Exercise dog
Exercising with your dog is a great way to bond with your dog. Remember, dogs are pack animals and you are the pack leader. Your dog wants nothing more than to please you and to be with you. Exercise is important for your dogs health and overall wellbeing. Exercising together is a wonderful way to bond and you both are benefiting from the exercise. A fat dog is a sign of a lazy dog owner.
It is best if your dog gets 15 — 30 minutes of exercise every day. The more active breeds such as the Herding class, need to stay active and will need an hour or more of exercise every day. If you have a smaller breed as in the Toy, you can break up the exercise throughout the day.
Fun things to do with your dog
Play Fetch – This is a not only a fun game for you and your dog, but you are keeping him trained to come when he is called. It is always good to keep training your dog, sometimes they need reminders. Throw a ball or a stick, when he comes back to you when he is called, remember to praise him.
Frisbee – Frisbee dogs are cool. There are competitions for this as well. This would be a great way to get exercise and compete at the same time. This is a good exercise for the Herding class.
Swimming – Swimming is great exercise for both human and dog. It’s a great way to keep the muscles toned. You can even throw a ball into the water and have your dog retrieve it for you. This is a great way to condition the Hunting Class of dog.
Walking/Jogging/Biking – There is nothing better than taking your dog for a nice walk or jog. You both are getting outside and getting exercise. If you ride a bike, you can purchase a Springer Bike Leash
Carting – Large dogs like the Rottweiler are great for this fun sport. Your dog will need to be specially trained to do this. Look for local Carting groups in your area.
The Beach – Bring your dog to the beach. (make sure that dogs are allowed at your local beaches) Running in the sand and playing in the surf is great exercise for your dog. They have fun and you have fun. Bring a ball or Frisbee along with you.
Hide N Seek – Hide some treats in a toy like a Kong. This is a great way to stimulate your dogs mind. He will play with the Kong and figure out how to get the treats out.
Agility – I love to watch Agility trials. This is not only a great exercise for you and your dog, but it is mind stimulating for him as well. Plus you are keeping up on his training. It is best to start your dog on Agility when he is a puppy as this takes a lot of work and training on both of you, but in the end is very rewarding. This is a great exercise for big and small dogs.
Hiking/Camping – If you are a hiker and/or camper, why not bring your four footed friend along. This exercise is best for larger dogs and they can carry their own water as well with a special made backpack. Make sure you take frequent breaks to give your dog a rest. This is an exercise that you need to start when he is a puppy and condition your dog. I always took my dogs camping with me. They make great watch dogs as where I camp there are a lot of coyotes. The dogs can smell and hear the coyotes before I can. When I heard my dogs start to growl, I knew something was getting close to my tent.
Flyball – This is a fun competition and great exercise as well. Again, you will need to train your dog how to play. Search your local area for any Flyball competitions. This is a fun thing to do with either a large or a small dog.
By making exercise fun, you don’t realize you are exercising. It’s always fun to do things with your dog. They love to please you and love to be with you. So, get outside and have some fun and get some exercise.