Exercise For Dogs And Puppies

Exercise for your canine is an essential. Not exercising your dog or puppy can lead to health problems. They also tend to be more anxious when home alone. Here are some “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for exercising with your dog.

The DO'S:

Play with your dog. He/she usually doesn’t exercise much unless their owners do it with them. Try to always have time for them.

Make sure you give him/her lots of water before and after exercising. Dogs can get heat strokes and get dehydrated quickly, even after running a short distance.

Stop whenever he/she wants to. If it has had enough, go inside, or quit exercising. It is most likely he/she needs to drink water, or potty.

The Don’ts:

Jumping is not an exercise to do often. Some jumps are OK for adult dogs, but don’t have your puppy jump too much. This can lead to hip problems later on, and he/she could lose his/her balance and fall, which could cripple your puppy. If you want your puppy to jump, only have it jump over small obstacles (such as putting a stick in between chair legs), and do not have it jump more than 7 minutes at a time.

Don’t leave your dog in a crate all day. Your dog (or pup) shouldn’t be closed up all day only to go outside when it needs to. Make sure it is housebroken if an inside dog, and if outside, have a fenced-in yard so he/she has freedom to run about. Here are some game or exercise ideas for your puppy:

Games and Activities:

Hide and Seek is fun for dogs. Hide and see if he can smell where you went!

Tag is also good. Your dog or pup might not know how to run from you, but it will come for you if you run!

Tug-of-war is always fun!

Playing fetch is fun for both dogs and pups. Puppies enjoy it immensely. Retrievers and Retriever crosses have a natural instinct to bring the bone or stick back to you.

Kong^® toys are very entertaining for both dogs and people! Put a dog biscuit in one and watch as your canine tries to get it out. They can stay in a pen for a whole hour and be focused on getting the biscuit out of the Kong^®!

Also, for another great game, wash a soda can and put it on its side. Get your dog to place it right-side up. Click when he gets close, and click and give him a jackpot when he does the behavior you want. for More on Clicker Training - see Clicker Training for Dogs

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