How can you manage your exercise and your pets exercise if your time is limited? Most people have a hard time fitting in exercise for themselves let alone for their pets. I am just as busy as the next person. I have three dogs, all which have totally different fitness needs. I am going to give you one example of how I use time management to tackle it all (my fitness, and all 3 dogs, all with different fitness requirements). Wednesday my training schedule called for a long run between 7 and 9 miles. I also had three dogs that needed some exercise.
Spec is a small min pin mix. He needs some activity each day. He is small (11lbs) and he can easily pack on the pounds with inactivity. One too many pounds on him is like 5 extra pounds on a human. Usually 30 minutes of walking is good enough for him. I have slowly worked him up to a very easy jog of 2 miles. That is about his limit and truthfully he doesn't need to do anymore than that.
Tigger is a lab/chow mix and is 6 years old. A 3-5 mile run or 30-60 minute walk is usually enough for him. He has been running since he was about a year old. Keeping him fit and lean is important to maintain healthy joints. Labs tend to have hip problems and even a few extra pounds could be a problem for him.
Daisy is my energetic runner. She can run 10 miles easily with energy to spare. If I don't exercise her everyday I am likely going to find chewed shoes and clothes. Without exercise she is endlessly nagging all of us. She needs to exercise not because she will be overweight (she is really skinny) but because her energy level is extremely high. Without exercise she gets bored and gets into trouble.
With such different fitness levels and limited time how can I get it all done. I start by taking all three of them for a short easy jog of two miles. I wear my Vibram Five Finger shoes for the easy part of the run. I will talk about these a little later. They are great for very short runs to work on your running form. This short 2 mile jog warms me and Daisy up for the next 7 miles. After the two miles I take Tigger and Spec back home, change into my running shoes, grab some water (Daisy gets some too) and take Daisy for another 7 miles. Tigger and Spec are quite content staying behind for this run but Daisy is all too happy to keep going.
After our 9 miles we come home to two sleeping dogs (Tigger and Spec). All three dogs get some carrots for treats because they all did so good! They seem to like carrots just as much as the higher calorie treats. So why not reward them with a healthy carrot?
What are my Vibram Five Finger shoes? These are shoes that have recently become popular. I wear them for very short runs (I had to work up to 2 miles). When running in them they force you to run with better running form. They have no padding at all. They don't let you heal strike at all which is good because you should land mid-foot anyway. I find running a few miles at the start of a long run in the Vibrams helps my form for the rest of the run. It is a great way to start my run. You can learn more about them at http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm.
Spec is a small min pin mix. He needs some activity each day. He is small (11lbs) and he can easily pack on the pounds with inactivity. One too many pounds on him is like 5 extra pounds on a human. Usually 30 minutes of walking is good enough for him. I have slowly worked him up to a very easy jog of 2 miles. That is about his limit and truthfully he doesn't need to do anymore than that.
Tigger is a lab/chow mix and is 6 years old. A 3-5 mile run or 30-60 minute walk is usually enough for him. He has been running since he was about a year old. Keeping him fit and lean is important to maintain healthy joints. Labs tend to have hip problems and even a few extra pounds could be a problem for him.
Daisy is my energetic runner. She can run 10 miles easily with energy to spare. If I don't exercise her everyday I am likely going to find chewed shoes and clothes. Without exercise she is endlessly nagging all of us. She needs to exercise not because she will be overweight (she is really skinny) but because her energy level is extremely high. Without exercise she gets bored and gets into trouble.
With such different fitness levels and limited time how can I get it all done. I start by taking all three of them for a short easy jog of two miles. I wear my Vibram Five Finger shoes for the easy part of the run. I will talk about these a little later. They are great for very short runs to work on your running form. This short 2 mile jog warms me and Daisy up for the next 7 miles. After the two miles I take Tigger and Spec back home, change into my running shoes, grab some water (Daisy gets some too) and take Daisy for another 7 miles. Tigger and Spec are quite content staying behind for this run but Daisy is all too happy to keep going.
After our 9 miles we come home to two sleeping dogs (Tigger and Spec). All three dogs get some carrots for treats because they all did so good! They seem to like carrots just as much as the higher calorie treats. So why not reward them with a healthy carrot?
What are my Vibram Five Finger shoes? These are shoes that have recently become popular. I wear them for very short runs (I had to work up to 2 miles). When running in them they force you to run with better running form. They have no padding at all. They don't let you heal strike at all which is good because you should land mid-foot anyway. I find running a few miles at the start of a long run in the Vibrams helps my form for the rest of the run. It is a great way to start my run. You can learn more about them at http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm.
It is so important to know each of your pets and their limitations. Keeping your pet healthy is your job as their pet owner. A healthy dog is a happy dog! My dogs are happiest when they are outside running or walking with me. Each of your animals have different levels of fitness and different fitness needs. Your dogs fitness is just as important as your own!
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