A.N.M.E Podcast
The Animal Naturopathic Medicine Ēducātum (ANME) is where the true biological form of each animal's health is at the forefront of our discussions to support them throughout every stage of their life.
The college specialises in short and professional courses in clinical naturopathic studies for animals within the subjects of biology, nutrition, herbal medicine, myotherapies, anatomy and physiology.
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A.N.M.E Podcast
Dog Walks: Small Dogs, Small Legs
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
One glance down can change the whole walk: is your small dog strolling, or sprinting to survive your pace?
We dig into why a human “quick walk” can push a little dog into an extended trot, how fatigue shows up as they start drifting behind you, and what chronic effort can do to soft tissue over time.
Then we slow things down and defend the sniff fest. Sniffing is enrichment, but it’s also how dogs build memory, map their world, and read the scent trails left by others. Add in hydration and thermoregulation, and you get a clearer picture of why that panting “smile” isn’t always happiness, especially when a dog can’t stop, toilet, rest, or drink.
If you want better small dog exercise without overdoing it, press play, then share this with a fellow dog walker. What’s one change you could make on your next walk to let your dog set the pace?
Welcome
Goodbye
Welcome And The Small Dog Focus
SPEAKER_02Hello everyone and welcome to today's podcast. Today's discussion is going to be about walking with small dogs. Small dogs really, but in particular small dogs. And today here with me is Ashley.
SPEAKER_01Hello everybody.
SPEAKER_02And Ashley, what's your first thought when I bring up the subject of when I'm looking at somebody walking their small dog?
SPEAKER_01Well, they're not walking slow, are they?
SPEAKER_02No.
SPEAKER_01They're walking fast.
SPEAKER_02Exactly.
SPEAKER_01They're not walking at the pace. The dog's not walking. The dog's
When A Walk Becomes A Run
SPEAKER_01running. They're walking.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. So this is one of the things that I I find it really difficult to get my head around. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not that I haven't had a small dog. But one of the things I think people forget about is how many strides the small dog has to take to keep up with one human stride. And it's not, this is not every human that owns a small dog. We see lots of small dogs that are walked appropriately and they're having that wonderful enrichment of sniffing. And uh we'll talk about that in a minute. But then I do see other dogs where the owner is power walking along, and the dog hasn't broken into you know what we class as a full run or a canter or a gallop, but their trot work that I would am saying that I'm looking at is it's like an extended trot. And occasionally when you see those poor small dogs with the extended trot and they do their little um stifle skip, uh it's a worry, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01Definitely.
SPEAKER_02And you know, it's not to say that uh it you know, this is every dog, I'm not we're not saying that at all, but it's something to to think about the strain on the skeletal system, you know, and again that'll depend on the age of the dog. Um and also then what moves the skeleton. So it gets back to this thing all over again. Muscles attach to tendons and tendons attached to the bones, ligaments wrap and strap the skeleton, and nothing will move unless that muscular system is able to move the skeleton, basically.
SPEAKER_01Um and how long they can actually hold up that pace for? Like it gets to a point where then you always see them getting slower and slower and slower because that extended truck can't actually extend because they get tired and fatigued, and then they end up going behind the owner, and then it's like the owner is almost dragging them, like dragging them along, exactly.
SPEAKER_02I feel like you know, there's got to be a water stop too at some point, you know, and I know that some dogs don't like drinking particular water out at different venues and parks and so forth. Um, but you know, this is where they've got to carry one of those little portable
Strain, Fatigue And Muscle Tightness
SPEAKER_02water bottle things that you can sort of like attach to a lead or attach to your to your own waist belt kind of thing that a lot of people will have as well. Yeah, but the stress and strain when you look at this day in and day out, and another question I'd like to put out there is how many people when they are going along um the gravel, especially if this is through a particular, you know, a um park that people might go through a lot, um, but there's can be variances between the gravel and also, you know, the bitumen concrete kind of whatever they lay down. Um, do they check their dog's paw pads and do they check in between after each walk? Because there can be quite abrasive aspects on the paw pads and and the nails as well. And it's also interesting to look at the nails and see, you know, if the dog is tracking well, because sometimes the toenails are worn unevenly, and that will quite often tell you a lot about the muscle function in the body and dysfunction. Yeah, really. Um, but quite often when you put your hands on these small dogs, like you know, obviously we still do a lot of this and so forth, um, putting our hands on to do a bit of a soft tissue diagnosis kind of aspect of the dog, and you feel these flat, flat, strung out muscles on little dogs, and you know, when you get down to the length of the muscle, looking at like their muscle tendon junctions and where they attach to, uh, they're like rock hard. And it's something to really think about, I think. So Ashley, you know, quite often we have a wonderful giggle about our own dog when we go for a walk
Paw Pads, Nails And Surface Wear
SPEAKER_02because it's the biggest sniff fest in the world, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it truly is.
SPEAKER_02And so what what is it about, you know, Ruby, but every dog that is so important that they get that time for that sniff fest?
SPEAKER_01Well, it really is not just yes, about the enrichment, like what you've touched on, but it's also about uh this is what fuels their their memory and their their mapping of everything. Because, like for us humans, yes, we do rely a lot on what it is that we are seeing and um hearing, but sight more so, as that's the one thing that we do rely on in terms of being able to map out and make memory. But for dogs, uh it's actually their nose. Their nose is their biggest trigger of memory and how not just their environment in which they are walking, but who else has walked here? What have they done? Like they're leaving all of these little trails that um like we subconsciously we don't even think about this, but for a dog, like this
Why Sniffing Builds A Dog’s World
SPEAKER_01is their absolutely everything, it's how they map and make memories, make associations, and then this is what they dream about as well, isn't it? Like and so um it's really important, and when so then when you see these dogs that um are that stressed or fatigued because they're having to keep up with a pace, they're not being able to do this the this natural map building. Um, but even like we see dogs that they're pulling to want to be on the side of the path to be able to to smell or to even to go to the toilet, but the owner's not pulling them along, aren't they? Like they're not letting them actually defecate even. Exactly. Or have a rest, indicating I'm tired, but like it's not being picked up because the owner might be too busy talking to their friend or sipping on their coffee. We've got to get to the next bit, and like it's just out.
SPEAKER_02No, yeah. They don't get the opportunity. Like, how many times would Ruby do a we on on if we were doing just in just think about the one kilometer quick walk, which is not quick because we let her meander and sniff. She might she might do ten or however many, like even if it's a drop, she's leaving a marker, someone comes along and leaves another marker, and then she knows that you know it's their own like uh news newsletter board, like you want to think of it like that, like everyone's contributing to the conversation, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Like that's essentially what's happening. And so when they're not able to do that, like it's it's kind of like there's this perception of, oh yeah, my dog loves going for a walk, like it's the highlight, but um, they're loving going for a walk because they're going with their pack, like that's that association. We're going for a walk. But how many of them are actually then truly enjoying the walk for what it is that they really want it to be? Like that aspiration of oh yes, I'm getting to go outside and I'm I'm smelling, but I'm not actually behaving on this walk how I truly would want to be like behaving and interacting, taking the time to do that because oh, like I want to be with my owner and like this is so much enjoyment that we're like having together, but then like they've got to get that adrenaline out, they've got to keep up and not be able to do that.
SPEAKER_02See, because this this brings us back to the fact that you know, if we look at dogs being, you know, the relatives to our wolves and so forth, um, but even wild dog packs, they they're not gonna go for a walk every day.
unknownNo.
SPEAKER_02They don't they don't want to alert what they're going to be hunting that they're there. But once once they've hunted and they have um you know restored their their um food source, their energies and so forth, they then have a um you know a quiet time. They don't want to burn off all the calories that they've just hunted.
SPEAKER_01Yeah,
Hydration, Stress Signs And Overexercise
SPEAKER_01exactly.
SPEAKER_02So although our dogs are fed on a regular basis, humans tend to do that. That's another thing that we will talk about in an in another podcast, is that what you're feeding your dog, how it fuels the muscles and the body as as such, and their need for water or less need for water depending on what they're eating, then that in itself, too, when you couple that with exercise, some of these dogs are being exercised on an incredibly dehydrated body.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Which just then contributes to the stress on that body even more so. But because the dog wants to always be with its pack, humans the pack, as we've said, um, then they they won't not please you. Yeah. But that you're their food source too.
SPEAKER_01And that's like the thing as well, like us humans, we sometimes can look at the dog and go, Oh yeah, God, they look so happy. Like they've got that smile, that pant smile, but like they're not happy. Like that sometimes it's not in relation to that. Sometimes it can have a stress look. Like when you really look at the eyes and you don't focus on the the smile line aspect of the pant. Like that's when you go, Oh, that's actually a stress.
SPEAKER_02Well, it's an inside combustion that's going on because they're not hydrated and they're actually have just over-exercised for what a dog was ever designed to really do.
SPEAKER_01Because they can't they have a different replacement of those electrolytes and salts within the body because they don't sweat the way us humans do. And so like a lot of I feel like a lot of pet owners don't truly understand that aspect of that, yes, I'm tired, but also thermoregulation, like you can talk about that in depth.
SPEAKER_02So the emphasis today was very much the small dog, you know, even though every dog, you know, may not need to be walking at a particular pace or for however long, but our little small dogs, uh you've really
A Simple Checklist Before You Rush
SPEAKER_02just you've got to look down and just check in with them. You know, are they getting to stop and sniff? Are they getting to go to the toilet? Are they getting that enrichment? And are they burning how many calories and how much energy and muscle fatigue, muscle strain, joint strain? How much are they doing? So it's it's about being mindful. So please, you know, have a think about it, being mindful, and um don't let your little doggy down.
SPEAKER_00No, if you look down, then he or she is doing a type of a stride. Sometimes you can't even see their little legs.
SPEAKER_01Their little legs. They're just moving so fast, and the human's just taken one step. But it looks like a giant step compared to the little paws moving next to it. Oh, you've got to think to yourself, am I walking too fast for these little legs?
SPEAKER_02Especially if the dog is ending up behind you. Yeah. Um, they get dragged along, don't they? So, and this really, you know, again, that's parts of those aspects when you're looking at stride length and stride frequency. How many steps is the dog doing to the human? I mean, you could look down and have a little count if you want, but I don't know if you'd be able to keep up with them. You'd lose count. So be mindful, everybody, you know, and this is for all dogs and um everything about their little existence, really. So thanks for listening, and um we'll catch you all next time. Bye for now.
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