Can a Dog Get Enough Exercise on the Lead?
It will be no surprise to dog owners that you should ensure that your pet gets enough exercise. The amount of activity your dog needs will depend very much on its age and breed – larger, younger dogs will need exercise than an older or smaller breed.
What Counts as Exercise?
Generally speaking, taking your dog for a walk is enough for them, but you can encourage them to be more active too. Many assume that dogs will only be satisfied if they are allowed to run around the park chasing a ball off their lead. Whilst this is ideal if play isn’t possible for whatever reason, you need
look at alternatives!
Don’tcompletely disregard using a lead to walk your dog because as long as they get enough walking time, this is fine. You should remember that walking on a lead isn’t vigorous as running around, so they might need a little more exercise to compensate for it.
If you are fit and healthy, it is possible to work alongside your pet on their lead and get their blood pumping a little more. Dogs generally love being free and running, so they enjoy this just as much as they would running off of the lead. Just remember to ease your dog into any exercise like this, so they get used to it!
Brain Games
During hot weather or any other time your dog may not go out shouldn’t be a problem. Simply start by editing the bowl and playing games which can mentally stimulate him while wearing them out, reinforcing training, etc.
As a Games based trainer, I can come up with s et menu of games suitable for your dog and any traits or bad behaviours they may have
How Much Exercise is Enough?
The amount of exercise your dog needs will vary depending on the dog itself and the type of exercise you give them. The best way to tell whether they have had enough is the state they return to when they get home. Your dog should be slightly tired when they get home but not so tired that they cannot do anything else. It is easy to get carried away and exercise your pet too much, which you should be aware of.
So, yes, giving your pet enough exercise while they are on their lead is possible. You might need to spend more time outdoors with them than you would if you could exercise them off the lead.