Bored? Feeling stiff? Been staring at a screen — any screen — for too long?

Walk your dog.

A recent Washington Post article points out the many reasons to walk  your dog. Nothing earth-shatteringly new, but it bears repeating.

Walking your dog is good for your dog in so many ways — mostly not about exercise. Or not primarily about exercise.

Quality time

Your dog loves spending quality time with you. Walks are the pinnacle of quality time for dogs (well, for some dogs a game of fetch or tug or a belly rub might claim the top spot). This means no “multitasking,” mostly seen as fiddling with your phone while walking your dog. Focus on the dog — and on meeting the dog’s needs and wants.

I do this by letting the dog(s) choose the direction we walk and by letting them stop and sniff frequently.

Dogs need to sniff & learn

The sniffing is essential. As Kelly Conaboy, the Post writer says hanging out only in their own yard is like “reading the same book over and over again.”

Dogs discover so much about the neighborhood and its other canine (and squirrel, raccoon, and deer…) inhabitants by sniffing. Entire books have been written on the importance of sniffing (to dogs) and their astonishing abilities. Smell walks provide the kind of mental stimulation that we dull humans cannot provide, no matter how many treat toys, training sessions, and games of backyard fetch we offer.

For Dotty and Orly, the sniffing is huge — but so is the opportunity to see new things. They are ardent squirrel-watchers, love our safely distanced encounters with deer, and live for the frequent opportunities to greet friends, neighbors, and random strangers: Whenever we walk to the park, we get to say hi to George, an older golden retriever gentleman who is nearly always in the most beautiful yard in the neighborhood, and who comes running over to say hi (OK, maybe I am the one who gets the most out of these encounters …). A chance encounter with the neighbor who always carries top-grade dog treats is like winning the lottery! A stop at a different neighbor’s always-stocked treat jar (actually a plastic fire hydrant with an elaborate screw-off top) is a close second, more like winning $50 from a scratch-off. Some days, we get all three!

In the months she’s been with us, Dotty has watched a large house get a new roof; seen an old house be demolished, a new foundation dug, and walls begin to go up; and studied countless fire trucks, street sweepers, delivery trucks, motorbikes, and more. She’s met preschoolers at the playground and watched them splash in the turtle fountain and play on the climbing equipment. We see the neighbor kids board the school bus many mornings, often after they give each dog a pat or scritch.

Exercise for both (all) of you

With two young dogs at home, I could take the easy way out and let them play in the yard. They get plenty of exercise wrestling and chasing each other.

When it’s very cold and icy, I (very occasionally) do that. But we go for at least one and usually two (or more!) walks a day. I need the exercise and the break. They need the exercise and the break.

Most dogs will not get enough — or any — exercise alone in a yard. The exception is a young dog like Dotty, who has far too much energy for her own good: She often runs laps in the yard just to burn off steam. This makes me sad (and a little relieved …) since it makes clear how far I am from meeting her needs. Unless she’s training to run in the next Missoula marathon…?

Shockingly (?) a third of the respondents to a 2011 study admitted to not taking their dogs for regular walks. (How many more lied?) Don’t be one of them! Dress for the weather, leash up … and head off to wherever your dog takes you!