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Guest article by Jessica Brody from ourbestfriends.pet

Congratulations on your new pet! A dog is a wonderful member of the family, but are you sure you’re ready for your new dog? She’s going to need more than just a bowl of food and a bed. She’ll also need a good collar (or harness) and leash because she’ll need to go for walks—lots of them! Even dogs that enjoy a large fenced yard still need to go for regular walks. 

Taking your dog for a walk is not only great exercise (for both of you!) but it also keeps her mentally stimulated, relieves stress and boredom, and lets you both practice her training exercises. It’s also a great opportunity for her to meet new friends and become a more confident and properly socialized pet.

To help your dog get the most out of her walks, here are a few apps to try:

Dog-Walking Apps with Training Benefits

FitBark

Add a colorful FitBark bone to your dog’s collar and monitor her health and behavior all day, every day. You’ll know when she’s active and when she’s sleeping – and even how well she’s sleeping! It can also alert you to signs of anxiety, and the Health Index can give you an early warning if she’s showing signs of discomfort or disease. The FitBark app will also keep track of those important walks! 

iTrainer Dog Whistle & Clicker

Use the simple iTrainer Dog Whistle app to assist with your dog’s training during her walks. Besides a whistle, it includes a clicker and several squeaky toy sounds to help pinpoint correct behavior and reward it. It also has more than forty different animal sounds to keep your pooch engaged and entertained.

Tractive Dog Walk

Keep track of how far you’ve walked, the exact route you took, and how much time you spent walking your dog with Tractive Dog Walk. This app lets you add photos and notes and keep a history of the walks you and your dog have taken. You can even go on virtual walks with friends or family members, who can follow along in real-time.

Whistle

The Whistle app lets you keep track of the distance your pet has covered, the calories she burned, and even how many minutes she was active at home between walks. Setting realistic fitness goals for your pet can keep her from facing the dangers of pet obesity. With this app, you can track every minute of her day. You’ll know how much time she spent walking, running, playing, and snoozing. You can even get alerts letting you know if she spends more time sleeping, licking, or scratching than most dogs. Knowing that could help quickly head off a medical problem. 

Can Your Internet Handle Your Favorite Dog-Related Apps? 

If you want to be a great dog parent, you’re going to need a great phone and a reliable internet connection. Your internet will need fast and secure access and WiFi connectivity (for when you’re at home with your pooch), while your phone will need to be able to handle the latest and greatest apps. Fortunately, there are several dynamic smartphones that can make your digital doggy dreams come true!

One model to consider is the Samsung Galaxy S10+ with its captivating display screen and five cameras. It has more than enough speed and power for anything you might ask of it. It also offers a whopping 1 TB of expandable storage for all of those adorable dog photos you know you’re going to take! If you prefer Apple phones, check out the iPhone 11 Pro. It has all of the usual bells and whistles with the addition of one of the best cameras available on any phone. 

Now that you’ve got a handful of great dog walking apps and a phone that can handle them, what are you waiting for? Grab a leash, stuff some treats in your pocket, call your dog, and get walking!