I know what you are thinking, doing "nothing" contradicts the fact you are doing "something" - walking. Normally with dog walks, you just want it to end as quickly as it's started just to tick it off your to-list but hear us out here. Why you should try doing "nothing" on your dog walk might actually benefit you in the long run. I guess you are now thinking, how does this work and what's the benefits? On your next dog walk, choose to just stop and do "nothing". You could sit on a bench or stop and admire the view but the main thing is to do nothing, don't go on your phone, don't talk to your dog, just silence and ideally without warning. The duration is up to you but the main goal is to encourage your dog to find comfort and contentment in random areas. To identify your dog's contentment, this is reflected on your beliefs and what you aiming for. It could just be them sitting down, them laying down on their belly, them laying down on their side or just them stop barking; it could be anything. The key thing is that the goalposts can move and duration of doing "nothing" can change. Once you happy with the task's completion, praise the dog with appraisals and treats before heading off again. By practicing this behaviour, you are encouraging your dog to relax in unknown areas at unknown times. The quicker the dog relaxes, they become less likely to be reactive in their immediate pproaches, less likely to get involved in situations, great problem solving challenge and it can even be beneficial for every day life e.g. waiting in a queue.
Set yourself the task to try this next time, you can bring headphones if that makes you feel more at ease with doing "nothing". It can feel quite bizarre at first but you get used to it.
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