As a dog owner, you may be thinking of the best way to help your pet get exercise. While daily walks are obviously a must, there are more options for your pooch, especially if they have a lot of energy or, alternatively, they are unable to use their body like they once used to. Here are a few different options for getting your pet moving:
Hiking
As long as your pet is relatively healthy, you could plan out times for you to get some great exercise while your animal joins you on your adventures. While you’ll want to be sure to do careful planning so you can be confident that you have everything to keep you both safe, it could be the perfect way for the both of you to stay active while also taking care of your mental health by enjoying nature together.
Also, make sure that you have Heartgard Plus on Dutch so that you always protect your pet from heartworms, which they could more easily be exposed to while on hikes.
Longer walks
If you don’t have any great hiking spots close enough to get out as often as you’d like, consider taking longer walks around town so that you can be sure your pet is getting as much exercise as possible. Try out a long morning walk to get some of your pup’s energy burned.
You may not have that much time in the morning, but consider incorporating a longer walk in the evenings so that both of you are able to decompress after the day and get movement that helps you sleep well at night. You can be sure that one of you is going to be quite happy with this kind of routine. And if you can’t find the time to do it yourself, hire a great dog walker on Rover.
Running buddy
As long as your pet’s joints are healthy and they don’t have any serious conditions, you could turn them into your running buddy. They may be unable to run a marathon with you, but they could run long distances as long as you build up to it with them. Talk to your vet before taking your pet on runs, and if you discover that they don’t seem to love it, consider an alternative sport to enjoy together.
Use water therapy
Hydrotherapy could be a great idea for pet parents whose animals are a little older and who need a little TLC when it comes to their movement. Hydrotherapy can help them get their movement done in a low-impact way that is safe for their body.
This is especially beneficial for senior dogs that may be carrying a bit extra weight and don’t really have alternative ways of getting enough exercise. Talk to a holistic vet about how you can incorporate this therapy into your dog’s care.
Take them mountain biking
If you want to do a sport that you love and take your pet with you, consider training your pup to become a mountain bike buddy. While you’ll want to make sure to train them well and ensure they’re great with recall, it can be a really fun sport to enjoy with your animal.
Be careful about where you go to ride or run together, as you want to avoid doing this on busy trails with a lot of other bikers and hikers, as well as too many dogs. As long as they are well-trained off-leash, this could be the favorite way for the both of you to get exercise.
In Conclusion
As a pet parent, you care about your animal’s health. Take time to figure out the best way for your pooch to get exercise. Whether it’s accompanying you as you ride your local trails or you start running with them, there are a number of ways to get them moving that go beyond just daily walks. You’ll have a happy and healthy pup.