Ditching the daily walks improves the bond between pets and owners and helps owners feel more confident of a happy life together. 

The research was carried out by dog trainer Niki French to mark Don’t Walk Your Dog Day which took place on April 2nd. 

Niki found 69% of people who reduced or stopped walking their dog noticed positive changes in their dog and 71% of people that are walking their dog less report their quality of life has improved. 

A third said their dog is noticeably more relaxed in day-to-day life, one in five said they were calmer when they did go for walks and 16 per cent noted an improvement in behaviour. 

Niki said: "I started Don't Walk Your Dog Day because I wanted to start conversations about dogs that really struggle on traditional walks. 

"And to raise awareness that walking a dog isn’t the only way to give them the stimulation and enrichment that they need. 

"There is a lot you can do that doesn't involve dragging them to a park or around the block and causing them stress.” 

Reasons for cutting back on walks include reactivity (85%), a medical condition, surgery or injury (10%) and other people's dogs being out of control (3%). The remaining 2% of dogs suffered from noise sensitivity. 

People are most likely to replace walks with training and brain games at home, enrichment activities such as using lick mats, snuffle mats, food puzzles, hide and seek games and swimming in rivers or the sea. 

When asked how people feel about walking their dog less 76%, felt generally less stressed or anxious. 53% felt relief. 44% felt guilty and 23% felt they needed to justify themselves to friends and family. 

Niki added: “The message is that you don't have to walk your dog every day if you dog doesn’t enjoy it. And by turning your back on the advice that we've had drummed into us for decades, it can have real benefits for you and your pet.”