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Is Your Pet Into Working Out?
Pets require a regular fitness regimen to keep them on the road to good health, so make an appointment with your pet’s health.
Experts tend to agree that 30 minutes a day, four times a week, is enough exercise for a dog. However, just like it is for humans, a daily workout would be better. For cats, experts suggest 15 minutes of exercise each day to stay healthy. However, two 15 minute sessions for indoor cats are optimal.
Some ideas for the dog set include playing fetch with your pooch. Go for a long walk or jog. Play a wild game of chase. If your dog is a water-lover, go for a swim! Have fun! Whatever game you can drum up that will get your dog’s heart pounding is great!
Cats tend to engage in social play, such as romping, wrestling, and chasing. Or, they get into object play, such as stalking, pouncing, or chasing an object around the house. When it comes to exercising your cat, focus on the object play.
Some objects that make great fitness props include feather toys, furry toy mice, toy balls on slick floors, catnip toys, or even laser toys. (Just make sure not to beam the laser into the cat’s eyes!)
Are there some great benefits to all of this? Pets who experience regular exercise tend to act out less frequently. They will gain social skills through the constant interaction with you. You will bond with your pet. Above all, the health of your pet will be improved and he/she can most likely live a longer, healthier, and happier life!
Obstacles in the way!
Bo, the fit feline: In honor of our attention to pet fitness these past few posts, I just wanted to let our audience know that I take my overall health and fitness routine seriously. I love a buff body and know I have a long life (or LIVES!) ahead of me. Now, as for our lovable canine companion in the home, well, she needs to step up the workout routine a bit, and since she does not like to get too dirty outside, I have discovered a new indoor workout for her to try! If you really want to have some fun with your dog, especially on a rainy or excessively hot day, then set up an indoor obstacle course. It is so much fun for you and your dog to bond together in this manner, and even way more fun for the adorable house cat to sit back and watch. Talk about entertainment!
Jessie, the adorable canine: I thought we already had an indoor obstacle course, what, between all of your cat nip toys, the litter box, and your precious little cat pillows, I can barely get through the living room without hurting myself.
Bo: The maid has been on vacation for the past couple of weeks. What can I say? Now, for this obstacle course, you can do things like put your dog on pet steps next to a footstool and create some low jumps by using objects in your home, like a cardboard box placed in the middle of a doorway or two chairs and a broom. Have your dog fetch something as he goes up the steps and back and forth over that low jump. Try to teach your dog to run through a tunnel, too. Play fetch with him this way. Use a child’s toy tunnel or a big cardboard box with both ends cut out and have him run through it. (Ideally, I would position the tunnel next to an open doorway that leads to the outside and just watch that puppy keep on running…and then SHUT the door! However, I do not recommend you try that at home. That is just MY personal agenda that I may implement one day.)
(Information for this post was discovered at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19375291/)
What? Me? Work up a sweat? You have got to be kidding!
Jessie, the perfectly fit dog: I am sure you all have heard that exercise is great for people. They also say it is good for pets. I get enough exercise around here by jumping to conclusions and evading the issues. Why must I do anything further? I have seen many humans out on the streets running with their dogs. What is up with that? What are they running from? Or, better yet…what are they chasing? Why on earth do people run if they are not chasing a car or running from a bigger human?
Bo, the cerebral cat: If you must know, my dear canine friend. Exercise is important for both humans and animals. It keeps our hearts in shape, our bodies fit, and our minds clear. If anything, you could use a bit of fitness, if only to keep a bit more sanity about you. I do have a few tips on how to get started working out with your pets. Actually, I am just waiting for someone to open up a health club strictly for cats and dogs. It would be PAWS-itiviely awesome, wouldn’t it? They could have a spa, a salon, a place to dine on French kitty treats, a massage station, a….
Jessie: FOCUS! Our readers do not care one bit about your fantasies. If you are going to educate them, do it now and do it quickly. They have other blogs to get to!
Bo: (Clearing his throat) Fine. Well, as with anything you do in life, you need to be motivated to do it first. So, if you want to exercise with your pet, be sure to schedule in the time just like you would any other appointment. (Speaking of which, is my stylist still on speed dial?) If you have it written down in your calendar, you are less likely to skip that “appointment.” So, how much time do you need to spare for this indulgence? Most experts say that thirty-minute sessions about four times each week will suffice for a dog. Cats can get by on 15 minutes, once each day, provided they are in good health.
With your dog, you can play a game of fetch. Remember: YOU throw the ball, and HE fetches it. Not the other way around. (However, that would be highly entertaining, now that I think about it!) Take your dog on a long walk or even a jog. Play a game of chase around the back yard. (That will give the neighbors something to talk about! “Look, Norm, Jack is in his yard again, being chased by the dog!”) If you have a dog that loves the water, take him for a swim….just not at your local neighborhood pool. They might frown on that.
Cats like to play fetch with furry mice….fake ones…not real ones! Put a toy ball on a slick surface and watch the cat go wild. Catnip toys can also entice your cat to engage in some heart-pumping play.
Just remember to have fun. And make sure to offer your pet some water when finished. It is important to keep your pet just as hydrated as yourself! Before long, both you and your four-legged buddy will be looking fit and trim. After all, swim suit season is around the corner!
(Information for this post was found at http://home.ivillage.com/pets/cats/0,,p9rm,00.html)
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