Exercising your dog is crucial for ensuring their physical and mental well-being. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of walking per week to maintain good physical health, and walking dogs is a great way to unwind. Additionally, when your dog gets tired, they tend to be calmer.
Physical Health Benefits
Let's look at the various benefits of regular exercise for your dog's physical health.
Weight Control
Dog owners often struggle with controlling their dog's weight. By regularly exercising your dog, you can help them burn off extra energy from food and maintain a healthy weight. In the United States, 25% to 30% of dogs are overweight or obese. Due to the serious health complications that arise from obesity, dog owners must engage in play and walking activities to better care for their dog's health.
Improved Digestive Health
When you walk your dog frequently, they encounter outdoor scents that stimulate more frequent bowel movements and urination. Encouraging more frequent bowel movements can improve your dog's digestive health.
Bone and Joint Health
When dogs engage in off-leash activities and have opportunities to run, walk, and use their muscles, they develop stronger muscles. These muscles, in turn, support the dog's bones and joints, thus improving bone and joint health. However, over-exercising your dog may lead to skeletal and common issues, so be sure to research the appropriate amount of exercise for your dog's specific breed.
Reduced Risk of Diabetes
Obesity in dogs can lead to insulin resistance, meaning that overweight or obese dogs are more likely to develop diabetes. By exercising your dog correctly and regularly, you can reduce their chances of developing diabetes.
Mitigating the Effects of Aging
As your dog ages, it's essential to provide them with exercise to keep their joints supple and their bodies active. If your dog doesn't receive proper training in their senior years, their bodies will age faster.
Mental Health Benefits
One of the significant changes you'll notice when you start regularly exercising your dog is a change in their behavior. Bored and under-stimulated dogs are more prone to destructive behavior, and if your dog doesn't leave the house often, they may become depressed.
Combatting Boredom
When you exercise your dog and take them outdoors, you introduce them to new scents, new people, and new dogs. All of this excitement makes your dog happy, and they are less likely to feel bored, which can lead to low spirits.
Alleviating Anxiety
If your dog suffers from separation anxiety or generalized anxiety, they might experience increased heart rate, distress, and trembling when you leave home. In extreme cases, your dog may even exhibit self-harm behaviors, such as excessive paw licking. Regular exercise can help stabilize your dog's heart rate and reduce physical symptoms of anxiety. When your dog is tired, they are more likely to remain calm when you leave the house and are less likely to panic.
Helping Reduce Undesirable Behaviors, Such as Barking, Chewing, Digging, and Licking
When your dog feels bored, lacks stimulation, experiences anxiety, or depression, they may exhibit undesirable behaviors such as barking, chewing, digging, and licking. As you start regularly exercising your dog, you'll notice a decrease in these behaviors, and they might even stop altogether.
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