Walking to keep fit
The easiest exercise for me is to walk the dog several times per day. Kilo, my foster Pug, loves a good walk except if it’s raining or snowing, but he can be a bit reactive towards other dogs and is terrified of the park.
Last weekend I had a great breakthrough with Kilo. The weather was dry and not too cold. We went on our third walk with my friend and her Border Terrier Stanley.
We met at the park on neutral territory. I had Kilo on his leash. We kept our distance at first and walked parallel, gradually getting closer and closer. Kilo did not show any aggression to Stanley or my friend. He even threw in a play bow for the first time and did a bit of butt sniffing.
We walked comfortably for almost an hour around the neighbourhood. Kilo was still not happy about other dogs in the park and seemed very grateful when Stanley shooed away an over enthusiastic lab who wanted to play.
I am so excited that he is making progress on his socialization and keeping fit. We’ll be going again this weekend.
Dog Training Sessions – Teach your Dog to Spin
Kilo also needs at least 5-10 minutes of sprinting games and training sessions every 2 hours in the house to burn off mental and physical energy ( he also loves agility).
We have been doing some really fun group training sessions online with talented trainers Sara Carson and Kyra Sundance. Kilo loves treats, so as long as I have plenty, he does quite well on sit, touch, lie down, jump up and jump down. He is still wobbly on sit pretty but he does it on a couch leaning (thanks Diane for the tip).
One of his favourite activities is spin. He can’t believe his good fortune when he gets a treat for doing what he enjoys. Here is Sara’s video with tips to teach Spin. Check out her channel and her gorgeous fit dog Hero the Border Collie (they performed with us at the All About Pets Show- amazing young team!)
We also have several of Kyra’s books and Larry Kay’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpwxslSdCzQ&list=PL072-9-iDHvQWiCTjwR85SnVa5QM92Wn3&index=29
Happy Fit Dog Friday. Have a great weekend.
That is great that he is making progress and walked pretty much with another dog without a problem! Keep it up, Kilo! Thanks for joining the hop!
Love the sprinting component. It can burn a lot of calories. But it also can help to release the endocannabinnoids- that produce a form of runner’s high. Studies have shown that dogs experience this and it can help with training as they ‘feel good’ after the sprints and are thus more likely to comply/learn/be a good student.
Thanks – it really seems to help Kilo. He races back and forth after toys so fast and then is happy and calmer afterwards. Plus he stays trim and fit in spite of his food rewards.
Great success story! Sounds like Kilo and I have very similar challenges with other dogs! I will have to try walking alongside furiends more often; that has worked out well for me in the past, too! Practice makes perfect! 🙂
Exactly- lots of practise. XS
Congrats on making such great progress with Kilo.
I have one of her books too and I like it for tricks.