Walking your dog isn’t just about potty time. A stroll around the neighborhood with your furry family member has multiple benefit to keeping your pooch healthy and happy.

Keeping weight down

Walking can fight obesity by burning more calories — keeping the pounds off for both you and your dog.

Improves joint health

Immobility can prevent joints from working properly. Keeping joints in motion improves their function and helps keep muscles active, preventing them from weakening.

Maintain digestive and urinary health

Some dogs, like some people, prefer to “go” on a schedule and providing your dog with routine trips outdoors prevents constipation. Also, when urine sits in the bladder for long periods of time, bladder infections are more likely to occur, so regular emptying keeps this part of the anatomy happy as well.

Boost mental health

While some dogs have the benefit of a fenced-in yard, there are benefits beyond physical health that come with walking your dog. Unsurprisingly, dogs do not like being ignored nor do they like being bored. They need something constructive to do. Taking a walk, which will make it less likely they will do something destructive, like chewing shoes. Walking exercises the mind as well as the body.