Why Exercise is important - Natural Health 4 Dogs

You might be thinking, ‘Well, I only go to work and the shops! It’s not like I go anywhere interesting.’ This may be true, but what if you had to stay at home all the time and the only people or you saw were the other people that live in your house. Even if you have a nice big garden, you would soon get bored with the same view day after day.

There are definite mental and physical benefits to giving your dog a chance to exercise, whether it is a walk in the park or the neighbourhood or various games you can play at home.

My dogs love a walk, and we try to go out twice a day, usually for half an hour or so. In the mornings we walk around a local park, and they don’t need to be on a leash. The park is a great space, fenced in, and we usually walk the perimeter which is 1.2km. There is plenty of room in the park to throw balls etc. for dogs that enjoy games. It is a chance for dogs to socialise with other dogs. My girls have their favourite friends and others that, for reasons unknown to me, they prefer to ignore!

In the evenings, I put their harnesses and leashes on, and we venture forth to explore the neighbourhood. While Daisy prefers the park, Fiona loves the neighbourhood outing. The moment I start to put on my shoes, Fiona belts off to find her leash and squeals with excitement.

As we depart, Fiona has a quick session of barking (boasting to other dogs that she is out and about and they are not!) that professional dog trainers have been unable to stop, but the noise is only for about the first thirty seconds, so I just enjoy the fact that she is ecstatic and walk on.

As we walk, they both have their noses to the ground, checking for familiar and new smells, and their tails wag so hard from side to side that it is a wonder their feet stay on the ground. For me, it is a favourite time of day. Their delight is infectious, and even if I feel down, the sight of them enjoying something so simple raises my spirits.

The sights, sounds and, particularly, smells of the neighbourhood stimulate the brain and help to keep them mentally active. This is particularly helpful for senior dogs to stave off doggy dementia and those whose boredom leads to destructive behaviour.

Dogs are naturally curious, and a walk offers loads of opportunities to explore new environments or even slight changes to a known environment. A regular route that seems the same to us offers new smells to our dogs every day. We might not realise it, but our dogs could probably tell us how many other dogs and people had walked that street since we were last there. They will know if the rubbish collectors have been and if it happens to have rained since, well, that seems to bring torrents of new odours to check out!

A nervous dog is likely to grow more confident with regular walks, as she experiences new environments and meets other dogs and people. Other ‘bad’ dog behaviour can be helped with regular exercise too. If your dog seems to enjoy destroying your furniture, digs up the garden or barks like a mad thing for no apparent reason, she is likely bored or frustrated. A walk, run or energetic game will burn off this excess energy, and you should find your dog much calmer and more relaxed afterward with far less energy to pursue her more destructive activities.

Many trainers say, ‘A tired dog is a good dog,’ because they are easier to train when they have used up a lot of energy enjoying themselves and now feel more inclined to be cooperative!

Exercise has many physical benefits! Overweight dogs suffer from some of the same debilitating diseases as humans, diabetes and painful joints for example. Keeping your dog fit will help build strong bones and supple joints, reducing the effects of arthritis and hip or elbow dysplasia as well as maintaining strong muscles and encouraging the proper function of the body’s organs and systems –including digestion - through good blood circulation.

You will benefit as much as your dog, I promise! You will feel better after a walk and some fresh air and find that your dog’s excitement and enjoyment is infectious!

The amount of daily exercise depends on many factors including the breed and age of your dog. My daxies get at least an hour a day split between morning and early evening when it cools down. When we get a chance, we also go to a much bigger park where the walk can take up to an hour and a half with a swim in the river towards the end.

Do as much as you can – something is better than nothing! If you can’t go out for a walk, play with your dog at home, even if it is a bit of simple training with tiny treats afterward. On a rainy day, I might get my girls to sit, stay, come and leave (don’t eat the treat on the floor in front of them) with tiny bits of cheese as rewards for doing as they are told. They love this, not just for the cheese but also the interaction and positive attention they get from me.

You might also roll a ball for your dog to fetch, play a gentle game of tug with a rope toy or hide a toy or treat for her to find. All of these provide mental and physical stimulation and help to keep your dog healthy and happy.

Care must be taken when exercising puppies. Puppies have growth plates, which are soft parts at the ends of their long bones that haven’t yet calcified as the bones are still growing. Too much exercise or too much strain put on these areas can cause damage that affects the bone development of the puppy. Long walks can cause repetitive injury to the limbs. These growth plates usually close after puberty which happens at different ages depending on the size of the dog and when they were neutered or spayed. Until the plates close, they are at risk of injury and permanent damage meaning that a damaged growth plate may stop the limb from growing altogether.

Stick to five minutes of walkies for every month of age per day, so a two-month-old pup shouldn’t have more than a ten-minute walk each day. This will be enough to ensure she develops good bone density and joints as well as strong muscles and good coordination.

Puppies are usually very playful, and you need eyes in the back of your head when pups get mobile and go exploring! Usually, a short bout of playing with other pups will be followed by a short snooze to prepare for the next bout of play. Long walks aren’t necessary but suitably short walks can be useful for training – potty training as well as obedience – as well as confidence-building.