Suggestions for exercise

[shygirl]

I work lots of hours M-F. I have dogs that need lots of exercise and I feel bad. These are some of the things I find keep them from barking, digging, and chewing things. I try to make time every day or minimally every other day to play ball with each individually. I throw pretty well, but for people who can't there are types of throwing helpers you can get at Petco and Petsmart. Some dogs like my friends prefer to throw a tug so they can retrieve. If you have more room a frisbee like thing. I am always careful to throw in front so the don't jump too high and hurt themselves.

I also got a springer on my bike to ride around the block or take in the local fields. I take them on some hiking trails on the weekends. But for people that have dog parks and your dog is on voice command that is probably better because you give them a chance to socialize with other dogs.

If I really don't have time - I use treats to teach them some new trick so they are at least using their mind. Over the years, I found these to be useful.
One of the newest things I have found are the interactive toys...balls that make noise, talk, etc. My youngest plays for hours and gets his frustration out. Let's get this contest goiing. I know from my doggie friends in town that people do lots of things to keep their dogs stimulated and exercised.

[Carol]

Casey is almost 6 yrs old and needs lots of daily exercise to keep her weight under control since being spayed last Fall.
With winter causing her walks to be shorter duration, one of the things that keeps Casey exercised, is to visit the Rooming House next door to see her buddies who live there. The person she is most attached to, lives on the top floor and she races up the stairs to see him and jumps up on his bed and begs for attention (or a biscuit?)
Because she gets excited when she meets up with people she has met, as well as other dogs, the way to get her moving is to have another dog or a special person as her goal.
She was a breeding dog so I suspect she was not exposed to wonderful playtime like flyball or agility or playing with toys. But old dogs CAN learn new tricks, I will prove that soon.
Where I live, we have walking trails for miles throughout the city with lots of green areas. Lots of dogs along the way and no worries about cars but lots of bicycles. Lots of access to the Trent Severn Waterway as well, for a much needed drink along the way. Since getting Casey I am more fit than ever. The cure for flabby thighs is, get a dog that loves long walks!

[pizzi]

I am 85 years old and got a Havanesse puppy over a year ago. I took her to obedience classes and at the place I took classes they had play days. Because my knees were bothering me, I would take her to play days as much as possible. Then when the decision was made that I had to have knee replacement, I started searching out other people with Havanesse and friends with dogs and we started our own exercise days at each others' homes, the beach, and parks. My knee is healing and I can walk Pepe but she needs more than I can give her. So in April, I have a 4-H girl who will take her to agility classes for me. I will continue my exercise play days. I have such a busy social life now because of Pepe and she gets all the exercise she needs. Exercise is important so that she is happy, stimulated, and less inclined to chew. I hope this gives people some ideas.:)

[SDdogs]

Well, I'm very lucky in that I run an online business and am surrounded by woodland and other lovely walks.
I own a 12 year old GSD x Collie, she may be 12 but she's still very bouncy. Unfortunately she's never had any interest in toys, and is scared by squeeky toys! So this limits us. We take her out for a minimum of 2 walks a day, they can vary from a 6 mile jog around the woods, or a 10 minute wander around the block. On the weekends we make sure she has 2 full long walks lasting a minimum of 2 hours. I hope this keeps her muscles strong, her joints mobile, and her mind active.
However, my rescued Jack Russels which I re-homed may lend themselves better to this.
As they were very active little dogs, and I was in uni I didn't have as much time or space to exercise them as I'd have liked. So I tried to incorporate lots of high energy exercise with wind downs before and afterwards. We'd usually start with a bit of heelwork, moving onto weaving, and then to make sure I had their attention I'd spring random commands on them. For example, we'd go from a distance sit-stay, recall, retrieve, down half way to the retrieve, etc. Once they were suitably warmed up, we moved up onto the jumps, the high speed fetch / retrieves, the mad games of cat and mouse, this lasted about 30minutes, and then we wound down again using similar methods. We usually used the 20m x 40m outdoor riding school we had to do all this in.
I think, it kept their minds active, I know it built up their muscles, it was a sand school so I didn't have to worry about them damaging bones etc. I used all sorts of toys, from smaller footballs, to terrier sized tennis balls, tugs, rubber bones, squeeky toys, anything to get their attention and keep their mind working. The bond between us was strengthened definately, they were very alert, active, fit and healthy.

[Cometsmama]

Hello, I'm new to this Forum and delighted to see people acknowledge how important exercise is to a dog's overall well being.

Our family has had Comet, a mix who seems to be mostly Shepherd, for over 6 years now. He was ill when we got him from the pound. After he felt better, we started to understand how much energy he had. He was so crazy in dog training class the instructor predicted we'd never be able to have him off leash, anywhere! Fortunately she was wrong.

Ways we've exercised him (and other dogs) over the years:

Off leash hiking in mountains, forests, beaches, deserts. Or open spaces within cities. Swimming in lakes.

By bicycle - I used to hold the leash in my hand, but after Comet lunged after a cat one day and I royally gouged my leg, I came up with a safer idea - the "bicycle loopee" I call it. It's simply nylon mesh with a loop sewn on either end. Put that as low as possible around the stem of your bike and link a larger snap through the two loops. Then thread the end of the leash through and hold the end on the handlebars. Adjust the length as needed. Keep some of your weight centered over your handlebars. Even a 92 lb dog can't pull me over with a lunge with this method.

Bicycle games - If you have an off leash area where you can bike, wait until the dog is off and sniffing at something. Then try and sneak away and start pedaling in the opposite direction as fast as you can before the dog realizes it! Comet loves trying to catch me out on this one. I do it on foot too. It's a good way to train a dog to keep track of you too, especially if you give them as much freedom as we have ours.

The whipwhir (pronounced "whipper"). This is a fabulous and fun toy I came up with for giving Comet a real workout in a small area, whether indoors or in the back or front yard. Great for rainy days or those days you just don't feel like getting in a car or out in traffic to get to the park. Comet is not that interested in fetching anything, but has a very strong instinct to chase prey and that's what this is based on. A warning though - this needs to be used carefully - although Comet has never been seriously injured using it, there have been moments when he has landed or twisted awkwardly - so start out slow and let your dog warm up before whipping it wild.:)

To make a whipwhir, take a piece of rope or cord, about three or four feet long, with an old sock or rag tied to the end of it. Make a handle in the rope or attach it to a broomstick (like a fishing pole) if you like. Whirl it around and watch your dog try to catch the end. Replace rags/socks as needed. I've also used a wide nylon leash as a stand in whipwhir and it has held up well.

I usually drag the whipwhir on the ground at first to get Comet moving if he's been lying around a lot before I go higher with it. There are an infinite number of patterns you can make clockwise or counter. If your dog isn't too interested at first, whip it around really fast to create a whooshing sound. Comet will usually catch it at some point and want to play tug of war and also shake vigorously. (Now that he has had to be either chained up or confined in our RV for hours at a time-sometimes with cats teasing him-the shaking seems to be important for him to get out some of his frustrations.)

Two other homemade toys that intrigue Comet I call "paddio sticks":
Take a few sticks (crooked and greenish rather than brittle if possible) about 3/4 inch (20mm) thick and a foot (300mm) or so long. Make sure they're not from a type of wood that is poisonous to dogs. Tear up an old T-shirt into strips an inch or two (25-50mm) wide. Cross two sticks or make a triangle out of three, then wrap the rag strips tightly around them. Tie strips together with a square (or reef) knot and end with hitches and tucking the rag ends under previous layers. Great for rolling end for end along the ground and giving your dog a chew. Just be sure that the chewing is done under supervision -some dogs will swallow the darndest things.:rolleyes:

Cometsmama

[Carol]

Wow I have read some terrific ideas on the topic of exercise. It is an important topic and I can see we all care very much about the wellbeing of our beloved pets.
Thanks everyone for the great postings.

[k9mania]

:cool: My dogs would rather hike in the mountains and swim in the lakes or ocean than even compete in flyball. But you can't always do that so you have given people some creative ideas. Many dogs go to shelters because they have behavior problems. Many of those could be minimized or eliminated with proper mental and physical stimulation. Let's hear from the rest of you. How do you keep your dog exercised. Some people use those laser lights. But you must be very careful of their eyes.

[Cometsmama]

Great to hear that people are concerned and doing some wonderful things to exercise and socialize their dog. We are sure that Comet was turned into the pound by his previous owners because they didn't know how to take care of him properly.

Thought of a few more things to pass along:

One other thing I used to do with Comet in a local city park was race him on my bicycle since he can outrun me by a mile:rolleyes:
I'd take him at a time when no one else was near the path or at least no one else with dogs and he'd do a flat out run racing me - me on the concrete path, him on the grass, back and forth until I was tired.

When off leash in a safe neighborhood Comet sometimes finds a dog(s) confined in a backyard behind a fence. He'll sprint back and forth, matched by the dog(s) on the other side - gives them all exercise and is a limited form of socialization. Comet likes this better than getting in a dog park and running with other dogs.

Regarding socialization, we've found that when dogs are left to get acquainted with each other on the trail or in a dog park without a nervous owner hovering over them, they tend to be more relaxed. If one dog is on a leash and the other is not, the leashed dog tends to be more defensive. Often we'll drop Comet's leash when another dog comes up to get acquainted and step back. He's never been in a serious fight.

However, we've had cases where Comet's been off leash and another dog has not and the owner becomes hysterically afraid, which results in their dog following suit. They assume because he gets his ruff up that he's itching to fight. Over time we've learned to leash him if he's near enough or taught Comet to give such situations a wide berth since we hate the verbal abuse that usually follows.:eek:

One thing we've noticed time and again is that small dogs will be very aggressive toward larger ones. Comet recently had a Chihuahua follow him down the street and latch onto him! Fortunately he was tired from chasing rabbits so just shrugged the dog off as a nuisance and kept going. We've often wished dog parks would separate dogs by size, especially since bigger dogs often rely on the off leash area for exercise.

Interestingly, when we were in the Baja part of Mexico a couple of years ago, we noticed hardly anyone put their dogs on leashes or behind fences and most dogs didn't have collars. Packs of dogs would congregate in various parts of neighborhoods. We didn't see a single dog fight. We let Comet off leash and he was able to communicate that he didn't want trouble but would give it to them if they did anything. They let him be.:)

Cometsmama

[k9mania]

:cool: We drew their suggestions for exercise and we will donate $15 to each of the winners favorite charity. We will let you know what charities we have donated to as we find out where they prefer the money goes. We enourage everyone to exhange information on the areas we have a drawing so that others can become more informed and they and their K9 companions will have a better quality of life.

[Carol]

Thank you so much!
This site is such a great place to share information, experiences, photos and most of all the love of our pets.
This is my favorite charity. They are supported solely by donations and fundraisers and they do wonderful work finding homes no matter how long it takes.

http://www.ptbo.igs.net/~laws/


Lakefield Animal Welfare Society
2887 Lakefield Highway (formerly Hwy28)
P.O Box 9
Lakefield, Ontario
K0L 2H0
phone: (705)652-0588

[9pups]

I work lots of hours M-F. I have dogs that need lots of exercise and I feel bad. These are some of the things I find keep them from barking, digging, and chewing things. I try to make time every day or minimally every other day to play ball with each individually. I throw pretty well, but for people who can't there are types of throwing helpers you can get at Petco and Petsmart. Some dogs like my friends prefer to throw a tug so they can retrieve. If you have more room a frisbee like thing. I am always careful to throw in front so the don't jump too high and hurt themselves.

I also got a springer on my bike to ride around the block or take in the local fields. I take them on some hiking trails on the weekends. But for people that have dog parks and your dog is on voice command that is probably better because you give them a chance to socialize with other dogs.

If I really don't have time - I use treats to teach them some new trick so they are at least using their mind. Over the years, I found these to be useful.
One of the newest things I have found are the interactive toys...balls that make noise, talk, etc. My youngest plays for hours and gets his frustration out. Let's get this contest goiing. I know from my doggie friends in town that people do lots of things to keep their dogs stimulated and exercised.


I have a fenced in back yard that I let my dog and her puppies run around in. I don't have to worry about them running out in the road or running off some where and getting into trouble.

[9pups]

I have a fenced in back yard that I let my dog and her puppies run around in. I don't have to worry about them running out in the road or running off some where and getting into trouble.

[May209]

For our cocker we use a ball that you put kibble in and he bats it around with his nose and kibble falls out one or two at a time. He loves it and it keeps him stimulated and out of trouble. You can get the ball out when you leave for work. Me I work midnights so he gets it when I sleep and the kids are at school or hubby is at work. It was a great investment.