Your Best Dog: That Dog Needs Exercise

The importance of exercising your dog is often overlooked. Many pets in America, especially, are relegated to the house or the backyard all day, everyday without so much as a walk around the neighborhood.

Many people believe that the dog gets enough exercise by just being outside. More often than not: not true. Dogs like to interact with their people, and they will receive a far better and more thorough work-out when doing it together.

Why is Exercising the Dog Important?

Fat/Health: Dogs appearing at vets' offices overweight is one of the leading health concerns. A fat pooch has a shorter lifespan.

Behavioral Problems: What people coin as behavioral problems are usually just the dog trying to find something to do. If he has energy that is not exercised out of him, he will fill his time with alternate and less people appealing activities.

Hyperactivity: This is a behavioral issue, true, but it has a bigger problem. Sometimes people think they have a stupid dog that cannot learn. Really what they have is a hyper dog with too much energy and little exercise. That's like asking a kid on a sugar rush to sit down and do math. Not gonna happen!

To solve many of our dog's problems, we need to get them out and about and exercising. Not only will this help with health and weight maintenance and lessen chances of behavioral problems, but it will also create a more social and happy dog.

The most obvious way exercise your dog is to take your dog for a walk. But there are other methods that really get your dog's heart pumping and do a good job. Plus, the more variety your dog has in its exercise routine, the better. It helps break down monotony and work different parts of your dog's body.

Exercise Suggestions:

If you're a bike rider, strap on a bike attachment. There are several very good ones, including the suggestion below. These easily attach to a bike without damaging it. Then, hook your dog to the attachment and off you go. You should start out slowly to get the hang of it.

If you like to rollerblade (and are good at it!), consider taking your dog along with you. Make sure your dog is mannered enough not to pull you into any inappropriate or dangerous situations.

Long distance toys make great options to really get your fetching dog running. Chuck it toys or sling-shot based toys are excellent options for throwing the toy a far distance for your dog. You can also attach a fuzzy toy to a fishing line on a fishing pole and cast it quite a distance as well (make sure the dog cannot get the hook).
Water activities are excellent exercise for dogs who like the water. Ponds and lakes are great outdoor locations for throwing bumpers or buoyant toys. If exercising your dog in a larger body of water, you should consider putting a life vest on him for safety.

Some pet physical therapy centers also have an underwater treadmill. This may cost more but it can provide a healthy and well-balanced workout.

Train your dog to walk on a treadmill. Your dog must be acclimated, so have plenty of good treats and his collar and leash on hand. Two people make the learning process easier. Put one person in front of the dog with the treats in front of his face. The other person will stand back and hold the leash. Hold the leash short enough he cannot get off the treadmill. Start the treadmill on the LOWEST setting, barely moving. Keep the beginning sessions short %u2026.you can make is faster and longer over time. Many dogs love to do this and will do so without the leash at a more advanced point.

Exercise Considerations:

If your dog is not used to exercising, is older, or is a puppy, any exercise routine needs to start out slowly. Also, make sure your pet passes a vet approval prior to beginning.

Always keep the exercise fun. If your dog is not enjoying it, try another activity.

Your goal is to tire your dog out each and every day, so how much exercise is required for your individual dog depends on a lot of factors.

Lastly, keep your exercise varied so the dog enjoys it more. Mix up walks with bike rides or distance toy throwing. Add in training: agility, herding, and tracking are all great exercise options!