A dad has been hailed a “genius” after revealing the simple trick he uses to convince his toddler she’s helping to walk the family dog.
Joakim Volberg Bjørklund shared a clip online of his two-year-old daughter “walking” their Husky-Labrador mix, Bolt.
And parents everywhere are obsessed.
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Joakim said taking Bolt out had become a daily battle, as his little girl insisted on joining him every single time.
Like many parents know all too well, it often seems easier to walk the dog alone – but toddlers rarely agree.
So the 30-year-old came up with a brilliantly simple solution that’s now gone viral – attach a mini lead to the dog’s harness, giving the child the illusion of doing the walking, while the parent safely holds the real lead.
Joakim explained he keeps a firm grip on the proper lead the entire time.
“I’m not sure when I got the idea, I don’t think it was because I saw it somewhere,” Joakim, from Sandefjord, Norway, told What’s The Jam.
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“I have tried multiple alternatives, and after many tries, I ended up using the combination you see in the video.
“It made my toddler happy, like you probably can see with the head bobbing.”
He added that his daughter is “almost obsessed” with going outside.
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He said: “Some days she wakes up and the first thing she says is ‘out and run?’
“And when she turned two, and understood that the dog needed to go out to pee, she wanted to join every time I went out with the dog too.”
The dad’s video went viral online with almost six million views on Instagram and three million views on TikTok.
And parents loved it.
One person commented: “This is pure genius!!! New level of parenting unlocked.”
Another added: “Omg that is GENIUS!”
And one user wrote: “I do it with my 3 yr old. Works wonders. She looks so proud walking her dog.”
But the real star was Joakim’s daughter, who dances joyfully beside Bolt in the clip.
Joakim said the response has been overwhelming.
He added: “Going viral usually means getting a lot of hate comments, but from this, it is basically just positive.
“It’s like being famous for a week – or my toddler being famous.
“It’s going to be fun to show to her when she gets older.
“The only problem with this trick is when my dog gets zoomies.
“Sometimes I need to pick her up.
“I would say the trick is successful, but it’s important that the grown-up has the shortest leash.
“You always have to be in a position to have control of the dog in case something happens.”
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