Going out with your dog and exercising together is not only fun but also keeps you and your best bud happy and healthy along with tightening the bond. It provides mental stimulation to your dog, keeps him active and has numerous health benefits.
When it comes to how much exercise your dog needs in a day, the answer varies from dog to dog. It depends on age, health, and breed of your dog.
Although puppies need exercise, exhaustive physical activities should be avoided to avert injuries. For example, your medium-to-large-breed puppy may seem to have an unending source of energy, but his bone skeleton would develop completely only by the time he becomes a full-grown adult. So strenuous exercise at a tender age only increases the possibility of injuries. Exercise in short bursts followed by rest, as in the case of their inherent “zoomies” succeeded by collapsing into a pile, is considered ideal.
In large and giant breed dogs, obesity and inactivity are the predominant factors in making them joint-problem prone and so exercise helps in not maintaining an average weight but also keeps joint issues at bay. If your pooch’s past his prime, his activities may be scaled down, but exercise remains a must. In case of concerns about your dog’s health, under circumstances such as hip dysplasia or heart or respiratory issues, consult with your vet to set up an exercise program.
The breed has an important role in ascertaining the physical activity requirements of a dog. Breeds such as Border Collies or Belgian Malinois comprise the high-energy canines whereas breeds such as Bulldog or Basset Hound fall into the low-energy category and require less exercise. For a rough estimate though, you could ask your vet, trainer or breeder the ideal amount of activity your dog requires.
Setting the medical and scary things aside, here are some fun activities you and your canine companion can do together.
Here are a few classic ones:
If you’re one for adventure, here are a few for you:
Are you and your dog the out-going ones? Here are a few up your ally
Raining outside or just don’t have it in you to leave indoors? Here’s a few to suit you.
Now that you know why exercise and play are important and have several of them up your sleeve, here’s hoping that you and your bud can have some paw-some lot of fun.
Shalaka Mundada is the owner of PetSitters, a premium pet boarding facility in Pune, India. Founded in 2008, PetSitters largely works in the field of Dog kenneling, Pre-Pet Consultations, Pet events and Dog Behavior Modification Programs. Shalaka is a certified Trainer and Behaviourist and Dog Aggression from John Rogerson’s Northern Centre for Canine Behaviour, UK and also a Kennel Management Course from Shirin Merchant Canine Can Care, Mumbai.