The importance of regular exercise for pets

Whether your pet has high energy or is a total couch potato, regular exercise is important to help keep your dog happy and healthy. Giving them a chance to exercise every day, indoors or outdoors, is beneficial to their physical and mental health. We’ll discuss types of exercise you can enjoy with your dog, and how to make sure your dog is safe while exercising. Making regular exercise a part of your dog’s routine is mutually beneficial!

Physical Health Benefits

Regular exercise is most obviously beneficial for your dog’s physical health. Even just one walk per day helps maintain a healthy weight, improves cardiovascular health, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. If you have a fenced in backyard, playing fetch is a great way to help them get exercise in addition to regular walks. If you live in an apartment or don’t have a fenced in backyard, going for regular walks or heading to an off-leash dog park will help get their heart pumping. If you’re an avid runner or biker and want to help train your dog to become your exercise partner, make sure you ease into that exercise routine. Just like people, dogs need time to build up endurance too!

Mental Health Benefits

Many people don’t realize that exercise has mental health benefits for pets too. Dogs can wear off lots of mental energy while out on walks. Giving them an opportunity to stop and sniff uses up a surprising amount of brain power. Regular exercise helps reduce stress and anxiety, improves mood, and increases cognitive function. If your pet is prone to destroying toys or furniture, try increasing their exercise time or giving them puzzle toys so they can tire out their brains. That helps keep everyone happy!

Exercise Types

There are a bunch of fun ways to exercise with your pet. One of the best parts of having a pet is being able to spend time together outside. Some of our favorite ways to exercise include walking, running, playing fetch, and swimming. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, and we love taking pups out for a walk near the gorgeous scenery. Here’s a list of some of our favorite spots to walk: 

• Lake Como and Como Park

• Lake Phalen

• Crosby Farm

• Mounds Park

• Along the Mississippi River near downtown St. Paul

Check out these dog-friendly beaches if your dog enjoys swimming.

• Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park, Minneapolis, MN

• Battle Creek Off-Leash Dog Park, Maplewood, MN

• Matoska Park Dog Beach, White Bear Lake, MN

• Park Point, Duluth, MN (dogs must be leashed at all times)

If the weather is crappy and your dog doesn’t like to walk in the rain, giving them indoor brain games can wear them out too. Playing fetch, tug, puzzle toys, or building an obstacle course can be fun ways to exercise indoors!

Exercise Safety Tips

It’s important to keep your dog’s safety in mind before heading out for a walk. In the cold and icy winter, try having your dog wear some booties or paw balm to protect their precious paws. Certain sidewalk salts can cause discomfort for dog’s paws, and we find that booties and paw balm decreases the amount of salt that gets between their paw pads. Limiting the time that they are exposed to the cold keeps pups happy and healthy too.

Exercise the same caution during the summer months as well. If the sidewalks are hot to the touch, they are likely to cause discomfort to your dog’s paws. Be sure to limit their time outside during the hottest parts of the day. Sticking to the shade, providing opportunities to rest, and bringing a water bottle and dish for your dog will help prevent overheating in the summer.

Just like humans, dogs can become overexerted while exercising. Watch for these signs to ensure your pup isn’t getting overexerted:

• Paw pad injuries

• Dehydration

• Fatigue 

• Muscle weakness

• Excessive and fast paced panting (especially in flat nosed breeds like boxers, bulldogs, and pugs)

• Contact your vet if you are worried about your dog becoming overexerted during exercise

Conclusion

Regular exercise is extremely beneficial for your dog’s mental and physical health. Exercising physically outside or playing brain games inside could potentially help with behavior issues too. If your pet isn’t used to exercising, be sure to ease into the new routine so they don’t become overexerted. Consider your dog’s breed when deciding how much exercise they need. Exercising should be fun for both you and your dog!

We would like to encourage you to schedule regular times to exercise with your dog. If you have a busy schedule or your dog has high energy, consider contacting us at Twin Cities Pets to help care for your dog. We work with breeds of all shapes and sizes, and we would love to help your pets keep up an active and healthy lifestyle!