Canine Fitness Month!
Goals for a Long, Happy Life!
Some of you may know April is Canine Fitness Month! (I know we are a tad late, sorry! lol) Keeping your dog active will help your dog to stay healthy and live a long happy life. Before we start exercising with our pets it's important to make a visit with your vet to make sure your dogs don't have any underlying health issues that we didn't know about. Heart and joint issues can adjust how much you should be exercising with your pet without worsening conditions. You should also keep in mind not all breeds should be doing extensive exercise. Dogs who are brachycephalic aka flat faced, or pushed in snout dog breeds like pugs, bulldogs, shih tzu’s etc., have issues with minimal exercise as is so especially in the heat or intense workouts it's a recipe for disaster. Brachycephalic dogs cannot breathe correctly so they are more likely to become susceptible to heat strokes. Some dog breeds need and thrive with extensive exercise, Huskies, German Shepherds, Goldendoodles, Retrievers, Pointers, Belgian Malinois and other working/sporting breeds. Trust me they need it lol! For those working/sporting dogs a walk around the block may not be enough, try to see if you can get them into agility training, dock diving, frisbee (Wranglers FAVORITE), or even take nice hikes with them explore and enjoy what your area has to offer they will thank you for it!
Puppies + Exercise!
If you have a puppy and want to start exploring and getting out there to enjoy the beautiful weather be mindful of how much exercise they are getting! Puppies joints are not fully formed so too much exercise will cause long lasting issues. Remember the puppy rule for every month of age is 5 minutes of exercise daily(ex. 8 week old puppy = 10 minutes of exercise). Physical activity includes going on walks, playing fetch, running, playing with other dogs etc.
Weather!
Always be mindful of how warm it is, if you’re hot their hot too. I always like to check the floor with my hand if it's hot for my hand imagine their paw pads, you should look into all weather boots (I like to use the ruffwear brand of boots, Wranglers front paws are larger then his rear and this brand allows you to buy in pairs instead of 4 at a time), I also always have either a collapsible bowl or a travel bottle for Wrangler to have water just in case! Signs of dehydration is loss of skin elasticity (if you pull lightly on your dogs skin and it doesn't readily go back to its original position), excessive panting, loss of appetite, weakness, or collapse. Unfortunately over 50% of dogs are overweight in the United States alone!
Pet Obesity!
Pet obesity causes a number of issues including Diabetes, Heart disease, joint issues, kidney disease, and urinary issues. Pet obesity related treatments can cost owners $2000+ per year! Of course as a trainer I understand you want to reward your dog for all the good behaviors their doing so a healthy alternative to giving treats all day is use their meals to train! Your not overfeeding, your training and working their brain all at the same time. I recommend this to my clients all the time and they love it! Another option you can do is pay attention to how many treats your feeding then just cut down on their meals so they don't overeat. I also recommend seeing how much food your feeding and observe how active your dog is, most dog food brands recommend feeding more then necessary so you have to purchase food more often. If your dog is slowing down or isn't as active cut down a little if you find they are gaining weight!
When looking at your dog to see if they are of healthy weight, their ribs should be easy to feel minimal fat covering, their waist should have a tuck seen from the side and from above (I like to call that a "sexy curve").
Live Your BEST Lives TOGETHER!
Wrapping this up, we all love our fur-babies and want them to live the best life ever! So bring them outside, let them experience new smells, see new animals, try new things, and of course spend more time with YOU!
