Health And Fitness:
dogs will gain much more out of a 30-minute
10 Health
off-lead session than they will if they are
restricted to a half-hour walk along the
pavement on their lead.
And Fitness
You do need to be sure that your dog will
return to you when called before you let it off
the lead. If this is not the case you need to join
in a good training class. Always remember to
Tips
take your scooper with you and use it when
necessary.
Puppies need controlled exercise so they build
up strong muscles and develop into healthy
dogs. You do need to be aware that puppies’
joints are still developing and their bones are
quite soft, so boisterous games that make
Author: Sam Lees
them twist and turn quickly are not a good
idea, particularly in larger breeds. Don’t forget
As with people, dogs need regular exercise
that puppies also need plenty of sleep time.
to stay in shape and to live a long and
healthy life. Your dog’s exercise needs to
To some extent healthy, adult dogs will
change with age and will vary depending
determine their own exercise routines but they
on their breed and size.
do need to build up their exercise tolerance
gradually, so do not expect them to suddenly
It is not necessarily true that smaller dogs
be able to go for a ten mile hike if their normal
need less exercise than larger breeds so it is
walk each day is only a few minutes round the
a good idea to think about what your dog was
block.
originally bred for when thinking about what
sort of exercise it will need.
One of the benefi ts of exercising your dog
regularly is that you are also gaining the
For example, Greyhounds are sprinters so
rewards of a good walk, so not only does your
they will benefi t from short off-lead runs
dog remain fi t and healthy but so do you. So
rather than going for one long walk on their
with that in mind, here are ten top exercise and
lead, whereas terriers are bred to root out
health tips for you and your dog.
vermin so they will enjoy scratching about in
undergrowth. Retrievers will enjoy a game of
Let him do all the work. If you are
fetch with their favourite toy.
looking for an easy ride, but want your dog to
get a work out get a Frisbee. All you need to
If you have an active breed such as a Border
do is toss the thing and he will (hopefully) bring
Collie your dog will need some sort of mental
it straight back. This will provide an excellent
stimulation as well as physical exercise,
aerobic work out for him that will also relieve
so you should consider taking your dog to
any boredom. If possible, incorporate water
obedience or agility classes to keep it from
into the activity. Toss the Frisbee into the pond
becoming a bored, problem dog with a weight
or lake (it will fl oat) and let him swim for it.
problem.
BARF. A diet based around raw meat and
Because human walking speed is obviously
bones is a superb and very natural diet for
a lot slower than the natural pace of a dog,
a dog that could use a little more protein.
all dogs will benefi t from being off their lead
Although it may not sound it, this diet is very
during exercise. In a safe, traffi c-free area
healthy and suits all breeds of dog.
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