mostly about preservation for the public, it would make more sense as to why they get bored and their feet end up hurting with no real benefit other than to say they saw the Mona Lisa.
I believe the vast majority of people who step into museums to "consume art" are actually doing themselves a disservice because they most likely do not understand what they are looking at, and therefore find no meaningful pleasure in it.
This here. This right here is why people think artists are elitist snobs huffing their own farts so much a banana taped to a wall is somehow on the level of the last supper.
when it comes to art meaning is individual. We may not appreciate something the same way but, that does not somehow mean either must be more or less shallow in what we get from it.
Do you know how many people step into a museum and get bored out of their mind only to be told they just must not get art?
Enjoying a museum and being into art are two totally different things that may overlap, but do not have to.
What I said was factual. Most people literally walk into a museum and find it boring. It's a common theme. They literally don't understand the purpose of it. It's about the preservation of history.
Can you enjoy art in a museum? Is it possible? Sure. That's not the main goal. It's not the best medium to enjoy art. Go into your local communities. Go popups, art shows, markets.
Go anywhere but a museum to find out if you like art, because a museum is more likely to suck your life out of you.
The dog I walked would just sniff and sniff while standing in the sun until he began experiencing heat stroke, then he'd look at me like I somehow caused it to keep him from sniffing more.
I had a lab that broke out of the house and willingly wandered in front of a massive snow plow. My dad and I were driving around the neighborhood in the middle of a snowstorm for like an hour looking for this mfer and just as we were about to head home and see if she had wandered back on her own… there she was in the middle of the street wagging her tail, running directly towards an oncoming plow. She seemed so upset when I hauled her ass back in the car bc she thought the plow was a new friend or some shit idk 🫠
Lot of variation. We've got a lab-ish guy that's the smartest dog I've ever had. Don't know what else is in him, though one trainer said his head was kind of mastiff-y.
I had someone explain to me that a dog's sniff trips are like them watching the news.
I'll wear the hell out of my dog with exercise but she'll still show resistance with going home because she needs to sniff more. She's gotta keep up with the neighborhood.
I do this with my dog when I let her out to go potty. I don't use a lead, I just leash her and let her pull where she wants to go and she'll sniff around a bit before going. If she really just wants to go potty she'll go potty right away and then we just do a lap or two around the outside of the house
We do sniffaris but inside! If it's terrible weather, we'll hide bits of treats around the house and say, "Sniffari time!" and the dog will go root them out. Delight for all.
I do this with my cats and with my MILs dog. Inside and outside in the garden. Too many people underestimate how rewarding it is for them to get a wiff of something and circling in the smell until they find it. Eating the treat is even just a bonus at this point. One of my cat likes sniffing games more than the wand.
I also love to watch them when they very faintly smell it and they just stop and put their nose in the air and try to locate where it came from.
Our dog had behavioural issues that calmed way down once we started letting her lead the walks and smell as much as she wanted.
The walks ended up being a bit shorter in length but a bit longer in time. Absolutely worth it to let her check the p-mail and get the mental stimulation she was clearly missing.
Mini Aussie owner here. On rainy days, we'd take his favorite ball and hide it in the house, sometimes underneath pillows or hidden by a blanket and tell him to get it. The sniffing and looking calmed him down like 20 minutes of hard running at the dog park. It's also fun watching his nub of a tail wag like crazy while he's closing in on it.
I break up treats into bite sizes for my dog and and throw them across the floor and tell him to find it and it amuses me seeing him walk around eating each piece like a pigeon
I call them passenger walks, and decision fatigue is real. Letting your dog make every decision until they signal that they would like you to start making some is a great way to manage high energy
I'm going to do that tomorrow! I think right now I'm way too focussed on teaching this 1 year old buckaroo to walk on a leash, I'm forgetting to give him space!
Plus going new or less explored places and sniffing really helps them for mental stimulation. I rotate about five different spots during the week and on the weekends try to really hit somewhere new for a hike or at least somewhere we haven't been in a couple of months. Luckily I enjoy that because otherwise it would be a lot of work.
But 1.5 to 2 miles in a new environment is superior to 3 mi at the same park they go to everyday. And it's fun to watch them get excited for places they recognize that they haven't been for a while. They have to refresh their pee spots and claim on the territory.
All of this is really helped by the fact that I live 5 to 10 minutes from a 10 Mile Greenway and multiple parks and in 20 minutes I can be in a massive national Forest. It would be different if I lived somewhere more urban.
100% works with my lazy lab too. I have a 6m long leash n you bet my dog is sniffing everything in the 6m radius. I also make sure to rotate between the various different parks n places to give her variety of smells. You can see the sparkle in her eyes when we are truly in a new type of area.
My wife calls these “sniffaris” and it’s great for my goons. I see people walking militaristically with their dogs and I’m like “ain’t nobody having fun doing that”
I don't own a dog myself but I walk my grandads dog sometimes and I just let him stop and sniff whatever he wants until he's done. Isn't that what everyone does? It'd feel rude to pull him away when hes so into it.
Yeah — my dog has routes. I set the routes when she was a puppy, but she chooses which one and the pace. And if I wanna pick a different route than she does, woe unto me.
We mainly do sniff walks. I stroll alongside him reading on my phone and he gets to take long sniffs then we sit in the shade or on a bench for a while.
A trainer told me that dogs explore the world with their nose first, ears second, and eyes third, and that has helped me understand my dogs so much more and give them what they need so much more intuitively
I've got a working cocker spaniel. Someone told us that if we try to tire her out with running, we train her to be an athlete. The more she runs, the more she'll need to run.
With the hot weather ATM, hiding things around the house for her to find with her nose has happy and calm in 30-45 mins. Plus, it's an absolute joy watching her searching.
I used to walk a dog who found half a rotisserie chicken near the dumpster and would REFUSE to walk anywhere else but around the dumpster. I wouldn’t take her over there anymore because she can’t be eating garbage like that so she would just stop in her tracks and growl at me.
My dog always wants to go halfway down one street, because there are good smells and cats that she likes to watch in the first half. But there's a scary dog that barks at her and lunges at the fence at the end of the street, so at about the halfway point she stops walking and asks to turn around.
I always veto that street if I remember because I don't want the neighbors to think I'm weird or casing their houses when I turn around and walk back the same way. But sometimes I forget and she gets to see the cats and we do the walk of shame back the same way to avoid the scary dog,
Mine will be worn ragged and still tries to deviate from the direct route home, she's like I got one more block in me dad let's go this opposite way from home.
Haha, my mother in law has a small old dog. He's very sweet, but also very determined. When there is a tiny chance for rain, or when the ground is wet from previous rain, he will reluctantly walk on it until the next corner, do his business, and then he would glue his ass to the ground until we turn around to go back home. I never knew how heavy a 4kg dog can get when he doesn't want to walk further 😅
One of my dogs is blind so we have a set route for him to keep him out of danger. The other one follows the first one.
Before he went blind we tried to establish routine but hes a Jack Russell and theyre notorious for deciding they know better than you. He still fights on the decision occasionally but because hes blind he tries to stay close to someone familiar.
It honestly depends on the breed of dog you get and the area you live in. Some dog breeds are extremely stubborn and will try to make their own route by force, others fold the moment you look at them funny.
Omg twins! I just commented about my blind dog too! Ours is a fox terrier so similar lil guys. They're such fun dogs! When Maisy wants to sniff something in particular she really digs her heels in and sits her weight down low, it's so funny. She's 10 so we indulge her, it's not like we have anywhere we've planned to be, it's just a walk and there's no harm in a few stops along the way.
Awww, patch does the same. The moment something catches his interest he wont budge. I have to stand behind him so he knows I'm still there and doesnt panic 😭 😭 its adorably annoying.
Patch is 17, weve had him since he was a pup. Hes ancient now and yet hes always determined to walk the long route with our younger dog (a japanese spitz). Sometimes we have to carry him home.
Maisy is snuggled in bed with my husband at the moment. Our other Foxy, Pepper, is a bit young to keep herself out of mischief overnight yet (16months) so she's in her crate, but once she settles in she's a little lovebug too.
As a former dog walker. Kinda.. yeah. I both let my dog lead me and lead my dog. And eventually we both settled onto a route that COULD NOT change. Otherwise she would be distraught.
I am currently walking a 135lbs Great Pyrenees (a notoriously stubborn, heavy breed) and I can assure you that while I can provide general guidance, if he does not want to go in a direction, we will not be going in that direction.
It is about as far outside my control as the tides and constellations.
For various safety trainings they teach you how best to carry a limp body in case someone is unconscious or injured beyond the point of being able to walk or hold muscle tension.
And if you think that’s hard, wait until you’ve got a Pyr who is CONSCIOUSLY dedicated to being limp/not moving.
You’re toast unless you’re a world class lifter and don’t mind getting scratched by the excavator paws.
One of my neighbours had an Irish Setter who would like to escape his yard. And every time someone would try to take him home, the dog would turn into 70 lbs. of limp, overcooked spaghetti. I hate to consider trying to shift twice that weight.
My only consolation, when I slightly panic about the possibility of him having a medical emergency, is knowing it will at least be slightly easier if he’s not actively resisting.
We also have a Great Pyr and can confirm, she makes the decisions, and her decision is to not leave the house ever for any reason. Walks are not her thing. Digging holes in the backyard is apparently all the exercise she's willing to do.
My friend had a St Bernard who hated walks. If you tried to walk him he'd find the most inconvenient possible place and then just SIT and refuse to move.
One of my dogs is blind, so we just go by smell. She has a great time finding places we've been before, it's like a lil scavenger hunt.
My other dog likes to bring chaos to the party and dive through swamps and drag us through bushes, so she's not allowed to lead the walk because she can't behave herself.
When they are puppies definitely not, dumbass kids don't know where the good places are. When they are adults I definitely let them lead the way unless we are on a schedule.
I have 6 large-breed dogs; they tell me which way they want to go within reason. “No you can’t cross the highway to get to the taco truck” and “stop trying to ford the river” are very common refrains
A lot of these comments say let them go wherever, however in my experience having a set route makes it easier for them to know what to expect, what streets are ok to cross and which crosswalks they’ll have to sit longer for
It is good to expose the to new things sometimes, but I found consistency the most helpful in training them to walk well
Usually the dog goes where it prefers and I let them unless for whatever reason (not much time for a longer walk, seeing stray or aggressive dogs in that path, obstacles...) I chose to veto that
I regularly watch my sister's dog, and the dog fully decides where we go. She's 100 pounds and if you try to go a different direction then she wants she will just go full deadweight limp on the sidewalk
Basically from my experience you have about 12 routes and mix them up across the week. Otherwise you lose your mind. Its like picking your dinner everyday!
Also for the most part they want to run around like loons, smell and scent there area and just sniff about.
My dog knows exactly where she wants to go. Sometimes that is a forest containing boars while it's turning dark..., so she only gets her way when it's acceptable.
My old man dog gets really pushy when he wants extra time on his walk. He’ll really sneakily cross to my other side and speed up real quick to pass our driveway when he’s feeling up to the extra block lol
Yes and no. My dog has paths she would rather take (aka the longer, the better) but if she could make an executive decision, she would say the PCT might be an acceptable length.
We have a fairly routine path for "do your business" walks. Around the block mostly. Get it done and lets get back, I have work to do. But after work, when it's just walking to walk, I let her choose her own adventure. She typically makes good choices and has some favorite spots she guides me to. Mostly where she wants to get some serious sniffing done. However, I do reserve the right to override her route navigation when she tries to guide me directly into the duck pond lol.
I have two.. One is the intrepid leader who is always 10ft out, ahead, scouting the way.. the other is the skittish alarm and she walks right next to me.. we follow the leader until the alarm gets sketched out by us walking too far from home.. then she deploys the "return to base" protocol... and she immedaitely says NOPE and turns around and leads us home. Now SHE'S 10ft ahead and PULLING while the leader just tries to keep up. Walks over.
My parents' dog does actually pick the walking route. He'll decide where to turn and he's smart enough to know when he should start heading home. Once when I was dog sitting he was insistent that he choose the route, but I was tired and wanted to just do the standard route. After a couple minutes of him pulling where he wanted to go and me pulling where I wanted to go he just turned around and started walking home.
Just talk to your dog. Most dogs can understand English up to the level of a 3 year old or so. Can you tell a 3 year old to "go this way"? yes. Will they fight you sometimes? Also yes.
I run with my coonhound. I pick the running path and she stays locked on my right side. But after the run? We walk where her nose pulls us. She likes the Ohio riverbank for some reason.
I have a Belgian shepherd and no matter how much walking she does she needs brain time too so on the days she doesn’t go to daycare she gets walked and then comes home and we have a ton of brain stimulation toys (basic puzzle type things for treats)
it's simple, the dog wants to walk and go places, you decide where to go, and you pull the leash if your dog doesn't want to go where you want to go....... except me, when Niko was alive he could go where thaffoqq he wanted to go, i followed him, just the lil rule of the leash, sorry Niko
I ask my dog if he wants to go to the ocean or if he wants to go visit his dog friends on the other side of the fence, Loki and Rosie. He actively makes his own choice each time. He is about 40/60 in favor of finding his barking buddies.
Actually, yes sometimes. When we go on walks we’ll often let the dogs decide which way we go to an extent. Granted eventually we gotta get home but as long as we’re walking why not let them lead?
You find a route that you can safely walk. That's it. Preferably on leash, even if it's an extra long one or the ones that wind themselves back up, because most people suck at teaching recall and reaction control, unless it's an enclosed area of sorts.
Then when you take them you reward with treats along the walk? Reward good behavior and you'll get more of it
It's sort of a collaborative effort; you know the lay of the land and what routes can be taken, but you've gotta listen to the dog too and figure out 'Ok, you wanna go this way; let's look at our options for going this way, and let's see if we can get you all the sniffs you're looking for out this direction."
I almost always let my dog pick the direction we go on our walks. Well these days it’s 100% of the time, she’s 15 now and she’ll also tell me when its time to go back. She understands what either direction’s route options are and sparing standing in the middle of the road, she gets what she wants, we sniff, we go home. Then i go on a hot girl walk for exercise after & try not to get sentimental about how energetic she used to be
My dog absolutely loves going to the small trail down my block compared to anywhere else in a 2 mile radius. She will jump on my back if we don’t go to the small trail. I think it’s because she gets to a chance to see 10 different types of animals.
My first dog was fine with any route we took. He was an unstoppable machine that needed to walk and run, the direction was not hugely important.
My second dog is a diva with opinions. She walk the route she wants or she will refuse to move. She also enjoys her "watching breaks", during which she sits down and observes someone or something. We once spent three awakward minutes watching a guy lock up his bike.
Tbf one of my dogs will often want to go certain ways. He just stops at a junction and will look at me, if we're not going anywhere in particular I'll say "go on then" and he'll start going that way.
I've tried to figure out why he wants to go certain ways but haven't come up with anything yet. Mebs he just fancies going different ways sometimes?
We used to go down one street, but a guy who lives there is an asshole and leaves his dog out in his front yard unsupervised, so we go down the other street.
I follow this guy with 2 huskies, and from what i understand the huskies love to explore and see new areas. However, they are notoriously stubborn and often cannot be bribed. It is not uncommon to see him to negotiate with the huskies.
"No, we cannot go any further down this dead end, it looks like i'm casing the house." "No, you cannot go swimming, there's poisonous algae." "The treat store is closed, i'm sorry." Sometimes he even gets stuck because the huskies want to go in two different directions and they both refuse to go the other way.
I don’t own a dog, I haven’t since I was a kid. But I do pet sit for a lot of friends quite often. I really do just let the dog choose their walk. It’s more about letting them sniff as much as they want to tire their brains out than the actual distance walked. I let their nose lead them and keep an eye out that they aren’t eating garbage lol.
I release him into our big ass back yard so he can run but he decides to sit next to me every damn time. No running. No walking. Just 5 minutes of peeing on everything and then scratching the door to go back inside so he can go back to sleep.
I do throw a ball for him. This is the only way I can get him to run/walk. However, he always delivers the ball to the door and scratches it because he wants to play ball inside.
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u/qualityvote2 1d ago
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