Exercise is Good For You and The Dog
Not only does exercising your dog keep him fit and healthy – it may also prevent diseases often associated with dogs that don’t get enough exercise. Just as exercise can prevent premature ageing and diseases in humans, dogs also benefit from having an exercise routine in their lives.
Obesity can occur if you and your dog don’t get enough exercise. It’s great if you both can benefit from the same chosen exercise, such as jogging or walking. You can even walk or run on a treadmill and teach your dog to walk on a leash beside you. Knowing that you can keep your beloved dog healthy with exercise may help you get off the couch and get healthy yourself.
Here are some dog (and human) diseases that you can prevent by keeping your dog healthy and fit through regular exercise:
- Obesity – Both you and your pup can benefit from exercises such as jogging and running. It’s great if you can start your dog off as a puppy by exercising with him. It’s a bonding experience that’s good for you both.
- Diabetes – Exercise, along with a healthy diet, can keep your dog at a healthy weight and prevent the onset of diabetes from being obese or not consuming a proper diet.
- Arthritis – Dogs and humans are plagued by this debilitating disease that makes it difficult to engage in activities you enjoy. Exercise can prevent most types of arthritis by keeping the bones and joints healthy and flexible.
- Cancer – Unfortunately nothing can prevent cancer if your dog is predisposed to it, but keeping him healthy with the right amount of exercise and guarding against obesity will go a long way to keep him toxin-free, and that’s one good step in preventing cancer.
- Heart Disease – Just as in humans, dogs can become susceptible to heart disease that could cause sudden death or much pain and anguish. Heart disease can also be prevented by the proper amount of exercise, healthy diet and cutting down on stress (dogs have stress too).
Prevention of dog diseases can begin with a good and regular exercise program for your dog that includes running, playing and keeping a healthy weight. Try daily dog walks for your dog. If you can’t accompany your pet during exercise, find a reliable dog walker that will make sure your dog is properly hydrated and exercised for the right amount of time.
Our dogs are like our children. They deserve the best of care, both when you’re with them and when they’re not. Make sure your dog is properly exercised to keep him healthy and fit.
NB: Whilst it is very tempting to take young puppies (up to around 12 months) out for long walks as this can cause more harm than good. Puppies are not fully developed. Over-exercising puppies can cause damage to elbows and hips which will cause problems in later life
Again a professional dog walker such as Finchley Dog Walker will take this into account
With Kind Thanks to Sue of Tip Top Dog School for helping with the editing