Tip 4. Give your pets adequate exercise

Tip 4. Give your pets adequate exercise

This applies more specifically to dog owners rather than cat owners. The need for dogs to exercise on a daily basis is often underestimated. In fact, the gnawing on the dining room table, the destruction of the recently installed carpet or the damage to your antique book case, in most cases can be easily avoided by simply providing the right exercise quota.

Exercise provides many benefits

These negative tendencies are often misdiagnosed as separation anxiety or other behavioural issues. However, if you simply feed your pet with a healthy diet and provide adequate exercise you may find your dog calmer, more restful and less anxious when you leave the house. Besides the better behaviour, your dog’s overall health will improve in a number of ways:

• Stronger bones
• Better joint health
• Improved heart and lung function

Get into a good exercise routine

A good exercise routine is more about quality not quantity. No need for half marathons or large arduous obstacle courses. This could in fact do damage to your dog. Simply going for a decent walk is often more than adequate. Many dogs like to run so go to the park and encourage this by throwing the tennis ball to retrieve. Do not use a stick for this as this can do damage to the mouth and getting them to jump too high in the air by catching a frisbee, for example, is also not ideal on the hind legs and can result in injury.

Many dog owners have the mantra “a good dog is a tired dog”. In general, dogs need approximately 1-2 hours of exercise per day, but this varies by breed, size and age. You, as the pet owner, are in the best position to understand the ideal exercise regime for your dog. Ensure that you do this on a daily basis. Your dog will love you for it and you might even notice an improvement in your own health at the same time!