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Body (Physical) Exercise
Physical exercise is vital to a long healthy life for dogs.
For pups under 6 months old- My rule is to aim for 10 minutes of intentional, low-impact physical exercise per month of age, twice a day.
After 6 months old- Our goal is at LEAST 30 minutes of intentional exercise, twice a day every day. Some may need more!
This can be broken up into 10 or 15-minute increments.
Why is physical exercise important?
We need to be mindful of our pup's cardiovascular, muscular, and orthopedic health, as well as flexibility and agility.
Some common forms of PHYSICAL exercise are:
*Swimming
*Walking, running, jogging (age appropriate- ask me!)
*Playing fetch
*Agility, fly ball, or other competitive or recreational dog sports (age appropriate- ask me!)
*Certain dog training skills
*Playing with other dogs or animals at the park, in the yard, or at doggie daycare
*Hiking
*Scent work (sniffing for smells!)
*Staircase
*Treadmill
Brain (Mental) Exercise
Mental exercise is vital to a long healthy life for dogs.
Our goal is at LEAST 30 minutes of intentional brain work every day for dogs, some may need more!
This can be broken up into 10 or 15-minute increments, meal times are easiest!
Why is mental exercise important? We need to be mindful of our pup's psychological and emotional well-being.
A busy, working, engaged dog is a happy dog- leading to "good" behaviors and healthy habits. For example, in their kennel- if you give them some enrichment to keep their mind busy and entertained, they're much happier!
A bored, stressed, anxious dog is destructive and unhappy- leading to "bad" behaviors and habits. Dogs who don't have enough enrichment or direction tend to be anxious, destructive, aggressive, and not well-adjusted to their environment.
Some common forms of BRAIN exercise are:
*Training sessions or teaching a new skill or trick
*Walks with training sessions included
*Meeting new dogs and people
*Playing fetch, tug or find it
*Agility, fly ball, or other competitive or recreational dog sports (age appropriate- ask me!)
*Observing and exploring new surroundings like hiking or walks in new places
*Scent work (sniffing for smells!)
*Enjoying a food puzzle or other food-stuffed toy like THESE
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