Exercising your pet
Read the tips below to help you make sure your pet is getting the exercise it needs.
Just as exercise is good for humans to maintain a healthy weight, keep muscles and joints flexible, and help them feel better and live longer, pets need exercise for all the same reasons. Exercise may also help your pet burn up some nervous energy which may make them a little less likely to chew your furniture!
Your pet won't necessarily go off and exercise on own, particularly for dogs, so it's your responsibility to ensure that your pet gets safe, enjoyable exercise on a regular basis.
As different pets need different amounts of exercise, it's a good idea to have a chat with your vet to determine what level of exercise would be good for your pet.
Tips for dogs:
- Get a clean bill of health from your vet for your dog.
- For dogs who aren't used to exercise, start off with moderately paced walking and swimming to let your pet build their cardiovascular and muscle strength without putting any stress on their joints.
- Start off with a 10-15 minute session daily and build up to an hour a day.
- After a few months, if your dog can handle long, fast walks without fatigue, you can build your dog up to jogging with you.
- Keep an eye on your dog watching for any unusual signs of fatigue or troubled breathing.
- If your pet wants to stop, let them, as overdoing it can cause them to suffer strained tendons or ligaments.
- Always keep your dog on a lead, as dogs can run into the path of a car unexpectedly, unless your dog will reliably return, is friendly to other dogs and people and is exercising in a safe enclosed area.
- Swimming is good for dogs with joint problems as it's non weight-bearing.
- If you're out when it's dark, put reflectors on your dog's collar.
- Make it fun for both you and your pet - try using a ball or frisbee.
Tips for cats:
- Cats need short, frequent periods of intense activity, rather than longer, slower-paced exercise sessions.
- There are a wide selection of toys available for cats nowadays that can be used to get them active - try "kitty trees" or mechanical animals that can be chased around the room.
- things that can be hit - anything light that moves easily across the floor can give your cat a chance to practice hitting and chasing
- things that can be chased - the end of a moving string will bring out the predator in your cat but make sure your cat doesn't swallow the string
- things that can be climbed into - empty boxes are ideal
- things that can be scratched - scratching stretches and tones the muscles in your cat's shoulders and back (a scratching post or even a piece of cardboard or carpet, can keep your pet active and saves your furniture)
- Don't use your hands or fingers as the object of teasing as this will teach your cat that it's all right to scratch and bite your hands.
Next steps:
Bookmark with:
What are these?