Is Your Dog Getting Enough Exercise?

It's so easy for all of us to put exercise off until tomorrow.  With our busy lives, there’s never enough time.  Without physical exertion and mental exercise we stagnate.  We become couch potatoes.  We lose interest in the world around us.  We’re too tired at the end of the day, and we have too much to do in the mornings.  Sound familiar?  Now let’s look at it from the dogs' point-of-view.

Your pet is totally dependent on you for everything.  You are the one who provides food, entertainment, housing, and everything in your pet’s world.  You are in total control of how much your pet is allowed to even move.   If you don’t provide the learning experience, they don’t learn.  If you don’t put the opportunity for play in their day, they have a boring uneventful day.  If you don’t allow them time and room to exercise, they lose fitness and age more rapidly. 

Day after day, the lack of mental and physical stimulation will dull your pet, or even worse, create problems that eventually label him a “bad dog.”  I tell my clients all the time, "if you don’t find a job for your dog, then he may find one for himself, and you probably won’t like it."

There is so much out there for you and your dog to enjoy together.  Do something, even a little thing, every day. 

The first rule is WALK YOUR DOG EVERY DAY.  Twice a day is best, if possible.  Yes, you might have to make yourself get up a little earlier or you might have to take some time away from the computer or the television, but walk your dog every day.  It is so important to your pet.  This is the time that he gets out of the house, see something other than walls, and interact with the grass, the air, the smells…..life!  And he gets to spend time with YOU!  Trust me, you will enjoy it, too!  Walking is the best thing you can do for healthy exercise.  It’s easy on the joints, it gets the heart pumping, and the brain gets more oxygen.  Energy is created and attitude improves.

Countless activities to share with your dog are waiting for you.  In our area, there are a surprising number of beautiful parks and forests with well-groomed trails, and leashed dogs are welcomed.  There are several dog parks in our area where the dogs can run free and interact with other dogs.  Be careful, of course, that you have properly socialized your dog before letting him loose in these enclosed areas. Talk with a trainer if you have concerns about your dog’s behavior in a dog park. 

The games and sports that are available to dogs are numerous and great fun.  Agility.  Rally.  Frisbee.  Retrieving.  Obedience classes and competitions.  Herding.  Hiking.  Swimming.  Races. Tricks.  The list is endless!  

A note about obedience classes; they are not simply to learn the basic commands like “sit,” “stay,” “heel,” and “down.”  The most important part of classes with your dog is that they teach you how to communicate with your dog!  Suddenly your dog is hanging on your every word, your every movement.  "What’ next,"  he wants to know.  What are we going to do now?  And guess what: both of you start to engage in the world on a higher level.  You both have more energy.  You each seem smarter to the other.

What about cats?   This needs to be another article altogether.  Engaging your cat in activity, both mental and physical, may require a bit more ingenuity on your part.  You may have to convince your cat that what you have planned is fun.  Cats need exercise and mental stimulation, too, as do we all.

Now get out there and make your pet feel lucky that he has you for his human.  Make his days interesting and fun.