Tips for Exercising your Dog

Canine Expert Leon Towers offers his top tips on how to get your dog exercising and shed some unwanted weight.

New Year, New Resolutions! As the Christmas holidays are over, I don’t know about you, but between us all, INCLUDING our family dog Lockie, MY household seems to be bursting at the seams with extra pounds, and I DON’T mean the spending kind!!

We tried so hard to treat ourselves sensibly, but like millions of other homes, even with the best of intentions, we’ve eaten more, treated more & SEATED MORE!

Fear not, because I have come up with some great ways to get both your dog and you in tip-top shape in no time at all!

PAVEMENT POWER

This is a great fitness boost that will have your hearts pumping like a finely oiled machine within days! Take your dog on a pavement walk. Walk where there are street lights, trees, or posts every so often. Starting at one streetlight, get your POWER WALK on and walk as fast as you can (not running or jogging) until you reach the next post.

Then, walk at a regular pace to the next one, then, repeat the power walk and strut your stuff as if you were on the catwalk! By doing this interval training technique you and your pooch will shed those pounds so much quicker than a regular walk with the same continuous energy levels. Also, this exercise is also a great way to give your dog MASSIVE bursts of mental stimulation as they are using their brain just as much as their bodies!

Decide on the amount you are going to start with and keep a record just to see how amazingly fit you’re all becoming!

Day 1: Six streetlights. 1=walk streetlight 1 to 2 and then 1=POWER walk from street light 2 to 3 etc. Remember, that you must get back home too!!

SNACK ATTACK

When buying dog treats, I recommend freeze-dried treats such as 100% freeze-dried chicken or salmon which you can find through Naturo's sister brand Norsh. 

Using a small portion of your dog’s daily food allowance as treats is a great way to keep your eye on how much food your dog is getting each day and it also ensures that they aren’t eating more than they should be. If your dog is on a kibble diet, weigh out their daily food and then keep a small handful back to use as rewards and training treats. If your dog is on a wet food diet, cut a small portion of it into little cubes and then freeze them for the perfect snack attack!

DOGGY SQUATS

Does your dog know the commands ‘UP’ and ‘OFF’? If not, then read ahead to learn how to teach them. Once you have got the knack of it, it’s time for DOGGY SQUATS!!!

Standing upright tap the palm of your hand gently on your chest and use the command ‘UP’. When your dog jumps up, give them a treat, and then you take a step back so that your dog gets off naturally. It’s very important to use a “no physical contact training” approach and allowing your dog to disengage. Repeat this method 10 times or until you have mastered the command.

Next, we are doing the command “OFF”. Tap your hand to get your dog into the ‘UP’ position and this time, instead of a treat, you use the other hand to point away and towards the floor saying the word “OFF”. When your dog follows your hand and they disengage and all four legs on the floor, give them the treat and LOTS OF PRAISE!!! Repeat 10 times or until you have mastered the command.

Once your dog has learned both commands, we can remove the treat and use just good old-fashioned praise!

Now, all together:

“UP” your dog jumps up, then immediately use the command “OFF” and then when all four paws are on the ground, introduce the word “SIT”

“UP”….”OFF”…..”SIT”…..THEN LOTS OF PRAISE!

CONGRATULATIONS, you have just taught your dog DOGGY SQUATS!!!

Do three doggy squats and then it's YOUR TURN TO DO THREE SQUATS! (You didn’t think you’d get away with just standing there did you!!!

Check out my Doggy Squats YouTube video:

• Luckily, our dog is on a completely balanced diet with an amazing nutritional balance which in my opinion is second to none! This month my recommendation is the Naturo Grain and Gluten Free 390g Can Range because it is low in carbs and high in protein AND packed with all of the high-quality Naturo meat, veg, vitamins, and minerals.