Tried two different walking routes for a month and one was WAY better for my dog

So for the last 4 weeks I've been testing two routes near my place in Austin. Route A goes through a quiet neighborhood with lots of trees and Route B goes along a busy main road with sidewalks. I thought my dog would like the main road more because there's more smells and people, but she was actually way MORE stressed on Route B. She kept pulling, panting hard, and even refused to walk past a construction site one day. Switch back to Route A and she's relaxed, sniffing everything, tail wagging the whole time. Has anyone else noticed their dog picks up on certain environments way more than they expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

milacraig9d ago

Nah, the busy road probably gave her more mental stimulation which is good.

the_william9d ago

Makes you wonder if the busy road actually kept her mentally sharper than a quiet country road would have. Animals can get territorial and bored in sterile environments just like people do. Then again, you gotta weigh that against the risk of her getting spooked and running straight into traffic. It's a weird tradeoff most people probably never stop to think about lol.