Exercise - Why Dogs Need It
Excerpt : A dog whose exercise needs are met may rest more calmly at home and be less fretful when left alone. The modern dog-management mantra of "A good dog is a tired dog" is gospel to many people. Exercise
A dog whose exercise needs are met may rest more calmly at home
and be less fretful when left alone. The modern dog-management
mantra of "A good dog is a tired dog" is gospel to many people.
Exercise can improve bone and joint health. Heart and lung
function can improve. Sport and working dogs need the right
exercise to be able to perform well. Exercise makes show dogs
look better and feel better to a judge's exploring hands.
Some exercise is better than other exercise. The best exercise
channels the activity of both mind and body. The best exercise
is purposeful, with a purpose that increases the dog's ability
to live happily in human society. The best exercise is balanced
by teaching the dog how to be calm and physically composed
through regular practice of this skill.
Excessive or inappropriate exercise can damage a dog's body and
mind. Jumping high in the air to chase a toy and landing
awkwardly has crippled many dogs. The epidemic of dog knee
injuries testifies to the results of human thinking that
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"if
some is good, more is better" when it comes to wild canine
exercise.
You don't need to take up marathon running in order to
adequately exercise your dog, and in fact you could harm your
dog that way. Walks with your dog can be great for both of you,
but even these don't have to be long distance.
Go to training classes with your dog to learn how to give
purpose to your outings together-several months of classes for
large and working-type breeds. Practice and use the skills you
learn in class when you're out with your dog. Choose places for
your outings that help you form the right belief system in your
dog's mind for the temperament your dog needs to live safely
with humans. A dog that tries to "guard" against all strangers
is neither happy nor likely to live out a full lifespan. Help
your dog learn to enjoy human society and to enjoy meeting
friendly people.
Teach your dog to retrieve, using one of the many positive
teaching methods available now. Some dogs may require months to
learn, but
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that's okay-it's all good mental exercise and bonding
time between you and your dog! A dog who retrieves is easy to
exercise by throwing a favorite toy. If you don't have a fenced
area, keep the dog on a long line during this game, and of
course don't throw the object farther than the length of the
line.
Dogs enjoy catching tennis balls, and lightweight toys like
these are okay for catching. Don't throw a heavy object for a
dog to catch, because it could damage the teeth, neck, or other
part of the body. Don't throw sticks for a dog to catch or
fetch. Too many dogs have suffered serious injury from sticks
jammed into the back of the mouth or throat.
Whatever you throw, keep the throws low so the dog doesn't jump
up and land on just the hind legs. Injuries can result from
these landings. Since flying discs often rise on the wind higher
than you intended, you may choose to completely avoid them for
retrieving games outdoors.
Moderation
As in most other things, moderation works admirably for
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dogs
when it comes to exercise. Dog use body language to communicate,
and many dogs will get enough exercise just from spending
interesting days with people and other animals they enjoy.
Exercise that is healthy for both mind and body is the very best
kind of exercise.
Heat
Dogs can experience heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Unlike
humans, dogs do not have an efficient body-cooling system. Young
dogs and old dogs have poorer temperature regulating abilities
than dogs in the prime of life and the peak of physical
condition. Dogs with shortened muzzles are at an enormous
disadvantage in heat tolerance. Black dogs in the sun are at
greatly increased risk of overheating, as are long-haired dogs
whether in sun or not.
Under ideal conditions, consider the top temperature for working
a dog (or allowing a dog to play hard) to be about 85° F
(29.4°C). If the dog is young, old, black, long-haired,
short-muzzled, not in perfect health, not acclimated to the
outdoors, etc., 85° F would be too high. That would
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also be too
high when humidity is also high. Note that this situation can
easily exist inside a house that is not air-conditioned. Some
dogs are dependent upon air conditioning for their very survival
in summer.
Warm-Up
If your dog is going to be jumping, doing a lot of running,
pulling a sled, or other physically intense exercise, make sure
the dog receives the correct regular exercise that our human
"weekend athlete" forgets to do! Don't just take the dog to a
dog park to run crazy and call that adequate.
In the House
Teach your dog how to rest calmly. It may be fine for your dog
to scamper around your house-depending on the size of the dog,
the size of the house, and the dog's individual tendency to
crash into furniture. Some dogs are quite agile in close spaces,
and others not at all.
Avoid the routine of crating your dog all day, and then having
the dog "explode" out of the crate for a wild-eyed exercise
session. This can lead to future behavior problems. Delay
exercise
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until a few minutes after letting the dog out of the
crate. Also give a dog time to unwind after exciting exercise
before you crate the dog and leave for work.
The crate is a safe place for the dog to rest, but interrupting
potential bad habits doesn't teach the dog good habits-teaching
happens when you have your dog out of the crate and interact
with each other. Use a crate wisely, but don't overuse it.
The above is general veterinary information. Do not begin
any course of treatment without consulting your regular
veterinarian. All animals should be examined at least once every
12 months.
About the author:
Copyright 2002 - 2006 by the Veterinary Information Network,
Inc. All rights reserved.
Linda Mar Veterinary Hospital and its cat-only affiliate,
Coastal Cat Clinic, are small animal practices located in
Pacifica, California. To find a veterinarian or to learn more
about the vet clinic and our staff,
visit:[http://lindamarvet.com/]
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