Five Ways to Get More Exercise from Walking Your Dog

You've got your walking shoes on, your sweats on, and you are ready to get some exercise walking your dog. But, once you get outside, your dog often has other ideas. Your dog wants to take his time and sniff every fire hydrant. Your dog wants to put his nose on the ground and follow the trail of every critter who every passed through your neighborhood. It can be frustrating. But, here are five tips to help train yourself and your dog so that you can both have happier walks.

1. Create excitement. When I need to get our dog focused and moving, I take the lead and make it a game. I get our dog's attention, sing out, "Double-time! Double-time!" and set off at a near run. Invariably, our dog will run after me. As he catches up, I shorten his retractable leash, keep singing out "double-time, double-time" and keep up a quick pace towards our destination. Once our dog is moving, it's easy to keep him from distraction with short tugs on the leash.

2. Stretch. One way to walk in harmony with dog is to use your dog's breaks to do alternative exercises. For example, when your dog takes a break, you can use the time to stretch. Typically, I use building walls or fences to do lunge stretches and stretch my achilles tendon, legs, and ankles. It's probably best to stretch early in your dog's walk because stretching protects you from sprains and strains.

3. Vary Your Walk. You can use your dog's breaks to vary your own motion. When our dog stops to investigate something, I'll walk beyond him and often he will follow quickly. However, if he is totally engrossed in something, I'll walk backwards back to him. Then I'll walk side-to-side to the end of his leash and back. I think these exercises help build flexibility. However, after I'm done, I get our dog's attention again with a quick short double tug of the leash.

4. Shrug it off. Your dog's distractions and frequent stops can get annoying. But, you can learn to shrug these distractions off. At least once every walk, I use a stop to stretch my shoulders open by grabbing a light pole with one hand and twisting my hips forward. I also roll my shoulders forward and backwards twenty times.

5. March it out. If you'd like to get some aerobic benefits from walking your dog, you need to keep moving. If I want to raise my heart rate for much of my dog's entire walk, I march in place when our dog stops. I am also experimenting with using the curb as an aerobic step. But, you have to be careful to avoid losing your balance or twisting an ankle. The important thing is to simply keep moving even when your dog stops to take care of his business.

While I'm certainly no fitness expert, I am finding that following these steps helps make walking our dog more productive as exercise. As always, exercise at an appropriate pace and consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program. You may also want to consult with your dog so he doesn't stare at your unusual new movements.