There are many ways to exercise your dog inside or outside and these range from high activity exercises to fun games like searching or retrieving inside the house when it is raining outside. But we are going to discuss more canine exercise options below.
Dog Workout Wellness
Indeed exercising your dog doesn’t necessarily limit you to physically tiring activities, a dog also needs to be challenged mentally. Ideally, you exercise your dog regularly in a way that involves both. If you either have a very young or a very old dog you need to be careful with physically tiring activities that involve intense pressure on the joints. On average (and this differs between big sized and smaller sized breeds) a dog is fully grown by the age of 1 ½. Whilst the dog is still growing, avoid repetitive or unnecessary jumping and longer galloping especially on concrete.
Indeed exercising your dog doesn’t necessarily limit you to physically tiring activities, a dog also needs to be challenged mentally. Ideally, you exercise your dog regularly in a way that involves both. If you either have a very young or a very old dog you need to be careful with physically tiring activities that involve intense pressure on the joints. On average (and this differs between big sized and smaller sized breeds) a dog is fully grown by the age of 1 ½. Whilst the dog is still growing, avoid repetitive or unnecessary jumping and longer galloping especially on concrete.
However, with both younger and older dogs you still need to exercise them physically, especially young dogs have a lot of excess power. And indeed a moderate strain on the joints is necessary to help them grow and even avoid osteoporosis. This is why the joint fluid needs to be massaged into the gristle in order to keep it healthy and this is happening when you moderately exercise.
A very gentle but still tiring physical activity involves watersports.
#1 Watersports
Although it is not every dog's cup of tea it is worth giving it a try. But do not just throw the dog in the water because it can be traumatising! Ideally, you try to get your dog used to water activities at a young age but don’t worry also older dogs can get used to it. There are many sports your four-legged friend can join you on like kayaking, boating, paddleboarding or even surfing. If your dog is a water freak he will definitely enjoy a walk by the sea or a lake. Dog owners of these kinds of dogs know the struggle too well of giving their dog the opportunity to go and enjoy swimming, getting the dog dry afterwards and keeping it safe whilst in the water. No matter the level of experience your dog has in and around water unfortunate incidents can be just around the corner. Therefore it is recommended to always make your dog wear a life vest or a buoyancy aid. And after the dog has had it’s fun it is useful to always have a compact outdoor towel in your car too, to make sure your dog stays warm and dry afterwards.
#2 Indoor Exercises
If the weather is not playing along very well especially in the winter months you can, for example, play hide and seek with his favourite treats or toys. It is good to mention that some dog breeds (like Alaskan Malamute) just love being outside when it is cold, and snow is actually their favorite treat. You can also keep old cardboard boxes or the inside cardboard roll of kitchen or toilet rolls and fill them with treats. In order to get to the treat, your dog has to open or destroy it which engages him mentally. How stimulating exercises like these can be, can be seen for example with professional search or drug-sniffing dogs. These dogs can just be used around 30 minutes at a time because the sniffing is so exhausting that they need frequent breaks. We as humans underestimate that because our smell organ is not as far developed that we can distinguish between very small odour particles and therefore would be able to use it to that degree. Therefore, don’t underestimate small little exercises like these, they are equally as important as physical exercises.
#3 Go For A Hike Or A Bike
Depending on where you regularly walk your dog, a hike might be a welcome diversification to you and your dogs’ normal daily walk to for example the park. A hike or a bike is a good way to build strength and endurance but start in small steps to get you and your dog used to it. Usually, all types of dogs enjoy time and exercises within nature but besides knowing your and your dogs abilities you as well need to know their level of obedience.
A very gentle but still tiring physical activity involves watersports.
#1 Watersports
Although it is not every dog's cup of tea it is worth giving it a try. But do not just throw the dog in the water because it can be traumatising! Ideally, you try to get your dog used to water activities at a young age but don’t worry also older dogs can get used to it. There are many sports your four-legged friend can join you on like kayaking, boating, paddleboarding or even surfing. If your dog is a water freak he will definitely enjoy a walk by the sea or a lake. Dog owners of these kinds of dogs know the struggle too well of giving their dog the opportunity to go and enjoy swimming, getting the dog dry afterwards and keeping it safe whilst in the water. No matter the level of experience your dog has in and around water unfortunate incidents can be just around the corner. Therefore it is recommended to always make your dog wear a life vest or a buoyancy aid. And after the dog has had it’s fun it is useful to always have a compact outdoor towel in your car too, to make sure your dog stays warm and dry afterwards.
#2 Indoor Exercises
If the weather is not playing along very well especially in the winter months you can, for example, play hide and seek with his favourite treats or toys. It is good to mention that some dog breeds (like Alaskan Malamute) just love being outside when it is cold, and snow is actually their favorite treat. You can also keep old cardboard boxes or the inside cardboard roll of kitchen or toilet rolls and fill them with treats. In order to get to the treat, your dog has to open or destroy it which engages him mentally. How stimulating exercises like these can be, can be seen for example with professional search or drug-sniffing dogs. These dogs can just be used around 30 minutes at a time because the sniffing is so exhausting that they need frequent breaks. We as humans underestimate that because our smell organ is not as far developed that we can distinguish between very small odour particles and therefore would be able to use it to that degree. Therefore, don’t underestimate small little exercises like these, they are equally as important as physical exercises.
#3 Go For A Hike Or A Bike
Depending on where you regularly walk your dog, a hike might be a welcome diversification to you and your dogs’ normal daily walk to for example the park. A hike or a bike is a good way to build strength and endurance but start in small steps to get you and your dog used to it. Usually, all types of dogs enjoy time and exercises within nature but besides knowing your and your dogs abilities you as well need to know their level of obedience.
Dog Workout Safety
Since you never know what is waiting around the corner and in case you know for sure that your dog loves to chase animals keep him on a lead if you can’t see very far or you definitely know he’ll run off as soon as he is unleashed. It is not worth the stress, the fine or the loss of the animals or even your dog’s life. If you know your dog is that type, invest in a long leash to make these walks as interesting and fun as possible.
