I own a 2-year-old black lab mix, Ace. Making sure Ace gets enough exercise is the easiest way to ensure he has good behavior and health. When I adopted him, he was a year old and had never learned how to behave. After running with him every day for just a week, his behavior improved. I know not getting enough exercise isn’t an excuse for a dog to misbehave, but let’s face it, a tired dog is a good dog, right?
Here are 10 ways to exercise your dog:
1. Buy your dog a backpack.
I can’t stress enough how giving a dog a job to do helps tire him out mentally and physically. If I only have 20 minutes to walk my dog, he wears the backpack. He really goes into a different state of mind when he wears his pack. He is focused and calmer. Sometimes he even wears his pack on longer walks or runs. The amount of weight he carries depends on how intense our walk or run will be. Ace even goes on backpacking trips with my boyfriend and I and carries his own gear. Good boy!
2. Help your dog do what she was bred to do.
If you have a Labrador retriever, take her to the water where she can retrieve a ball or stick. If you have a border collie, take her to a place where she can do some herding. Take your springer spaniel out to a field where she can flush out birds. If you own a malamute, have her pull something.
3. Sign up for an agility class.
Ace and I started doing agility about 8 months ago. We haven’t stopped. Training a dog to run through an obstacle course requires mental concentration and physical energy. My dog is always tired when we come home from agility practice. There are other dog sports you could try, like flyball, frisbee or Schutzhund.
4. Get creative with the walking.
When I got my dog, I promised to walk him every day. Walking is one of the easiest ways to exercise a dog, yet not enough people do it. Try walking your dog every day next week for a half-hour. Then, try walking for a longer amount of time the following week or walk twice a day. Try walking to a new place or stepping up the speed. Hire a dog walker if you have to. Do whatever it takes to get that dog walked.
5. Run.
Lets face it, even when we run, our dogs rarely break into a trot. That’s why going as fast as we can is more beneficial for our dogs. When I walk, I’m sure Ace thinks we’re going awfully slow. I try to run with him as much as I can because it tires him (and me) out twice as fast.
6. Take your dog rollerblading.
I don’t own rollerblades, but I am thinking of getting a pair just for the purpose of exercising Ace. He can run faster than me, so letting him run at my side while I rollerblade would be a lot of fun for him.
7. Go biking.
For the same reasons as rollerblading, biking while your dog runs at your side is great exercise. If Ace tags along while I bike, it’s only on early weekend mornings, when there is very little traffic. We go on quiet streets or in a park so distractions are minimal.
8. Take your dog to a dog park.
Ace comes home drained after a trip to the dog park, again because he is mentally and physically tired. I try to walk him for 20 minutes or so before entering the park to help him get rid of some excited energy first. Dog parks are a great way to let your dog run off leash, especially if you don’t have a yard. Then he can also play with other dogs.
9. Dog daycare.
Taking your dog to daycare isn’t going to replace a walk, but it will keep your dog more active while you are at work. Research dog daycares in your area. Many of them schedule hours of playtimes throughout the day.
10. Play fetch.
The easiest way to tire my dog out temporarily is to play a game of fetch. This leaves him huffing and puffing after ten minutes of sprinting after a ball. I don’t like to use games of fetch to replace a walk because it doesn’t challenge him mentally, but it’s still a good way to get him to do some major sprint sessions!
Of course, the possibilities of exercising your dog are endless. What are some ways you exercise your dog?Lindsay Stordahl writes the blog ThatMutt.com, where she writes about training and living with dogs.
