Have you ever wondered how much movement is healthy for your dog and when it can be harmful? Or that not every movement is beneficial? Most dog owners never think about this. It’s said that the more you move, the better. But this is not always true.
So how much movement can harm your dog and what type is not good for him? This is not so easy to answer. As with everything, each individual is different and therefore we must treat their needs and abilities individually. Let’s have a look at the issue from the perspective of canine physiology and what limits his movements. There is a certain type of inappropriate movement that can cause a dog difficulty for the rest of his life and cause him to suffer from persistent pain.
One of the problems can be repeatedly overburdening your dog. This means any type of movement that is regularly repeated but is beyond the power of the animal in its growing phase. If a type of excessively applied movement becomes regular, part of the everyday activities of your dog, it will sooner or later have a negative impact on his body due to the repetitive pressure on his muscular and skeletal system. It is therefore necessary to warm up the dog’s muscles with a walk or some easy exercise prior to each action.
Indeed, one negative impact on the musculoskeletal system of your dog can be a simple game of fetch. If you often do it and it takes a long time, problems may occur. The continuing action of running, hunting and rotating is not healthy for a dog. We must bear in mind that if a dog is having fun with an activity, he will never say enough even when something starts to hurt. It’s therefore up to us to keep the length of the game in check, not to play catch for more than an hour at a time, but rather mix it up with other activities and types of movement, and of course with relaxing time as well.
Neither jogging nor biking is right for a dog. First, we can easily overlook that the dog is tired and overestimate his strength, because biking for us is a lot easier. Second, the constant pace of jogging is not good for a dog’s muscles and can cause them to strain. They are working with only one stride without any change. Their muscles can become protracted and stop fully working, because they will be adapted to only one range of motion. The same type of surface can likewise be harmful. This especially regards jogging. The terrain should not only be asphalt or vice versa only ground. Quite simply, too much of anything can hurt. Only a variety of surfaces can help your dog’s body balance the load.
Dogs also don’t benefit from a sudden onslaught of weekend activities. If during the week you go only for short walks and then on the weekend subject him to an all-day trip, it is extremely demanding for him. Such a sudden increase in movement can be painful for dogs and cause them to be lethargic for at least the next two days. If you’re planning to repeat this over the long term, the muscle fibers may start to compress and create more and more tension in the joints. Remember therefore to mingle long walks with regular breaks and adjustments in the length of the route.
The ideal way is to let the dog gradually get used to such movement. So gradually increase the length and intensity of the activities and be sure to vary the activity to ensure your dog’s entire body bears the burden.
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