Well yes, summer is over! The heat is gone and we often feel that this means that we will move less with our canine companion or that we will have less opportunity to make him do exercise. Yet there is always a way to make our beloved companion move and thus to enjoy a little exercise ourselves! There is no excuse and I offer you some ideas that will help you get your dog to exercise, which is essential for his physical and mental health as well as for yours.
- Play with your dog
You can play hide and seek with your dog very well! It’s not complicated in fact. Just throw your favorite toy as far away as possible and run to hide. In addition to making him move, it will tire him because he will rush to look for you in the house. You can even take the opportunity to practice the word “come” with him.
- Challenge his snout
As you already know, your dog has a fascinating sense of smell. So don’t hesitate to ask him. Make him work for his food. You can even create an obstacle course that will lead him to his bowl. You will find in the stores croquette vending machines that you can use to challenge your companion a little and you can even create your own toy with old plastic dishes that will let the croquettes pass by in drip.
- Come on, let’s move!
As you would do your sit UPS or push up to keep you fit, a little exercise will do him good. Have them do things in a loop: sit-down-stand. Handshakes and rolls also help them strengthen their muscles. And why not use the old treadmill lying in the back of the garage? You have to take a few precautions so he doesn’t get hurt, but if you take the time to get him used to the machine by starting with a slow pace and placing a treat in front of him, You can increase the speed and duration gradually.
- Interior Courses
You can register for the agility classes or the Fly Ball which are very successful in the field of canine sport. These allow your dog to exercise while socializing.
- Massage it
Do you like to be massaged? Does it relax you? Why not share it with your beloved puppy? The benefits of massage on dogs are no longer to be proven: they reduce their stress and soothe pain just as it does for us.
- Cover up and get out
“Get out? Oh, it’s cold!” That may be true, but big dogs love snow. Make it run just 30 minutes in the snow and your dog will have done his sport of the day!
- Canicross Do you like running? Then discover Canicross, a new and increasingly popular canine sport that consists simply of running with your dog on a leash or with a harness at the waist. It’s a good way to exercise and keep fit, both for you and your dog. That said, as with jogging, a gradual learning is necessary if your dog (or you) has never run before! Find out!
