One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to be more active. A dog is a great companion for an active life. What is a healthy level of exercising with a dog?
How much exercise a day is optimal for a dog with regard to its size and age? What happens if you exercise a bit too much with your dog? And how to avoid it in a perfect case? A universal manual doesn’t exist, it is based on your and mainly your dog’s physical shape and other factors such as age and weight and its health.
There are some dogs who are able to walk tens of kilometres in the mountains and different dogs which do not like even getting out of a house or flat. You also have to consider this. You won’t make a world-class athlete from a couch potato. You can try smaller steps, one by one. However, you can also tire a dog which is used to physical activities.
But what about the opposite problem? By that, I mean the lack of time. When time is your main enemy (it happens to me a lot recently) and you are very busy during work day, you might be wondering how to compensate for the exercises with your dog. Can I do exercises with a dog at home? Can it be connected to some training for myself?
If you’re dealing with the first or the second problem, a key to a solution is to create a training plan. Don’t get scared, you don’t need a table with a precise time schedule and indicators both of you have to achieve. Doing exercises with a dog regularly is what’s important.
Even a trained dog can get too much tired if you skip training for a month and then go to a dogtrekking race. However, even an untrained dog will enjoy a short run for a couple of hundred metres. It is said that to keep a dog active and healthy, you should devote AT LEAST 20–30 minutes to walking every day. I would multiply it three times with an adult dog.
Some cynologists even say that you should add 5 minutes of walking every month when a puppy grows. So with a three-month old puppy, you should exercise 15 minutes up to twice a day. In six months, it should be 30 minutes. An adult dog should be active between 30 minutes to 2 hours a day. You can walk, run, swim or only play with a ball.
If you and your dog feel that it’s time to take it to the next level, you can start doing some dog sports. Nowadays, running with a dog or dogtrekking is very popular. Also, mushing is a great sport in all its variants. Each breed is good for another type of dog sport, of course. Short-nose breeds tend to suffer from respiration problems more but their body structure is good and therefore they are good at pulling loads, for example.
No matter what dog you have at home, devote it at least an hour a day, so you nor it will get lazy. You’ll definitely enjoy your time together. Let’s exercise with our dogs!
According to some estimates, around 5-10 percent of all dogs can be partially or completely deaf. Apparently, dogs with white coats are more prone to deafness. Even though it does not affect only older dogs, it is not a topic that is often discussed....
Nowadays, it is common for town cats as well as village cats to be castrated. The reasons are understandable and people have fortunately moved away from the old-fashioned tradition of drowning kittens. But what to expect from castration, especially in...
It is said that a dog is a man's best friend Recent research therefore tends to focus on how dogs think and what they perceive during specific moments. The diversity of their thinking is based on the fact that dogs have gradually become involved in...
Fetching is a favourite activity for many dogs. Some dogs have it in their genes. Others must be shown how it is done before they start enjoying it. As with all other commands, positive motivation and rewarding are important. How to go about it?
The Czech Republic had the honour of taking on the host role and providing a venue for the World Dog Show organised for exhibitors, breeders and dog breed enthusiasts. It was agreed among the visitors that the event was successful. As a venue for the...
Do you find it hard to decide when there's so much to choose from? If you're like me, it's best to try out the harness first before you buy it for your four-legged friend. Today, the selection of dog harnesses is truly varied. There are harnesses for...
Autumn is here. And with it comes the flu season. Colds and other ailments associated with this time of the year do not only affect people, but also their four-legged friends. Especially widespread and highly dangerous in case of non-treatment is the...
Breed registry, pedigree, bonitation, bonitation card or bonitation commission, exterior, breeding certification - these are all terms that you will inevitably encounter if you want to have a 'certified' dog, namely a dog with a pedigree. What...
These little creatures, which we have adopted as full-fledged pets, the same as cats and dogs, are much more interesting than seems at first glance. What are the five peculiarities associated with the most numerous order of mammals, which every...
Gastric torsion is the nightmare of all dog owners. According to statistics, in three out of five cases gastric torsion happens at night. This is a very serious illness with a mortality rate of 30-40 percent. In order to prevent gastric torsion, it's...
The events of recent weeks have reaffirmed the importance of cynologists in rescue teams. The rescuers' four-legged partners help search not only in rubble after natural disasters but also track missing or injured persons in inaccessible terrain. Now...
How to give first aid to your pet? We often don't find out until something happens. Fortunately, there are more and more courses for complete laypersons. During these specialized seminars or webinars, owners of four-legged friends can find out the...
