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EXERCISE - what happened to all the fun?
Exercising your animal can quickly become a tedious chore if walking for hours along the same road every day. Animals, typically dogs, are taken out for three reasons;
1. Toileting - as obvious as it may seem. A dog can learn to toilet anywhere, and often on command. It is probably one of the first things they do when they are taken out in the morning... A short walk or a romp in the yard or local park could be sufficient input in the morning providing that the dog will be exercised later that day.
2. Exercise - walking is not demanding exercise for a healthy and fit dog, unless you go for a very long walk, like trekking or hiking. The walk up and down the local streets may be great exercise for humans, but not really for the dog. Dogs are natural athletes and thrive on running, jumping and swimming.
3. Quality time and bonding - why did you get a dog in the first place? To have fun? To get out and get fit? To have a dedicated companion to do stuff with? Revamp your relationship with your dog and yourself - think about what you would really enjoy...
Reviving the Good Times! (i.e. alternatives to walking the streets at nights and early morning hours...)
The following are examples of ways to enjoy quality time with your dog - and getting fit yourself at the same time (win-win). However, if an animal has a physical condition or complaint that affects it's ability to exercise comfortably and safely, advice should be sought before commencing a new exercise regime or activity. Any of the following may not be suitable for all dogs or people. Also, think of ways you can modify any of these activities to suit you; nothing is written in blood (yet).
Local councils reserve spaces for dogs to be off-leash. These are great areas for well socialised dogs to explore, play and interact with people and other dogs. It can also be a good outing for owners, as you may meet people with similar interests. Bring good walking shoes, a ball or toy, swimmers (if you are at the beach), and a water bottle. Play with your dog - throw balls, play tag, make friends, or read a book. Some councils provide poop-bags; if they don't, or it's your first time, bring some in case. If your dog is not a natural swimmer (some dogs just aren't very aquatic) you can get a floatation vest for your dog to give them extra comfort and security in the water. Go to your local council's website to find out where you and your dog can go to have fun. Click here for off-leash dog exercise or dogs on the beach video.
Swimming is great exercise and fun for most dogs. Fetching floating toys, playing with other dogs in the water or swimming alongside you are just some activities you can do. Pools (even your own if you don't mind dog hair in the filter), ponds, rivers, beaches can all be used, providing they are safe for your dog and have few hazards such as sharks, boats, etc. Remember to rinse of chlorine and/or salt. Again, for added safety, if needed, a floatation vest can be used. Water offers low impact, high resistance exercise and is a suitable activity for most dogs, and is especially valuable to growing dogs, old/arthritic dogs, and recently operated dogs.
Agility is perhaps the fastest growing dog sport in the world and can be enjoyed by any family member and dog. Agility is a fast, exciting, fun activity, involving competitors directing their dogs through obstacle courses in an attempt to negotiate the obstacles correctly and as fast as possible. The obstacles comprise various types of jumps, ramps, elevated walks, poles that the dogs weave through, different types of tunnels and a see-saw. It is a great way to release the energy of both your pet and yourself, in a way that can be much more interesting and exciting than simply taking your dog for a walk. Agility also helps your pet dog to become more responsive, obedient and under control. It is also a great sport for kids, teaching them team work and how to handle and train a dog. Agility equipment can be made by yourself, or bought commercially or second hand. Mini kits are available if you would like to try it out in the backyard - remember to get friend and neighbours with dogs to come over too. Click to watch introduction to Agility video.
Endurance
If you and your dog are energetic enough (you can run or cycle); you can try out Endurance. Running or riding, whilst your dog is on a lead, you will complete a 20km route (8km – 15min break – 6km – 20min break – 6 km). If this sounds interesting to you, know that you don’t need to cover long distances initially or during training. You could even aim to walk it. The dog’s fitness and condition is monitored by vets who examine each dog during the breaks. The running/cycling part is carried out at a speed of approx 10km/hr, which is a comfortable jogging speed for the dog (and yourself if you are running).
Urban Mushing
Don’t let geographical location or lack of snow stop you. Mushing (bikejoring, skijoring, canicross, dog scootering) is a sport where one or more dogs pull a cyclist (or skier/sulky/scooter/cart/etc). Equipment with wheels is often used for competitive sled dogs out of season (when there is no snow). Although any breed of dog can be used, larger dogs are probably the most popular breeds as they can run faster. Any of the above combinations make for a great sport, and are very beneficial to the health and fitness of both dog and owner. You become remarkably fit when you have to run up hills and push your vehicle to help the dogs pull. The dog or dogs are fitted with x-back harnesses or other suitable harness for pulling and running. The harnesses are normally attached to a bungee towline, which clips to the front of the vehicle. You can use a prop or plastic pipe to suspend the towline above the wheels, to prevent tangling. Click to watch video featuring urban mushing.
A dog can go through obedience training and not be obedient! Obedience training ranges from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as "sit", "down", "come", and "stay", to high level competition within clubs where additional commands, accuracy and performance are scored and judged. Obedience implies compliance with the direction and commands given by its handler. For a dog to be considered obedient rather than simply trained in obedience, it must respond reliably each time the command is given. Obedience can be an ongoing, lengthy, but very rewarding process. Obedience training is also often a prerequisite for, or component of, other training. If your big mutt disregards everything you say; you do not want to put him in a harness and attach it to the bike you are riding – for example… Obedience training can be done by any dog and any person (from family princess Chihuahua, re-homed dogs, disabled people, children, elderly – anyone!), and it will often help settle anxieties and unwanted behaviours. Click here to watch video featuring Crufts winner and Clicker Training.
Musical canine freestyle (heelwork to music, musical freestyle, freestyle dance, canine freestyle) is a modern dog sport that is a mixture of obedience, tricks, and dance that allows for creative interaction between dogs and their owners. This is a great way to play and work out with your dog. And anyone can do it! The dog will be able to work on both sides of the handler's body, not just the left side as in standard obedience heeling. You select a short musical piece that you like which reflects the dog's attitude and pace in doing his moves (some dogs are slow, some are fast; just like us), and decide what moves would go best with the music. Break the routine into pieces with only two or three moves linked together, and keep practising new tricks. The goal is to have fun! The most important thing is that dog and human get to spend time together. There are two types, musical freestyle and freestyle heeling (heelwork to music); the difference being that freestyle heeling focuses on a dog's ability to stay in variations of the heel position while the handler moves to music, whereas musical freestyle demands that the dog performs a variety of tricks and other obedience components. Click to watch videos Crufts 2007 and Carolyn Scott & Rookie
Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from a start/finish line, over a line of hurdles to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring loaded pad, then back to the handlers while carrying the ball. This is a great sport for those dogs who just love catching flying objects. You do not have to compete; you just have to have fun. This may also be a sport well suited for those with a handicap or movement restriction, but who have an energetic dog. Competition-wise; Flyball is run in teams of four dogs, as a relay. The first team to have all four dogs across the finish line error free wins the heat. Penalties are applied to teams if the ball is dropped or if the next relay dog is released early. A great part of Flyball's popularity stems from the fact that it is available to mixed-breed dogs, allowing rescued mutts to shine alongside their purebred canine friends. Click to watch introduction video on flyball.
Note!
Don't let competitive sports put you off. If you find an activity that both you and your dog enjoy - go for it! You can modify almost any activity to suit yourself and your dog, and just have fun with it and enjoy the fact that you are at least doing something worthwhile and fun. Winning isn't important to all...although; that is fun too!
Remember to be sensible and wear protective gear if you are pursuing activities on bike, scooters etc. Safety First!
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© 2008 Animal Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Service