 My Account |
|
| Messages |
|
| See the Dogs! |
|
| Adoption |
|
| Community |
|
| Answers |
|
| Local Listings |
|
| Watch Videos |
|
| Resources |
|
| Read Diaries |
|
| DogsterPlus |
|
| Dogster Store |
|
| Dogster Info |
|
| Visit Catster |
|
 |
||
 |
 |
|
 close
Please Login or Register Woof - We'd love to share this portion of Dogster with you, but first you'll need to login. If you don't have a Dogster account yet, you can register in about 60 seconds. Registering allows you to use all our free features while allowing us to create a safer, more meaningful environment for the community as a whole. Registering is fast, free and lets you create your dog page(s), find adoptable dogs, save your favorites, connect to your Pup Pals and more. Login now or Register for free!
|
||
 |
 |
|
 |
||
|
|||
 |
Dog Owner's Manual › Chapter 3: Daily Interaction With Your Dog › Dog Exercise and Fitness ›Dog Exercise and Fitness
Even the most sedentary models require a certain amount of physical exertion to stay healthy. Consider the following factors before determining the level of exercise appropriate for your pet. Size: For small breeds such as pugs and Boston terriers, a walk around the block is the equivalent of a marathon. Larger animals are, in general, capable of longer jaunts and more strenuous activity. Physical Stamina: How long and how hard a dog can play depends on its genetic makeup. Some models, including huskies and most terriers, were bred for stamina. They can run and play for a very, very long time. Others were designed for specific types of exertion. For instance, the greyhound is capable of great speed, but only over short distances. As a result, it makes a poor jogging companion. Models such as the German shorthaired pointer and the vizsla, however, were engineered to go the distance. Physical Makeup: Various breeds, because of their design, have certain physiological disadvantages. For instance, "flat-faced" models such as boxers, pugs, and bulldogs have below-normal breathing capacity and therefore less stamina. Physical activity for these dogs should come in short bursts. Also, some models are prone to orthopedic problems (such as hip dysplasia) that can be aggravated by excessive exercise. Your veterinarian can help you create a suitable exercise plan for your dog. Weather Conditions: Coat length also can determine how much exercise a particular model can handle. In winter, thin-coated dogs can tolerate less cold exposure than thick-coated dogs such as the Samoyed and Great Pyrenees. During the summer months, however, thin-coated dogs can tolerate more heat than heavily coated breeds. In general, heat is a bigger problem for most dogs.
Physical Conditioning: Dogs, like humans, can become out of shape. Taking a normally sedentary dog on a 2-mile run can lead to orthopedic injuries (among other problems). Instead, build up the dog’s capacity slowly over weeks and exercise it daily, if possible. A sedentary dog can be conditioned with a 20- to 60-minute walk 5 days a week. Swimming is also a good activity, because it eases strain on joints. Consult your veterinarian before beginning any sort of exercise program for an overweight, aged, and/or infirm canine.
Chapter 3: Daily Interaction With Your Dog
Comments for This Page (11) | Post a CommentI don't know if this'll help ya but what I did is train my dog with a "calming" command. (a noise that's calm, and soothing like "shhhh") And I'll usually pet/rub her on the sides of her head below her ears. She gets the point, that it's time to relax and settle down. If I'm playing with her away from home, then I can walk her back to my house so she'll also get a "cool down" from all the fun. Sorta like exercise for humans: do a warm up, the full out effort (Cardio or whatever), then cool down. That's how I do it anyhow. :c) I have a high energy dog and I am slightly disabled. so long walks are out of the question. I do go on short walks but after watching and talking with the Dog Whisperer I now train to walk on the treadmil. It takes a little while but it does work. At least for my boxer. My husbands lab has front leg problems so just a walk is good for him. My new dog is a puppy so she is only staying on now for about 2 minutes (4 months). As she gets older I will start to increase the time. Also do the calming thing with her. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't . Depends on the stimulus. I also take full advantage of the grandkids visiting to get her out and playing hard. Then they all come in and take a nap. We have a Siberian Husky and out temps here in the valley can reach between 112-118 degress with 30-35% humidity, on these days, for her safety, we take her out at 430 in the morning and this way she gets her excersize and we can keep her cool the rest of the day and she isnt climbing the walls. my little 8 1/2 pound shih tzu walks about 40 mins a day. it gets hot up here in the sf bay area as well so we get in exercise around 8am when it's only in the 60's. i think the distance only covers about 2/3 of a mile though. he's still running around when we get home then he takes a nap around 1030 which is pretty normal for him anyways. we worked it up to that distance a block at a time. I have a HIGH energy terrier(some of you may know her-Pip) And a pretty low-medium energy Black Mouth Cur(Riley). When Riley goes for walks,he usually gets his exercise in,but when I take Pip for walks,or even runs,it just doesn't cut it. Riley doesn't keep up with a bike and usually is okay with a walk. Pip loves bike rides. I suggest taking your dog for a good bike ride. It wears Pip out. She doesn't even want to jump on me after a bike ride. She can run as fast or faster than the bike for about 4 street blocks. The bike works! You can use those chuckits to throw a ball if your dog likes chasing. That way he gets lots of exercise while you don't tire yourself out. We also practice the calming thing (our boy almost always understands that's time to calm down). RollerBlades, LandRollers, and Bikes are all great ways to allow your dog to move faster and get tired more quickly. I have Australian Cattle Dogs, and they are indeed the deffenition of a high energy breed. My Cattle Dog goes for a walk at 5:30am before it's hot out, also plays fetch for a bit, and then in the evening we do an activity such as hiking, the dog park, using the chuck it, the beach, land rollering, etc. I think if your dog isn't tiring out with what you're doing, you need to kick it up a notch: do more strenuous exercise, put a weighted backpack on your dog during your walk, rollerblade/landroller/bike with your dog, do two or three activities a day instead of one, give your dog interactive toys such as treat dispencing toys. The possibilities are endless! I am a Siberian Husky, and I have a problem with my humans. I love them dearly. I've even gotten off the leash a couple of times over the years, and I haven't left my humans. My humans aren't particularly active, and I do think they should get more exercise. I could solve this problem for them if they would just follow my lead (I am the lead dog), but I have been carried home from walks because the "humans" seem to think they are in charge. If it is 'MY WALK", shouldn't we go where I want to go? I am a good dog, and my humans adore me, but I'm concerned that my humans aren't getting enough exercise. At least I can run through the house. They don't even seem interested in running. I want to know if any of you dogs have dealt with this problem. For Energetic Huskies and other breeds...Mommy takes me to a community dog park. I get to run off the leash and swim, but I get most tired when I romp and wrestle with other dogs my size. When they jump on me it's like lifting weights and when I jump on them it's like pushing. It builds muscles and reflexes and makes me sleek and handsome. Plus it made me close to my BFF (best furry friend). My mommy sits and watches me and talks to my friends mommy's and daddy's. Sometimes she walks me on the trail with my friends. Most of the time she sits on the bench and smiles at me. Once in a while she can't see me and calls me. I'm a good boy so she hardly ever has a reason to yell at me. It's great. She meets people, I meet dogs! Post a Comment for This Page
Please log in or register to post a comment.
|
 |
|
|
|
||
|
|||
join us |
about |
faq |
news & updates |
advertise on dogster |
contact dogster
community guidelines | site map | privacy policy | terms of service Copyright 2003-2008 Dogster, Inc.
|
|||
CAUTION: Be extremely careful with "flat-faced" breeds (bulldogs, pugs) during times of high heat and humidity. Their inability to dissipate heat during otherwise normal exertion can be potentially life-threatening.
The Dog Owner's Manual is a basic guide to dog care.
Do you have any advice on slowing down the dog? My dog is alwayse so full of energy, sometimes, me and my husband and our friend take her for a walk, than i run with her, than my husband, than our friend, than we take another turn, and so on untill the three of us get worn out, and when we are going home, she is still jumping around us!