Cultivating Curiosity On Your Daily Dog Walk

I believe that every day is an opportunity for adventure. Not always a skydiving-crime-solving-mountain-summiting adventure, but an occasion to seek something unexpected. It can be a challenge to get into a mindset that keeps you open to exploration and new experiences, when it’s much easier to stay in your routine (or let’s face it – your rut). I know that I can easily get caught up in my daily tasks and to-do lists that I scramble to fit a walk with my dog Piper in at the last moment before sunset — and that’s a quick way for our walks to turn into a chore instead of an opportunity for bonding and new adventures.

So, here are a few mindset shifts to refresh your daily dog walk routine.

First, set yourself up for success. Even the best of intentions and the shortest of walks can fall flat if you find yourself unprepared. Make sure you wear comfortable clothing that I can move in and walk in. It’s wearing sunscreen and sunglasses when it’s sunny. It’s making sure I have a water bottle and plenty of extra bags for dog waste.

Part of the trick of being prepared for a dog walk is to keep all of your dog walking necessities in one place in the house. Don’t spend precious minutes of your dog walking time trying to find a leash or a harness or a spare house key.

Observe With All Five Senses

Dogs are experts of observation, and I love watching my red heeler mix react with a head tilt or an ear twitch to a new sight or sound. They are fully present in each moment, and are connected to their immediate experiences.

A simple way to connect yourself to the present is to cycle through the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch) and observe each separately. During a river walk, I might see reflections on the water, hear cranes and geese, smell the earthy ground, taste mulberries from the trees, and touch smooth branches and crunchy leaves.

Have a Mindset Free of Expectations

Allow yourself to deviate from what you think your dog walk experience should be — and simply allow it to unfold. This could be a meditation of sorts that you carry with you as you walk, to remind yourself that you don’t have to follow along your typical route. Having a mindset that is unattached to habit will allow you to interact with your dog and your surroundings in a new way. A helpful exercise is to first notice what your preconceived notions of an experience may be, and then consciously choose to let your expectations go in favor of going with the flow.

Break Out of Your Location Rut

Walking a new trail or in a new neighborhood is the easiest way to shake things up! You’re forced to acknowledge what things are different along your route and be in tune with your surroundings. Your dog will surely appreciate the new smells and sights that accompany a new area.

If I’m planning to explore a totally new location and want to plan a new route, I like to pull up Google Maps and use the satellite feature to see if I can find any hidden parks or greenways as a fun stopover. I am fortunate enough to live in a city with beautiful hiking trails nearby, but getting out of your walking rut doesn’t have to mean a new epic destination – it can just mean a change from the norm.

Explore with a Friend

One of my favorite ways to spend time with a friend is to go for a walk. It’s a win-win-win: walking can help stimulate interesting conversation, it combines exercise with socializing (for you and your dog), and it’s free! Another reason walking with a friend is a great way to allow new adventure into your dog walk is that it’s more than likely your friend has a different walking route or favorite destination than you do. I’ve discovered some of my favorite hiking trails thanks to friends, and my dog loves to see her favorite people and dog friends.

Cultivate Curiosity

If something piques your interest, check it out. Explore it. Resist the need to have an agenda. It’s easy to brush an impulse to explore out of your head (because of a time limit, an uncertainty, or even a fear of a new experience).

If you have a fear of exploring whatever caught your eye – acknowledge that fear, but don’t allow it to determine your actions. Of course, if you are walking with your dog, there are certain things that can’t be explored in the moment. But for some, a simple deviation from a known route or an encounter with a new person can be a challenge. Allow those new experiences to present themselves to you and be open to the new opportunities you might encounter.