All dog owners agree, a certain amount of exercise is vital to the health and well being of your dog. Often behavioral issues such as chewing, destructiveness, and over excitement are caused by a lack of exercise. Going for a walk is great, but often dogs appreciate some more variety in their workouts. Try to vary your walking locations, or find a dog-friendly fenced in park to let him run around in. Dogs love new challenges and new activities that enrich their minds and exercise their bodies, so try to vary their exercise routines throughout the week.
Here are a few ideas for days when you can’t get out of the house, when you want your dog to get a different type of workout, or you just want to have some quick fun that will keep him tired and happy.
For all of these ideas, please remember to start out gradually with any new exercise regimen, especially with dogs that are not fully grown. Ask your vet for advice if you have any questions about the right amount of time or your dog’s personal exercise abilities.
Treadmill
Great for dogs that have a lot of energy and can’t always go for long enough walks to expend it all, or for bad weather days. You can find dog treadmills for sale online, and they will give you more specifics for the proper exercise regimen for your dog. You should also talk to your vet if you have any questions about your dog’s health and proper exercise routines. Just remember to start out slow and let them get used to it first. Always warm them up and cool them down with a calm walk, as well as rub down their muscles after a hard workout.
There are basically 4 main types of treadmills.
Dog Powered: Carpet Mill, Slat Mill
Made for dogs: Electric
Made for humans
Doc enjoying the treadmill. Photo by Rob Bartlett.
Carpet Mills give the dog more of a muscle-building workout, as they have to use their strength to push the carpet along the track. Most dogs can get a good workout in less than 10 minutes. Slat mills are dog powered, but run more smoothly and give the dog a more aerobic workout. Electric treadmills made for dogs can be perfect for an aerobic workout, with the dog keeping at a steady jog. A dog can also use a human treadmill, as long as proper safety precautions are used.
From: Pet Comfort Products
“If you want to increase safety, a dog powered treadmill is probably the right choice. It offers your pet more control. However, if you want to increase your control over the training, a motorized treadmill is probably a better choice since you can “force” your dog to move at the right speed.
You’ll also want to make sure that the dog treadmill offers proper flexibility. For example, you might want to have many different harness locations so that you can make adjustments that meet your needs and the needs of your dog.”
For tips on using a human treadmill: CRSAR.com
Excerpt:
“The other important thing is to NOT get one with a center post. The dog does not like running with his nose against a wall, which is what you are asking with the center post. My dogs also do not like that cute plastic cover over the front of the treadmill. They cannot tell where the belt really is, and if they hit the plastic instead of the treadmill belt they may stumble. It is easy to remove.
All you will need as far as special features is the miles-per-hour and a timer so you know how long you, or your dog has been working, and how fast. If you need to change the incline plane, a brick or paint can, placed in the front or back, will give you all the angle adjustment you need to work specific muscles. The other bells and whistles just add to the cost.”
Some popular manufacturers of dog treadmills are:
Colby Mills
Grand Carpet Mill
Jog A Dog
Chandler Mills
I cannot vouch for any of these, but I have read about positive responses with their products, and they seem to be the most popular outlets for dog treadmills.
Flirt Pole
A flirt pole is any type of long pole with a rope attached to it, and a lure on the end. Kind of like fishing for dogs! For a dog that is interested in chasing moving objects, a flirt pole can be a fun way for your dog to get a unique and tiring work out. He will have to use his agility, quickness, and strength to twist and turn and chase after the “bait” that you will control. You can make one yourself (for a few dollars at the hardware store) or you can buy one online. I always thought a horse lunge whip with a toy attached would make a good flirt pole, and I aim to try that sometime!
Bring a camera with you and you’ll be able to get some great pictures as an added bonus.
Gracie playing with her flirt pole
Spring Pole
If your dog loves to grab, pull, and shake, a spring pole might be the perfect way for him to have a fun and tiring workout. Basically, a spring pole is a spring-mounted rope attached to a strong base such as a thick tree branch or self-built frame. The dog’s feet will still touch the ground while they tug and pull against the rope, giving themselves a good muscle building and energy expending exercise. Bully breeds especially love their spring poles, but any breed that enjoys a good self-induced game of tug will enjoy playing with one. You can build your own spring pole with some simple items from a hardware store. Remember to keep it low to the ground, and slowly work up their workout time while they are just learning. A spring pole is best for an adult dog, although you can keep it near the ground and let your puppy play with it to get used to it if you like.
(A little warning – sometimes people consider a spring pole to be “fighting equipment” especially if you also have a treadmill. Obviously they don’t realize that many responsible owners and many different breeds of dogs love both means of exercise. Be sure to check out what the laws are in your area, as you don’t want to get in trouble for “fighting paraphernalia” just because you are looking for a fun way to work out your dog!)
Ella playing on her tree-based spring pole
Riot having a blast on his homemade spring pole
Bad weather/late night games
Monkey in the middle
On a foul weather day or late at night, Caesar’s dad and I like to play some “monkey (aka Caesar) in the middle” with a tennis ball or Frisbee. Caesar loves to run back and forth trying to steal the toy, and gets a pretty good workout by jumping high and sprinting quickly between us. It also seems to be a great way to get him a workout, as he enjoys using his mind and body to get the toy from us. He loves making sneaky and super quick moves to catch the ball out of the air, as he then runs away quite satisfied with his catch. It always seems to keep him happy, and although not a too invigorating work out, the fact that he is playing, jumping, and running seems to satisfy him when he can’t get his daily walk.
Who you calling a monkey?
Set up jumps
We have found that Caesar enjoys adding a few jumps to our late night play sessions. This might also be a fun way to do some indoor exercise. We’ve made jumps out of pillows, cardboard boxes, or anything that is solid enough that he will jump over it, but it will fall down if he hits it. In order to get them to jump it, you can try a couple of different techniques. The first time I tried to get him to jump indoors, I had him wait on one side while I went to the other, and then asked him to come. This worked well, but without getting a running start, he bored with it easily. He loves a good game of “run around the house”, so I set up some jumps to have him jump over while we were playing. He would get so into chasing me (or me chasing him) that he would run and jump right over them without a second thought. A bit of warning with this game though~ if you plan on using any baby gates to contain the dogs around your house, you may not want to teach them that they can jump over them!
Caesar making his own jump!
Hide and Seek
Hide and seek can be a good way to get rid of some excess energy inside as well. Doing mental exercises can tire out an over anxious dog. Plus, if you do some good hiding spots, he may be running all around the house looking for it! A game of hide and seek can work well for a dog that has a particular toy he loves, or you could even use a treat. You can first start within close range, making him wait for you to hide the toy, and then telling him to “go find it!” even if he sees where it is. Finding it should be a reward in it’s own, but it always helps to tell him he is a “good dog!” and give him positive feedback. Slowly you can move further away until the toy is in a completely different room and he has to go sniffing around the house to find it. Eventually you can let him lie down and enjoy his toy, as a (hopefully) much more relaxed dog.
I hope that these ideas can give you new ways to have fun and burn some energy, resulting in a happier and healthier dog overall.
