Exercise with your dog
Man's best friend can also make an excellent workout partner. You may not realize it now, but your dog can be your greatest ally in your quest to becoming better and healthier. There are many reasons that your dog makes a great workout partner just as there are many great forms of exercise you and your dog can do together.
Top ten reason why your dog is a great workout partner:
- His is never late for a workout session. Chances are good that your dog lives with you and has a reasonably clear schedule. He will be ready to go at the jingle of the leash.
- Your dog will never weasle out of exercising. Here is a partner that will exercise in the rain, snow, hurricane, sand storm, or anything nature has to offer.
- You don't have to dress up for your dog. He will have fun with you no matter what you look like. No need to be self-conscious.
- Your dog's enthusiasm is contagious. Your dog is the happiest running wide open around a field with wild eyes and tongue flapping. It's time to join your dog, he will love the company.
- Dogs thrive on exercise. People do too. Regular exercise makes dogs and people happier, healthier, and stronger.
- Your dog will not waste your time talking. You should not stop and chat in the middle of an exercise session and your dog knows it. He is happy just being with you.
- Your dog doesn't need to change into exercise fur. He has an all-weather coat that he wears all the time. No waiting here.
- Your dog knows how important it is to relax after exercise and will show you how quickly you can get into the relaxation mode.
- You don't need to buy fashionable exercise clothes for your dog.
- Your dog doesn't mind if you are sweaty and smelly.
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Activities you can do with your dog.
Walking
This is the most suited exercise for you and your dog. Walking is a great low-impact, calorie-burning exercise as well as being the most convenient of all the various exercises.
There are ways to increase the effectiveness of walking for both you and your dog:
- Strive to take your dog on longer walks as often as possible. You may not be able to do this during the work week but, as a rule, the further you walk your dog, the more calories both of you will burn.
- Try to keep a brisk pace. While a leisurely walk is still exercise, you will get better results by keeping a faster pace. (allow for sniffing and bathroom breaks, of course)
- Go for the hills. Walking up hills will increase the workload and increase the intensity of the exercise, which will increase your results.
- Try to keep moving constantly. This may be difficult with a dog who is constantly stopping to sniff everything. To remedy this, try using a long lead. This allows your dog to trail behind you to sniff things, as they get closer to the end of the lead, give your dog a signal to keep moving. It may take a few tugs to teach this but your dog will learn it. Of course, some smells require additional attention.
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Jogging / Running
Running and jogging are excellent forms of exercise. If you wish to run with your dog, be aware of your dog's safety. Here are a few safety tips that apply to all vigorous exercises.
- Don't run when it's hot or humid out. A dog with a thick fur coat can overheat rapidly in hot or even warm weather under exercise conditions. Wait for coorer times of the day such as early morning or late evenings.
- Be wary of extremely cold weather. Northern breed dogs can handle extremely cold temperatures but dogs bred for milder conditions may have trouble.
- Keep your dog hydrated. Dogs lose a lot of water through panting. Proper hydration is essential to maintaining the correct body temperature. A trickto use if your dog is reluctant to dring is to pour beef or chicken broth into the water. This is a technique that Iditarod racers use to get their dogs to drink enough water.
- Always be aware of your surroundings. This includes other people, other dogs, small animals, and especially vehicles. You must be in control of your dog if he sees a rabbit and wants to run across the street to get it.
- Though all you really need in order to run with your dog is a leash and a pair of shoes, one of the best ways to run with your dog is to use what is called a Skijoring belt (essentially a leash attached to a belt). The belt allows hands free running and the pull goes through your mid-section rather than through your arm where it could throw you off balance.
- If you chose to use a regular lead, a shorter 6 foot lead is prefered to a longer lead which allows your dog to roam too much. A harness is also useful as it applies the tension to the chest rather than the neck. Your dog will run much easier with a harness.
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Cycling
Riding a bicycle with your dog is a very enjoyable way to exeercise your dog.
The equipment you need to do this can be as simple as a leash and a bike, though there are other options that can enhance the experience for both of you.
If you choose to cycle with a leash in your hand, you should be sure your dog is used to a consistent, straight-forward running otherwise you may find that you have a furry anchor in your hand when the first good smell comes along.
This sudden stopping can be dangerous for both you and your dog. As a caution, you should always wear a helment when cycling.
A very good option for cycling is to use a device called a Springer. See the Springer Website
It is essentially a spring coil that attaches to the bike frame and has a short lead on the other end to attach your dog. It limits your dogs freedom of movement, keeping them on a straighter course while running. You can run two dogs if you have two of these devices, placing one on each side of the bike. As the Springer(tm) limits your dogs movement and freedom, it is a good idea to start out with a bathroom break.
A harness is prefered when cycling because of the risk of neck injuries.
Rollerblading
Rollerblading with your dog can be fun and challenging for both you and your dog.
This activity is best left to the experienced rollerblader. Naturally, the more experienced a blader you are, the more active of a dog you'll be able to handle. You may even be able to progress to blading with two dogs once you get good enough with one dog.
The best lead to use when rollerblading is the flexi-type retractible lead. Because it won't be dragging on the ground, it eliminates the risk of you or your dog tripping on it.
The potential for a slack lead is the reason a Skijoring belt or ordinary lead is not recommended for rollerblading. If your dog slows down or stops suddenly, the line immediately goes slack and drops right in front of you, which can have disastrous results.
Your emergency brake when rollerblading is grass. Grass allows you to brake quickly and effectively. It is also much softer than pavement.
Before you ever hook up your dog to go rollerblading, practice going from pavement to grass untill you feel comfortable with it. Keep in mind that when the time comes to use this maneuver, you will probably have a dog pulling strongly forward. Lean back more than usual to keep from being thrown forward.
Before heading out, practice stopping and turning quickly. This stills will likely be used when you take out your dog. Special care should be exercised if you intend to cross any street. If you come up to an intersection and can't stop or control your dog, you could face serious problems.
Rollerblading Safety Tips:
- Always skate under control and be acutely aware of what is going on around you. Things happen at a faster pace when you are on wheels and a little problem can escalate quickly into disaster.
- Always keep complete control of your dog. This is critical around vehicle traffic.
- Skate at times and places where there are few people, like in early morning. Pedestrians can be at risk if you don't have complete control of your dog. When approaching people from the rear, announce "on your left" if you intend to pass to their left. Reduce speed substantially when you start to get near people. It gives them time to react to you.
- Wear protective gear such as knee pads and a helmet.
- Use a harness to prevent choking.
- Be aware of small animals, if your dog goes after these, you need to get into the grass and brace yourself.
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With all these cautions, rollerblading with your dog can be great fun. It gives you a great ride and your dog gets more freedom of movement than he would get with cycling and jogging.
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There is the little matter of disposal of droppings in which the cat is far ahead of it's rivals. The dog is somehow thrilled by what he or any of this friends have produced, hates to leave it, adores smelling it, and sometimes eats it . . . The cat covers it up if he can. . . Paul Gallico
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