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By Karen Pryor, Clicker Training authority and author of several books on animal training
"The key to a well behaved dog is exercise," Marc Street, noted dog
trainer and owner of The Happy Dog on Martha's Vineyard, states
emphatically. "Ninety percent of all dogs need a good 20 to 30 minutes
a day of serious aerobic-style exercise - not just a walk around the
block."
This may be bad news for couch
potatoes, but it's up to owners to carve out meaningful exercise time
for their pets. As the trend toward pet pampering with luxury spas
proliferates, too many canines are living far too sheltered lives.
Dogs can't join health clubs like humans do. Yet they need vigorous
workouts, all the same. Designated dog runs in New York City provide a
safe place for off lead running, but they exist infrequently in other
metropolitan centers. In suburban and rural areas, electronic pet
containment is the solution.
"It's been a godsend in providing a safe play space for not only my 3
dogs and 3 cats, but for many of my training clients as well," says
Street. "My pets love the freedom it offers - they can get a great
workout by running and playing, with or without me."
But if you don't have multiple companion animals to play with each
other, it's important for the owner to create the stimulus that makes
the animal run, fetch and frolic. "It's also a great way of bonding
with your pets. Dogs are like people - they need human interaction to
make them enjoy daily exercise," Street reminds. Just as humans need
the social rewards of exercising with others that health clubs bring,
pets should not be left in isolation.
Training provides an important way to bond and interact with your dog.
Puppy kindergarten or an obedience class teaches simple exercises for
both owner and dog to learn, and the social aspect of being introduced
to other dogs and humans is invaluable. Then when the dogs are exposed
to visitors or other companion animals, they're more likely to be
properly behaved.
"So many dogs and cats are sacrificed needlessly by owners who can't
handle poorly behaved pets," worries Dr. Peter Eeg, nationally renowned
doctor of veterinary medicine. "It's not the dog's fault he has not
been properly trained. With today's medical advances, there are fewer
and fewer reasons to resort to early euthanasia."
Dr. Eeg sees tangible results from an aerobically sound regime. Dogs
have better skeletal and muscular structure, more flexible joints.
They're less likely to succumb to senior diseases like arthritis, which
just as in people, becomes debilitating and a source of chronic pain.
"Lack of exercise leads to a multitude of physical problems mirroring
human ailments. Obesity, of course, goes hand in hand with lethargy.
Cardio-vascular ailments, circulatory and respiratory failures,
metabolic disturbances are significantly increased. When your pet
maintains vitality and good general body chemistry, it is able to fight
off infection," the doctor points out.
Equally important is the impact on your pet's mental well being. Poor
health manifests itself in poor behavior. A dog that's not well does
not respond well to commands. "Keep your dog busy, even in inclement
weather. Play hide and seek indoors, secreting a favorite treat, for
rainy day exercise," Peter advises. "When a dog suffers from boredom,
with nothing to do, it finds something to do - and it's usually bad."
In the Poolesville, Maryland farm community across the Potomac where
Dr. Eeg has practiced veterinary medicine for the past thirteen years,
limited traffic and rolling hills make for perfect dog runs. Peter,
too, relies on electronic containment, knowing he can entrust his 4
year old daughter to play with their 2 year old Argentinean Dogo.
"Stanley won't bolt away when an occasional squirrel or car passes by.
This removes one of pet ownership's great stressors," he says.
It's up to pet owners to improve the quality of life for their pets.
There's no such thing as a lazy pet, only a lazy pet owner, both Marc
Street and Dr. Peter Eeg conclude.
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