Just like people, dogs benefit from regular exercise. There are so many benefits of exercising a dog and these include everything from improving their health to decreasing their anxiety. As an accredited dog training facility in Connecticut, all of our trainers believe in the benefits of exercising a dog. Our article this week will focus on the benefits of exercising a dog.
Exercising a dog can help with their behavior.
There is a saying that a tired dog is a better-behaved dog. Exercising a dog can keep them calm and focused. It doesn’t matter the breed, age, or size; all dogs need regular exercise or they may start misbehaving as a way to burn energy. Exercising with your dog can be beneficial to you too. When humans regularly exercise, it decreases stress, increases focus and increases the body’s beneficial endorphins.
A dog can become obese without exercise.
Obesity is one of the most common health problems a dog can have. Your veterinarian should be able to tell you what the ideal weight of your dog should be. If you find that your dog is overweight, your vet should be able to come up with an exercise and diet plan to get them to a healthy weight. Often these exercise changes are easy to adjust to and may involve short walks and swimming.
Exercising a dog decreases their anxiety.
Excessive licking, barking, chewing, and digging can be signs that your dog is anxious. Exercise can help with decreasing anxiety in dogs and increasing confidence in you and their environment. Separation anxiety in dogs is also another prevalent problem that can be helped with regular exercise. A dog with separation anxiety may destroy things in its owner’s home and irritate the neighbors with their anxious howling. A dog that is tired from exercise is more likely to simply sleep when its owner leaves.
Exercising a dog keeps them socialized.
Socialization is an important part of a dog’s life. A socialized dog will have an easier time easing into new situations and environments. If your dog’s exercise routine is mostly outside, this will give them the opportunity to meet other people and interact with other dogs. It also gives them the chance to experience different things such as bikes, cars, and loud noises. These new experiences are very important for puppies and newly rescued dogs who haven’t had a lot of experiences with socialization.