Exercising your pet more, could be priceless for both of you

Pet owners have many concerns about their furry friends. But one of the most common is the concern for the overall health and wellbeing of their pet.

They worry about illnesses, injuries, nutrition, safety, among others.

One very important concern is safely and health related to injuries, many of which could have been prevented with making sure that the pet is in good shape physically by assisting with the proper amount and type of exercise.

As the owner of an English Labrador I am aware of the need for daily exercise.

Providing a safe environment for the dog to run every day that is large enough is so imperative for their physical and mental health.

Even though, American Labradors require a bit more exercise to stay healthy and happy, English Labs do require a fair amount.

Unfortunately, all too often I hear dog owner’s complaining about their dog being hard to control. They complain that their activity level is way over the top, they are wild and can’t be still. And when I find out what breed of dog they have, how much and what type of exercise they get, I am not surprised at all. They have purchased or adopted a dog breed that requires a lot of exercise to feel at their best both physically and emotionally. They live in an apartment or house with small yard, and “take their dog for a walk” everyday and feel like they have done their good deed for the day. While the poor dog is going stir crazy inside because it needs to RUN, really run…. all out, let go and run.

Even among breeds some dogs are different and require a different amount of exercise a day. And sometimes they may need more exercise than other times, this is many times caused by a difference in the nutrition in their food. This can be very technical and is a subject for another day. I’m not going to get deeply into nutrition as this is something you should work out with your veterinarian, and come up with an individualized plan for your pet and their specific needs.

With that said it is important to remember that regardless of the type of food and feeding schedule you have your pet on, you should avoid allowing your dog to exercise vigorously right after consumption of a meal, especially if they happen to consume their food rapidly. For some breeds that have a large chest cavity, it can even be life threatening for them to exercise after a meal or even drinking water as their is a risk of their stomach turning over which can be fatal and at the very least expensive to have surgically corrected.

As the human friend of your dog, as long as you are able to throw a ball or dog toy, you can help your dog to get more adequate exercise than just taking a walk. Unless you can throw the ball or toy a really long way, this doesn’t take the place of them being able to just outright run hard at their own desire, but it will certainly help to release some of their pent up energy, and dogs love that interaction with playing fetch.

There are a lot of dog owners who don’t realize that these animals were breed to work. Their minds and their bodies are programmed and wired to do a job, and yet they are expected to sit around and look pretty and be there for someone to pet them when they have time and feel like it.

I happen to have a dog that requires even more exercise than some of her supposed equal counterparts. The way that I deal with this is to take her outside and throw a ball for her 10 to 15 minutes at least twice a day. And then take her somewhere to run freely once or twice a week. This makes such a huge difference for us both. Before I figured out that this was as important as food and water for her contentment and mine…lol, she had earned the nick-name of the “white tornado”. She is a greatly in my life, and I hope I am a great joy in her life as well.

Thank you for reading and I hope this helps someone to create more joy in their own life and the life of their dog, and to relive some stress. Have a wonderful day, and don’t forget to hug your dog today. You are their person💙🦴