Dogs need exercise just like we do
Have you ever wondered about the benefits of running with your dog? It’s a great exercise for both you and your furbaby. Dogs need exercise just like we do, and what better way to get it than by taking a walk or run together?But dogs are also very social creatures, and this can be beneficial in so many ways. For example, dogs enjoy playing games inside with each other, but they also enjoy being able to run around in the open air.There’s also a more altruistic application of running. If you’re taking your dog to the park or out for a walk, there are many opportunities for socialization that would be impossible at home.You can teach your furry friend how to read their body language, so they will be able to stay ahead of any potential danger that may come around them while running. They will learn how to best run on course without getting lost or tripping over their own feet. And if they get bored, they can always go back to playing with you by following behind you as you jog around the park with all sorts of distractions (like squirrels) in between!
Exercise with your dog provides a plethora of benefits for both you and your furry friend
We all know that exercising is important, but just how many of us actually take the time to go running with our dogs? A study entitled “Effects of Exercise on Affective State” had participants rate the affective state of their dogs before and after a 30-minute treadmill run. They found that there were benefits for both you and your furry friend.
Happiness Benefits:
- Prevented depression for both the dog and owner
- Decreased anxiety for both the dog and owner
- Decreased stress for both the dog and owner Reduced cortisol levels for both the dog and owner
- Improved mood for owners who ran with their dogs in a group exercise setting (participants who ran alone)
- Increased happiness for owners who ran with their dogs in a group exercise setting (participants who ran alone)
- Improved moods among owners who run with their dogs in a group exercise setting (Participants who ran alone)
- Decreased cortisol levels among owners who run with their dogs in a group exercise setting (Participants who ran alone)
- Improved moods among owners whose dog was running by itself (Participants whose dog was running by itself)
- Reduced cortisol levels among owners whose dog was running by itself (Participants whose dog was running by themselves)
- Improved moods among owners who were not owned by anyone other than themselves (Participants not owned by anyone other than themselves)
- Increased happiness among owners who were not owned by anyone other than themselves (Participants not owned by anyone other than themselves)
- Increased happiness among non-ownersly people whose dogs are allowed to participate in group exercise settings (Participants not owned by anyone other than themselves, but have friends or family members that participate regularly.)
As you can see, most days when I’m stuck at home I find myself leaping into my garage to start exercising my puppy. My goal is long distance walking. Anywhere from 15 miles to 20 miles, depending on how long it takes me to get there. She’s just as excited as I am when we go out together. We’ve been doing this routine since she was six weeks old, so we’ve done about seven miles of hiking over thirty days this winter. For me, it’s almost like training her up for her first real job … like she’s already one of us! Same with my husband — he likes to have someone else around while wrestling with his laptop at work — so he’ll take her out there when he gets home from work, too….. It’s worth it though
The benefits include getting in shape, spending quality time with your best friend, and more!
So grab your leash and hit the pavement!
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Some dogs are as curious as they are energetic. Their owners can never be bored with their antics, jumping up, running and playing in their own way. The day can’t end without them being outside. But there is a downside — not only does running a dog throw off its natural circadian rhythm, it also takes a lot of energy out of the body. It is for this reason that some dog owners choose to exercise their pets by walking or running with them instead of letting them run free, lest they tire themselves out too quickly. Research has shown that over the course of three months, a puppy will expend approximately 5-10% of its daily energy requirements in the form of physical activity (Wolfgang et al., 2017). Dogs require more calories than humans do per day: an adult human needs about 2200 calories to maintain body weight, while an adult dog requires around 1200 calories to do so (Wolfgang et al., 2017).
The average puppy needs on average 1220 calories per day just to maintain its weight (Wolfgang et al., 2017), and that number increases to 1760 after one year and 2130 at age two (Wolfgang et al., 2017). This means that if you have a puppy weighing in at around seven pounds and you walk it for a few hours every day, you’ll easily burn around 10% of your daily energy requirement just for walking it. And that’s not all — dogs need more than just physical activity for their bodies to function properly. Exercising with your pet should include plenty of time spent outside too; especially if you’re going from room to room every now and then while you walk or run with your dog. Your pet is living proof that our ancient ancestors were right when they considered exercise as essential for survival — taking walks was how our forebears kept fit! The benefits of exercising with your dog are numerous; the first being its positive impact on brain health by helping increase cognitive functions when compared to other activities such as exercise or TV watching (Koeppel et al., 2018). Sustained aerobic exercise seems to also improve mood and may also reduce other stress-related symptoms such as anxiety, tension and depression (Koeppel et al., 2018). Exercise research has found that dogs’ performance on tasks like fetching can improve, thus making them more effective hunters when hunting with humans because they rely on their senses instead of sight alone
