3 fun ways to exercise your dog

Walks are a part of any dog owner’s daily routine. It’s important for your pooch to get regular exercise for their general well-being, but also because they love to be active!

Daily walks aside, sometimes it can be fun to try something different. Here are 3 fun activities to try with your dog.

1. Dog yoga

Benefits:

• Dog Yoga gives you the chance to bond with your pooch, while also providing an opportunity for socialising with the dogs in your class.
• Yoga is a great way to practice focus and mindfulness; dog yoga can help alleviate stress and anxiety (in you and your pooch!).

Yes, you read it right. Dog yoga, or ‘Doga’, is still a relatively new concept, but the exercise can have health benefits for you and your pooch while being a fun bonding activity.

If you’ve never tried yoga before but been interested, Dog Yoga could be a fun way to give it a go. While your pooch will probably be better at ‘downwards facing dog’ than you, generally, the class doesn’t use human yoga moves on dogs. They’re incorporated into human yoga positions, which involves focused, deep breathing and has a relaxing, soothing effect on your pooch’s central nervous system.

2. Dog swimming class

Benefits:

• Contribute to muscle strength & maintenance
• Increase the range of motion in the joints
• Improve circulation and cardiovascular fitness

While Hydrotherapy is often used to aid post-surgery recovery, or dogs recovering from traumatic injury, it’s another fun way to exercise your dog with a range of health benefits. A dog swimming session can help improve muscle tone, cardiovascular stamina, and improve the range of movement in the joints. Swimming is gentle on the joints, so a great option for older dogs, or those with joint problems. If you’re concerned about your dog’s joints, adding Mobile Bones joint supplement to your dog’s diet can promote mobility and joint health, aid stiff joints/joint comfort and encourage bone strength. Mobile Bones has helped so many dogs enjoy an active life that the supplement comes with a 3-week money back guarantee if you don’t see a difference.

3. Agility training

Benefits:

• Cardiovascular exercise
• Encourages obedience
• Fun!

Agility training is not just great exercise; it’s also helpful for behavioural training. If you’re new to agility training, you might want to find an agility club to get you started, but the great thing about agility training is you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Set up some fun activities in your garden, or inside if you have space. Alternatively, you can use household objects such as empty drawers, buckets, and pillows to set up your own obstacle course. If you’d rather buy the props, there are agility kits available online. Obstacle courses are not only fun for your pooch, but a great way to encourage their obedience. If you want to take the obstacle course to the next level, why not join in with your dog. Check out Battersea Dog & Cats Home’s Muddy Dog Challenge – the UK’s first obstacle course where you can compete with your dog. The challenge takes place on weekends, across multiple locations.