“How much exercise does my dog need?” Is this the question that has been bothering you as a pet owner? Well, you don’t have to ask that anymore. In this article, we will provide you with the answers you are looking for.
Exercising is an essential activity for humans to keep their body healthy. It applies to our pet dogs as well. They need to exercise every day to stay fit and healthy. You can even do it together, after all. Don’t you think so? A dog can be an excellent exercise buddy too, you know. Go ahead. Try it and see the difference.
How much exercise does a dog need?
Every breed of a dog differs in the amount of exercise they need. It is important to realize the exact needs of our pet dogs. In general, these variations cover their breed, height, weight, age, and character. Given these points, exercises can vary as well.
A dog usually needs 30 minutes to 2 hours amount of daily physical activity. However, to other dogs, it can be more than that. An insufficient exercise can be a cause of why your dog shows undesirable behaviours.
Generally speaking, it would be best to ask your veterinarian about it. This way, you can make sure that the exercises you will do with your dog fit its requirement. You can also see this short video for additional information about how much exercising your dogs need.
Next question?
The second question that pet owners usually ask is “how do you exercise a dog?”. Do you ask the same thing right now? Even though you have the urge to exercise with your dog, you don’t have the idea of how to get it started.
Well, in the same way, you don’t have to worry about it either. This article will also provide you with some activities that you can do with your dog. Take note; you will indeed feel ecstatic to do these activities with your dog.
Common physical activity and exercises to do with dogs
- Walking outdoors: This activity is the most simple exercise that you can do with your dog. This exercise will be an excellent start for you and your dog. It might even be enough for breeds with a lower exercise requirement.
- Hiking: Likewise, dogs love the outdoors as well. Tag your dog along when you are out for an adventure.
- Bicycling: If your community have bike pathways, you can let your dog come with you. You can bike around blocks while your dog accompanies you.
- Swimming: This activity is just right for dogs with joint problems. It is a kind of low-impact exercise. You can even put on a life jacket for your dog to achieve an optimum cardio workout.
- Fetch: Make it a little exciting for your dog. Create the best fetch routine for your dog.
- Obedience: Obedience activities such as recall, retrieving and reinforcing basic commands, might seem odd as an exercise at first. However, it offers benefits in the mental health condition of your pets.
- Dog sports: There are plenty of dog sports to choose from. In this case, you can let your dog experience them and decide which one it enjoys more.
These activities will not only workout your dog, but you as well. Both of your health will be benefitting from it. It might not be as easy as it seems at first, but then again, it will only take courage and discipline.
If you want to try other exercises or activities, try asking your veterinarian about it. A professional dog trainer can also help you with that. You have to secure that these activities will match your dog requirements.
Benefits of exercising your dog every day
Just like humans, exercising brings different benefits to a dog’s health condition. In like manner, dogs need to move their bodies enough to release all their energy. Here are the key benefits that a dog can gain with regular exercising.
- Exercising will lower the risk of obesity for dogs.
- Regular exercise works out the undesirable behaviours of your dogs.
- It promotes healthy aging for your dogs.
- You are allowing your dogs to be social and explore their environment.
- The dog’s heart will become stronger through exercise.
- It helps maintain low blood pressure.
- Your dog will have more robust and denser bones.
- You can eliminate the risk of depression from your dogs.
- A regular exercise helps build your dog’s trust and confidence in you and their environment as well.
- Regular exercise with your dogs strengthens the bond between the two of you.
These are only a few of the benefits you and your dog can gain from exercising together. Not to mention the fun it can bring to both of you. Aside from the benefits above, there could be something more you can gain. You can only find that out once you started exercising your dog.
Conclusion
Given these points, we can say that your dogs need sufficient exercise to stay healthy. Besides that, it is suitable for your health as well. It’s like the saying, “Hitting two birds with one stone”, right? Both of you can gain health benefits while enjoying the exercise together. Also you can do exercises a home with your dog to stay fit and healthy, just check the Home Gym Australia link here for more info.
For this reason, let’s make a difference now to your exercise routines. Choose your dog as your workout buddy. Your dog can assure you to have a fun and exciting exercise routine from this day forward.
Always remember, a tired dog is a happy dog. So, exercise your dogs very well.