5 tips for working out with your dog!

Taking Fido for a walk is GREAT exercise but most people need a little more to get a complete body workout, obtain better balance and flexibility, and get their heart rate elevated for a more efficient cardiovascular system.  Below are 5 tips that you can do with your dog to prevent boredom, burn more calories, and gain more strength. 

TIP 1:  Make your dog’s walk a workout walk.  Incorporate exercises along the way to help with your upper and lower body strength. A few ideas are pushups on park benches or tables, lunge walks, squats, step ups, and even tricep dips to prevent the “flabby arm syndrome”. 

TIP 2:  Pick up the pace–don’t let Rover pull you all over!  Let Fido do his/ her business in the first 5 minutes of your warm up and then it is time for you to be in control.  Do a power walk or add sprints and/ or hills to burn more calories and get the heart rate elevated.  This makes your heart work more efficiently in the long run.

TIP 3:  Incorporate FIDO in your stretching and yoga.  Your dog reads your energy, so at the end of the day try to do your stretches and be calm–your dog will follow suit.  This is a good time to teach Fido the stay, sit, or down command. 

TIP 4:  Be creative with your exercise. Take your dog rollerblading, kayaking, hiking, surfing, biking, etc.  Get out of the rut of just doing daily walks.

TIP 5:  Always incorporate dog commands and games in your dog’s workout–the mental stimulation will tire them and you can have fun teaching them new things. It is NEVER too late to start teaching your dog new commands. 

**As always please be a responsible parent and pick up after your dog!**

Of course if you do not have the  time to work up a plan,  why not try a Leash Your Fitness class or event?  They do all of the above and more to keep you and your furry friend fit!  Please visit www.LEASHYOURFITNESS.com  or call 619-822-3296 to find out more!

Keeping our Dogs Safe at Off Leash Parks

There aren’t too many things more enjoyable than watching our dogs play together … but it can be scary if it goes bad. Sometimes it can escalate into tragedy. Unfortunately, dogs are injured or even killed at what started out to be a fun day at the park.

The way to keep things safe is to know what to watch for, and intervene early if the play gets too carried away. To do this, we need to be able to recognize “healthy play” and “problem play”. Here’s a closer look at play.

For good “Healthy Play” you want to see:

·         Open relaxed mouths, even a goofy “play face”

·         Loose curvy bodies and soft relaxed tails

·         Little or no direct eye contact.

·         Lateral moves; play that doesn’t leave the ground.

·         Pausing, (very important, this is their way of keeping arousal levels down)

·         Self-handicapping; one dog lowering the intensity to match the other dog’s ability. You’ll see big dogs laying down for puppies and small dogs, even gentle tugging for pups and seniors.

• Bite inhibition; no hard bites, just mouthing.

·         Role reversal; taking turns chasing and being chased.

Signs of “Problem Play”

·         Tense stiff bodies, with tails high and over the back.

·         Direct stares without any “look aways”.

·         Vertical play; they take it off the ground.

·         Retracted commissars or tight closed mouths.

·         Weak or no bite inhibition.

·         Does one dog try to terminate play?

·         Does the other dog stop when asked?

·         One dog controlling all the behavior of the other.(to know if it’s a problem ask, “does it bother the other dog?”)

·          Change in vocalization; growls and barking are normal                                    

Watch for a change, does it get higher, lower, or louder _ than normal? (a low growl means, “now I’m serious”.) The big one to watch out for is increasing arousal.

Watch for escalating levels of excitement. Arousal is measured on a scale and at a certain point it can escalate into aggression. It’s “innate behavior” that follow rules, and out of your dog’s control. So it’s easy to see how good healthy play can go bad, and be such a surprise for all the humans watching!

The signs of arousal are the same as those listed for “problem play”. It’s believed that dogs use short pauses in their play to keep arousal in check, a kind of braking system.

If they get too carried away, you can help them calm down by quietly and cheerfully giving thent a little time out. Then send them back out to play. Like children, they need our supervision.

It’s also better for dogs to play with other dogs about their own size. If you have a small dog, it’s good to use the small dog section of the park.

With knowledge comes confidence and the ability to recognize potential problems. It will allow you to relax and enjoy our dogs at play. Many times, well-intentioned owners

unknowingly create a tense situation by our own behavior. We tend to gather around and stand over our dogs when we are assessing them.

We tense up, stiffen our bodies, and hold our breath. And the big one, we stare. These are all signals dogs use to communicate intentions of an attack. They might misunderstand and take our lead. So if you’re uncomfortable or unsure about a situation, calmly take a walk with your dogs. This reduces the pressure and gets you out of it. Also, every dog that is going to be off leash at anytime needs to know a “call out signal”.

Remember, our dogs look to us for guidance. Keep cheerful, calm, informed and have a good time.

Article by Christina Peters of Snickering Hound (619) 461-7445

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