Exercising dogs for weight management!

Let's face it, life is a scramble of a million things we deem important enough to run ourselves ragged, we finally get home, sit down and get to breathe for a minute. We've all had these days. That's when the big flash of fur comes barreling at you wiggling those furry bums back and forth so fast they can barely stay on their feet, then there are those impossibly sweet huge puppy eyes begging for attention and time. Who can resist, I mean dogs are the best therapy for our souls.

This is why I say my favorite all time exercise for a dog is... you guessed it... FETCH. Yes it is known as a favorite for a good reason. When you've had THAT kind of a day, you can sit in your chair on the back porch and relax while you bond with your dog just by throwing a ball.

Fetch is the easiest method of exercise for a dog. I say this because even if you don't have time to go anywhere, you can't go out, or have limited space or time you can just pick up any toy they will chase and start throwing. Swimming is a fantastic exercise if you live around water. Taking them for a walk is fantastic, they love to sniff and check out new things. We like to do training games with their food also. Instead of plopping it in a bowl and letting them snarf it up, we take a few minutes extra and make them practice their manners or tricks for food. We even do "find" games where we hide little piles of food they have to sniff out and find, our kids love to play this game with our fur babies. We train ours in obedience & agility, so our dogs love to run the agility course and practice their skills.

Make it work around what you enjoy doing, or what you do regularly. If you like to hike, walk, or bike ride just take them along with you. If you like to ride 4 wheelers or side by sides, like we do often as a family, bring that pup along to run. Does the dog like to go for a ride, well make that pooch work for that ride. Have him run along and chase you for a little bit here and there, and reward your pooch with a ride when they need a break.

Some have asked what if my dog just doesn't care about fetch? Ask yourself what motivates your dog? Most dogs are pretty food driven, so I have done a few things to get that fetch drive going. I have tied a toy of some sort to a rope and either stuff a treat in it or put some peanut butter on it. Throw that toy, say "fetch" and keep a hold of the end of the rope, when they go grab it and want to eat or lick it say "bring it" and pull that rope to reel them back in. Make sure and reward them right away with the treat. Now repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat & repeat. I have also taken a tennis ball and sliced one side open and stuffed some treats inside, let them get a good whiff of that good stuff and throw it, have them bring it back and reward....and repeat. Also playing keep away, getting them really interested in a toy or ball you are keeping away and then throw it, build up that excitement for that toy so they want to go get it.

Biggest success of teaching a dog anything is repetition and consistency, the more often you do it the quicker they learn it. It really doesn't matter the activity you choose, just get the dog moving more frequently. Have fun with it, your dog will thank you! Thanks for reading, have a great day with the pooch in your life.

If you are interested in the best fetch toys that last, this has been used a ton by our 5 dogs and still going strong. Simple & easy and best of all doesn't break the bank. These have gotten more miles than I can count. Enjoy a game of fetch.

Don't forget these fun balls that make it that much more fun. Our dogs love the whistle ball and the glow in the dark especially. TIP- The whistle ball has a hole so you can smear some peanut butter in there or stick a treat in there to help entice those not inclined to fetch at first. The whistle alone gets my dogs excited to chase it.

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