Dogs and Exercise

All dogs need exercise to remain healthy and in good condition. A dog lacking in exercise will become bored, unhappy and frustrated. This can have serious implications often leading to behavioural problems. How much exercise your dog needs depends more on his age and breed than anything else.  It is not the rule that the larger the dog the more exercise required. The best way to find out how much and what type of exercise your dog should have is to look back at his breeds’ history and find out what they were originally bred for.

For instance, Dalmatians were carriage dogs and would enjoy running for miles next to the carriage horses, so need long walks in big open spaces.  Bullmastiffs were bred to be the gamekeeper’s guard dogs, covering short distances quickly to catch and pin down poachers; consequently they only require moderate exercise.  Some breeds need mental stimulation as much as they do exercise. Retrievers, for example, were bred for retrieving hunted game hence enjoy games such as ‘find it’ and ‘fetch’ within their exercise routine.  Border Collies were bred to herd livestock and are highly intelligent energetic dogs that are well suited to activities such as dog agility.

Experiment until you find what your dog really likes and you may find that taking your dog out becomes more enjoyable.  Remember that all dogs need to have freedom off the lead to be able to run and exercise properly.  Even half an hour in a city park is better than a longer walk on the lead.

Dogs need exercise to keep fit throughout their lives, but the amount will vary with age.  A young dog is full of energy and will require much more exercise, which will help his bones and muscles develop. The older dog leads life at a slower pace but should still be exercised to remain mobile and in good health.

So whatever the weather get geared up and head outside.  After all, your dog is not the only one who will benefit!

The whole family benefits from having a dog. Getting out and exercising your dog has great benefits for everyones health.

Start off by giving your dog the smallest quantity of food for his weight and seeing if he eats it all.  If he finishes every meal and looks like he is loosing weight slowly increase the amount you feed until he looks healthy.  If your dog always leaves food you could be giving too much.  However, some dogs cannot eat all they require in one sitting so these dogs need to be fed a smaller amount twice a day. Remember that a dog carrying the right weight will have more energy, be healthier and will probably live longer.  Should your dog be overweight or prone to gaining weight try feeding him Whites Senior/Light which has been specifically developed for those dogs requiring less calories.

A good way of determining whether your dog is fit is to look down on him from above; you should be able to see a waistline, unless he is a very longhaired breed in which case you could try feeling for the waistline.  However, if you can easily see his ribs then your dog is too thin, unless he comes from a breed that is usually like that such as a whippet or greyhound.  Working and active breeds will benefit from being fed Whites Premium Vitality Muesli as it contains the calories and carbohydrates they require to maintain their correct weight. It is, of course, prudent to have your dog checked over and weighed regularly by your vet.

As long as your dog is lively and healthy he should always have a good appetite.  If one or two meals are missed ever it should not cause concern. However, if your dog usually has a good appetite and suddenly stops eating, or has symptoms such as diarrhoea, contact your vet for advice.

Dogs need a good routine and should be fed the same type of food at every meal.  If they are given lots of different things to eat they can suffer from stomach upsets and become picky with what they will eat.  It is best to put their food down for them without any fuss and to leave them to calmly eat it.  If after around 15 minutes they have eaten most or all of the food they can then be praised and petted, anything left over should be quietly thrown away.  It is not good practise to fuss over dogs at meal times as they can easily learn that not eating is a good way of getting attention. 

Neutering and food

It is widely believed that neutering makes dogs fat. Although this is not strictly true neutered dogs often need fewer calories.  After your dog is neutered keep an eye on his waistline to see if there are any changes and if necessary reduce the amount you feed him.  If he looks like he might be getting too heavy try him on Whites Premium Senior/Light to reduce his calorie intake without reducing the nutrients he requires. 

Older dogs and their food

As dogs get older their nutritional needs change. They need a more digestible food lower in calories. You will need to watch your dog’s weight carefully to prevent middle age spread! Older dogs, like us humans, can suffer from joint stiffness and can be prone to arthritis. As well as containing less calories and being made with easily digestible fish for its protein source Whites Premium Senior/Light contains the supplements Glucosamine, Chondroiton and MSM to reduce joint wear, fight arthritis and elevate joint pain and stiffness.