Fitness with a dog

Our dogs suffer from a sedentary lifestyle just like we do. Excess weight, with all the ensuing consequences, causes significant damage to health, weakening the overall tone of the body and reducing immunity. It has been proven that a lack of physical activity brings old age closer, while an active lifestyle allows you to prolong the health of bones and joints, cardiovascular and other body systems. But before moving on to a joint fitness program, you need to learn the main rule: each of us is an individual. This means that sports and the intensity of physical activity should also be individual. For example, if joint jogging and agility will be a real paradise for a border collie, then the French bulldog will definitely not appreciate such an initiative. In addition to breed characteristics, it is also necessary to take into account the age of the dog, its weight, physical shape and state of health. 

When planning a training program, be sure to consider your individual characteristics and the individual characteristics of your dog. It’s not scary if you can’t immediately go to high loads. Much more important is consistency. Listen to yourself and your pet and smoothly move from simple to more complex. Remember that sport, first of all, should bring pleasure, and that champions are not born, but made!

If you decide to exercise with your dog, the first thing to do is to consult with your doctor and take your pet to a veterinarian for a checkup. It is necessary to soberly assess the current situation (do you and your pet have excess weight, how many kg you need to lose, are there any contraindications for health reasons, etc.) and correctly set goals. Joint fitness should benefit your health – and in no case vice versa, which can happen with the wrong exercise program.

But all this is theory, and now let’s move on to practice. What is dog fitness? What exercises will help get rid of excess weight and keep fit in the future?

And we’ll start with … walking. Yes, yes, it would seem that there is no easier task. However, the benefits of hiking should not be underestimated. 

Walking is the perfect exercise to improve your health. It allows:

– reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes,

– reduce the risk of bowel cancer,

– reduce pressure

– reduce cholesterol levels,

– improve emotional state,

– Prevent osteoporosis

– develop flexibility and coordination,

– and, of course, to reduce excess weight.

But how long does it take to walk? Optimal – from 30 minutes a day at a brisk pace. Again, consider your characteristics and the characteristics of the dog. If you or your pet is out of breath, take a break and take a slow walk. Stock up on a pedometer and increase the duration of your walks over time.

Don’t forget about proper nutrition. A balanced diet is an essential part of any fitness program.

If possible, change the terrain, walk on different surfaces: on grass, sand, shallow water … So you will not get bored with the usual landscapes, and the body will receive an additional load.

And one more useful tip. Let the dog lead you from time to time. If she wants to go faster – give in, if she wants to bypass the obstacle – follow her. This does not mean that the dog should pull you along (you can control his movement with a leash anyway), just let him set the pace.

It will be great if, having mastered walks in the surrounding area, you find the opportunity to periodically go out into nature. Long walks through the forests and along the rivers will benefit not only your form, but also your mood!

When intensive walking is not enough, you can move on to jogging. But be careful: not all dogs will like running. Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of your pet’s breed. Is he active enough for regular runs?

As with walking, you need to develop smoothly in running. Quiet runs for a couple of minutes are enough for the test, but over time you will begin to master the bar of several kilometers.

The dog should run next to you on a harness or a special pull (it gives cushioning and allows you not to jerk the dog too sharply). If she is tired and tries to stop, let her rest, do not force her to do the exercise.

If possible, go for a run in picturesque places where there are no cars and crowds of people. This will cheer you up after a long day at work, and our task is to make fitness not only effective, but also enjoyable, giving joy.

If your dog is a natural runner, it would be a crime not to learn to ride a bike with him!

Perhaps cycling with a dog is the most enjoyable way to spend time with health benefits. And for active breeds, such leisure is a real salvation. While we are working, our pets are forced to wait for us within the walls of the apartment, where they do not have the opportunity to run and stretch. Active dogs can hardly endure such hardships, and bike rides are just what they need. This is a way to run from the heart, how to warm up, throw out energy and even get tired!

When you go on a bike ride with your dog for the first time, don’t rush to get on the bike right away. Get your dog used to it first. Walk next to the bike, attach the leash to it, and control the movements of the dog. She should go ahead of the bike and not make unexpected jerks. Once you have mastered this skill, get on your bike. Start with short, quiet walks in sparsely populated areas and gradually move on to longer, more active ones.

During the summer months, the opportunity to go to a safe body of water is priceless. Do not deprive yourself and your pet of such pleasure. Stock up on water buoyant dog toys (Zogoflex, Kong, Petstages) before you travel. So you diversify the usual swimming with an interesting game.

When you are on the water, do not forget to follow safety precautions!

Frisbees, games with a ball, a stick, a tug of war (Zogoflex and Petstages have such toys) are the classic components of a happy pastime for a dog and an effective way to deal with extra pounds for both her and her owner. Try to lift and throw the ball 50 times – and you will feel how all your muscles work! Can fitness be easier and more enjoyable?

In addition, active games are not just sports. This is a chance to make the relationship between the owner and the pet even stronger and more trusting, and a huge amount of pleasant emotions to boot.

You can read more about games with dogs and toys in our articles: “”, “”, “”.

Agility is the passage of obstacles by a dog under the guidance of the owner (or trainer). Very interesting and serious team work. Yes, not all dogs like to be agility stars, but if your pet shows an aptitude for this sport, rest assured that training will make him happier and more lean. And they will also significantly improve your physical shape, because you will have to overcome obstacles with your four-legged friend!

You can equip your own backyard for agility (just install the obstacles yourself: various posts, barriers, hoops – give free rein to your imagination) or practice on special grounds.

And now we will try to combine all of the above into one fitness walk! Imagine you are walking your dog. Walk for a few minutes as a warm-up, then run, play frisbee, do agility, and finally walk again at a calm pace for a few minutes. What if the scenery around is beautiful? And if there is a park nearby, and a joint jog can be replaced with a bike ride? Agree, it’s more interesting than going to the gym. In addition, spending time with the owner makes the dog truly happy. We hope this scheme works and vice versa!

An active lifestyle is great. But remember that the key to sports success and health in general is a high-quality balanced diet.

It is necessary to plan a fitness load in combination with a diet. To achieve the result, forget about fast food and other junk food: it harms not only the figure, but also your well-being. If possible, get advice from a professional dietitian. It will help you organize a diet that is right for you.

Don’t forget about your companion – the four-legged athlete. He needs healthy food just like you do.

For a dog, it is better to choose premium diets (Monge, etc.) that correspond to the age and individual characteristics of the pet. It is important that the main source of protein in the feed is high quality natural animal protein (chicken, lamb and others), and not cereals and vegetables. Only meat-based nutrition will help the pet develop properly and reveal its natural potential: after all, any, even the tiniest dog, is primarily a predator!

Balanced, properly selected nutrition will give your pet a huge boost of energy and will allow you to be at the peak of your form every day!

We wish your team sports success!