Making Exercise Routine – How To Engage Your Pup With Fitness
Aside from quick potty breaks throughout the day, does your dog have a regular exercise routine? If not, warmer weather presents an excellent time to start one! Consistent activity helps your dog maintain a healthy weight along with strong bones and muscles. Exercise is also a great way to avoid obesity, which can lead to many painful risks that are easily preventable.
How to Make Sure Your Dog Gets Enough Exercise
Age, breed, and temperament all influence the amount of exercise your dog needs. Puppies have a lot of energy to burn, but they also do better with short bursts of activity. Long, intense walks or play sessions can be hard on a puppy’s developing body.
Adult dogs can also vary widely in the amount of exercise needed. Dog breeds with sporting backgrounds require much more daily activity than breeds that were bred for companionship. Additionally, short-nosed dogs have a harder time breathing in extreme cold or heat. Senior dogs generally need less exercise and it’s a good idea for them to avoid high-impact activities.
Take Longer Walks
If you’re already walking your dog a few times a day to go potty, simply adding some time to one of those walks is a great way to slowly increase your dog’s activity level. Pay attention to their behavior on longer walks to determine the sweet spot between when your pupper is super energetic and when they’re winding down. Our area is lucky to have sprawling trails in our community Metroparks as well as the entire Cuyahoga Valley National Park to explore! You and your dog can also enjoy area dog-social events like Woof Walk or Bark in the Park to get moving and that may even support local shelters and rescues in the meantime!
Make Regular Play Sessions a Part of Your Routine
Creating a regular play routine can be as simple as carving out time each day to engage at home. You can plan visits with your friends with other dogs for healthy play times, find a gated park in your area to play fetch in a large space, and use play as a reward for good behavior. Play also can also include brain time with puzzles and toys that make your pup use their noodle!
Mental Workout with Training
Learning and reinforcing new commands and behaviors is a great way to keep your dog physically and mentally active. Many pet owners think of training as something only useful for puppies or problem dogs, but consistent good behavior is the product of consistent training. Adult dogs need the lessons of early training reinforced on a regular basis, and they also benefit from the mental stimulation that comes with learning new commands and staying on top of what they already know.
Regardless of the activities you choose to do with your pooch, creating and maintaining a regular exercise routine is vital to ensuring a healthy and happy pup. Now get out there and get in those steps!