Saturday, December 29, 2012

Dogs and Extreme Exercise

By Allyson Westcot


Too much exercise or the wrong kind of exercise for your dog can be dangerous. Just as humans should use moderation when it comes to exercise, dog fans should make sure they're not pushing their pooches to hard.

Choosing a safe dog toy to play with when you head out of doors can help in making exercise moderate and safe. A tough plastic disc can be good fun to throw for your dog to catch, but there are downsides to think about. A hard surface like that, caught in the mouth, could break teeth or harm the dog's mouth. A soft toy like the soft disk made by EzyDog, though, has been designed for this type of safe catching play and will not do any harm your dog's teeth or mouth.

When throwing a safe toy for your dog to catch or fetch, keep it low to the ground. Everybody has seen dogs high jumping to pluck a toy out of the air, but we frequently don't see the wounds that can occur when the dog lands. Small jumps that permit the dog to land mostly on all fours can be fun. High jumps from which the dog will likely land only on his back feet may cause sprains and breaks. And if the dog jumps wildly and does not land on his feet, there can be other damage, also.

Dogs can get overheated, often much easier than us. If you take your dog for good walks or runs, be sure to take something along like a collapsible dog bowl. You should provide water regularly to avoid dehydration. Remember that overworking your dog, especially on warm days, could cause an emergency trip to the vet.

Use safe dog toys, provide plenty of water and let your dog rest, particularly when it's hot. Then you can both enjoy worry-free exercise together.




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