Welcome back to the Living Life Off Leash blog!
Did you know that April is K-9 Fitness Month?! To honor that, we’re going to talk about Fitness for Longevity in Dogs. Last month we talked about how important proper weight is for your dog. And it is!! An overweight dog is an unhealthy, unhappy dog. However it’s not just about weight. For overall health a dog needs physical exercise to maintain proper muscle function and maintain bone and joint health. As the old saying goes “use it or lose it!”.
Most dogs today arguably do not get enough exercise. Their humans work long hours and the more and more dogs are brought into the cities and suburbs, the less room they have to roam. Some dogs in apartments and townhomes don’t even have a yard and end up sleeping in their crates or on couches for 8-10 hours a day. When you consider then the average human gets about 8 hours of sleep, that leaves a whopping sixteen to eighteen or more hours a day of doggie inactivity!! That is a lot of sitting around! We know it’s not good for us to be inactive for hours on end, so why would it be any different for our dogs?
How much exercise a dog needs is directly related to things like age, breed and overall health. If your dog is overweight we recommend our pawTree 30 day reset to get started!! Slow, and short walks to start building to longer and more strenuous walks is best. For young dogs and puppies you do want to be careful not to do too much too soon, as some breeds don’t physically mature as fast as others and can damage young joints. A healthy dog in their prime, depending on breed can do lots of fun activities to stay fit like walking, biking, hiking, rollerblading and even swimming. There are lots of dog sports as well, like agility, flyball, disk dogs sports and more breed specific things like herding and hunting for working dogs.
Dogs, like their human companions, show that the more active and healthy a lifestyle they live the more longevity they will have. Staying fit and healthy is a lifelong pursuit. Just as it is for us, it’s a lifestyle. Dogs who remain active and fit throughout their lives show fewer health issues as they age, especially joint problems. Another plus to getting your dog out there to get active and fit, is YOU get active and fit! It’s a win win! Besides, who doesn’t want to spend more time outside with their pups?
If you have questions about nutrition we’d be happy to talk to you about pawTree to help your pet become the healthiest it can be. And when implementing an exercise program for your dog it is always a good idea to consult with a veterinarian to understand what your dog is or isn’t capable of. Hit the trails with Fido as summer approaches and enjoy the great outdoors, get healthy, and help him live a longer happier life.
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