A Small Dog

The Benefits of Exercising Your Dog

Posted on 11. Nov, 2008 by Jeff K. in Small Dog Care

The title of this article is mis-leading. Unless you place your dog on a treadmill, you will most likely get as much or more exercise as your dog when you both set out for a walk, or a run, or a romp in the park. Since this blog is first and foremost about dogs, let’s begin by looking at the benefits of exercising your dog.

First, let’s agree on a definition of exercise. For our purposes, exercise can be defined as any repeated activity that improves one’s overall physical condition over the long term. Examples would be walking, running, or swimming.

Certainly not all vigorous activity is exercise. For example, you may be one of those lucky people who owns more than one dog, and your dogs like to play vigorously with each other. While play behavior is a healthy activity, its exercise value is not very high because it does not maintain your dog’s heart and breathing rates at a consistently elevated level. It may temporarily wear out your dogs, but it is not really the kind of exercise they need. Along a similar vein, housework may wear you out, but it hardly qualifies as healthy exercise.

Physiologically, dogs are not that far removed from humans. Dogs most greatly differ from humans in the proportion of some organs to overall body mass. For example, most dogs’ lungs are much larger in proportion to their body mass than our lungs. You can detect this without special equipment just by looking at the depth and spread of a dog’s ribcage. A dog’s over-sized lung capacity means it can take in a lot more oxygen per breath for its body mass than a human. As a result, dogs naturally have greater endurance than humans. Put another way, put side by side in a marathon, and given identical levels of fitness, a dog will kick your butt.

Does this mean dogs are naturally fit animals. To a certain extent, yes. However, dogs can suffer the same ill effects of being sedentary or overweight that strike humans who do not exercise. Without a doubt, exercise will make your dog more physically healthy.

There are psychological benefits to exercise too. Just as we know exercise improves a human’s mental outlook, exercise is a boon to a dog’s mood. Dogs actually crave exercise, though they, like humans, can learn to live without it. You know your dog needs to get out and run or walk for an extended period. Here is why.

First, dogs evolved as hunters. While not the fastest animals on the planet, they do possess one of the greatest capacities for endurance as we previously discussed. This means that dogs learned to catch prey not by outrunning it, but by outlasting it. Today, you can see this strategy by watching the hunting behavior of  the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus.). These dogs will pursue prey over many miles, with a reported success rate for capturing prey at 80%. This tendency towards long-distance pursuits is probably an inherited behavior for dogs.

Secondly, most dogs spend a lot of time idling indoors. Even dogs who run around the yard all day are still confined. Noted dog behaviorist, Cesar Millan calls them “dogs in an aquarium.” Dogs need an emotional outlet. Nothing seems to satisfy this need more than a good long walk. Dogs that remain cooped up most the day often take out their frustrations on inanimate objects, such as your sofa, your shoes or whatever you would least like to be torn apart. You may also notice a frustrated dog trying to relieve his frustration or boredom by ritually licking his legs and paws.

Conversely, look at a dog that has been on a long walk. What do they do? Initially, dogs returning from a walk will usually stay at a high level of energy for a little while. Many dogs will go to the food bowl if it is available, because, in the wild, hunting behavior means walking or running over a long distance. Once the excitement of the walk wears off, dogs usually lie down contentedly afterward. There is also less tendency towards misbehavior, even hours after the walk is over. They have gotten exactly what they needed, physically and mentally.

Your dog really needs a good long walk or run every day. By good long walk, I  mean 40 to 45 minutes of walking at a vigorous pace. This duration can be reduced slightly if you jog or run with your dog, but remember, your dog has greater endurance than you do. While 20 minutes of running might wear you out, your dog is probably just warming up. I know when we walk Kelsey and Royce for 45 minutes every day, the first thing they want to do when they get inside after the walk is play a game of chase with each other.

Common sense applies here. If your dog has been sedentary for a long time, or if your dog is overweight, you do not want to push too hard the first time out. Short walks in cool weather are a good way to start. You can increase the duration of your walks as time passes and your dog grows more fit. Always give your dog, (and yourself, for that matter,) plenty of opportunities to drink water before and after exercise. If you are on a long hike, give your dog water breaks enroute. Keep an eye on your dog during exercise, staying alert for any signs of distress. Your dog will not be able to verbalize when he or she is getting overheated or exhausted. Check with your veterinarian if you have any doubts about your dog’s capacity to exercise.

That about covers your dog’s needs. What about you? Guess what. When you exercise your dog, your dog is also exercising you. At least that is one way to think of it. Many people will not do themselves the service of healthy exercise, but they will do what it takes to care for their dog. In essence, you and your dog are taking care of each other, which is how it should be. (Understanding Dog Owners’ Increased Levels of Physical Activity: Results From RESIDE, American Journal of Public Health 66-69 January 2008, Vol 98, No. 1.) Even better, research has shown that we tend to exercise more regularly and with greater vigor when the activity is enjoyable. By concentrating on our dogs and the enjoyment they receive from a good long walk, you will probably find that your daily dose of self-care is not only tolerable, it is downright pleasant. So get out there and have fun!

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