Fun Ways To Exercise Your Dog

Keeping our pooches moving is essential for their happiness and wellbeing. Did you know dogs benefit from experiencing different types of exercise?

Exercise is so much more than just walks around the park or woodlands. There is much fun to be had with mud runs, agility classes and swims! These events provide great exercise and really bond you and your furry friend closer.

To help you reignite walkies, keep a look out for the following fun activities in your area:

Agility Classes

This activity is often associated with spaniels and collies. However, dogs of any size or breed can take part in agility classes and challenges.

There are many beginners’ agility classes around the UK that can teach you and your dog the basics. Once confident you can move on to harder challenges and achieve great things with your pet.

Agility helps improve coordination, endurance, strengthens muscles and can help build your dog’s confidence.

Not to mention agility can help build your fitness too- and is much more fun than the gym!

Dog Swims

Swimming is an incredible form of physical and mental exercise for our pooches. It works every muscle group, supports heart health and is stress relieving.

For dogs who are overweight or have existing joint issues, this can be a brilliant choice of exercise. Swimming is non-weight bearing and low impact, so no stress is put on joints, ligaments, or tendons. Plus, warm water can be soothing, therapeutic, and potentially pain relieving.

There will be many local swimming opportunities for you and your dog. Different swimming pools all around the US organize such events every year.

With the event running over six dates (10th- 11th, 17th-18th and 24th-25th September) there are plenty of opportunities to splash around with your dog.

Remember breed is no barrier! There are several 90-minute swimming slots daily, with dedicated sessions for small and large breed dogs.

Muddy Runs

There are muddy races, runs and obstacle courses to take part in across the country. Great for fitness and socialization, and some are charity backed so you can have fun with your dog for a good cause.

Of course, these can be walked if you or your dog suit a more leisurely pace.

Remember to prepare yourself and your dog for any activity. Fitness should always be built, and warmups are essential.

Spice up your Walks

Don’t worry daily walkies still provide a great opportunity for mental enrichment. Mental exercise is just as important as physical. Our furry friends get bored and need the opportunity to problem solve and use their brains.

Try out walking routes in different areas and let your dog’s nose guide the way. Their smell sense is their most powerful. So, searching for scents around a new area is a brilliant way of keeping their brain active.

Chuck some training into their walks too. Grab some tasty rewards or their favorite toy and recap some recall!

Remember you can walk anytime, but your dog only gets to walk a couple of times a day. Don’t hurry home, let them enjoy being their wild selves.

Of course, for all this exercise your furry friend will need a protein-packed pick me up.

Let us know what activities you and your pooch get up to, by tagging us on Facebook and Instagram.