Exercising Your Dog

Dogs need their exercise just like people do. Regular exercise helps your dogs maintain a healthy weight and strengthen their muscles. It also keeps them from getting into mischief around your home due to all of that pent up energy. Ask anyone with a well exercised dog and they will tell you their home is a more peaceful place.

But most people don’t know what it takes to provide their pets a good exercise routine. They have lots of questions and may not want to spend the time, or simple, never thought of asking their vet. If you’re one of those people, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some tips to help you make the most of exercising your dog safely.

Variety is Key

While walking your dog is one of the most common exercise methods, it’s not the only one you can use. In fact, it might not even be the best choice for some dogs that have a lot of energy to get rid of unless you’re prepared to do a lot of walking, or jogging.

For high energy dogs, you might consider biking or roller blading as alternatives to just ordinary walking. You do want to make sure that your dog is good on a leash before you try these alternatives, otherwise, you could put both of you in a dangerous situation. There are special accessories for your bike that you can use to hold the leash, while stopping the dog from crossing your path and getting hurt. And if you roller blade, make sure you get a leash that is easy to hold on to.

Another option is swimming. Dogs and humans can get a lot of exercise from swimming. This might be a good choice for older dogs that need to give their muscles a little bit of a rest or as an alternative in warm environments. Not all dogs take to the water well. A friend of mine had a Great Dane who wouldn’t get in the water no matter what, but you couldn’t get her Saint Bernard out of any pool, fountain, or puddle it found. This is obviously doable if you have your own pool, or if you are lucky enough to live in an area with a public dog pool or a lake where dog swimming is allowed.

You can also use dog parks and games, such as fetch, to help exercise your dog. However, you don’t want to rely solely on these methods. Exercise time can be a good time to exert your role as the leader and to exercise your dog’s mind as well as his or her body.

If you have a high energy dog, you may also be able to use a treadmill in your home to help them relieve that energy. You’ll need to help your dog feel comfortable using the exercise equipment first. Once your dog is comfortable he or she will enjoy using the treadmill. It can be a good alternative when you are short on time or when the weather outside is too hot for safe exercising.

Tips for Exercising

First, you have to think about your dog when you are determining the right type of exercise for him or her. A small dog still needs to exercise, but it won’t require as much to drain his energy. A short jog might be sufficient. If you have larger dogs, they may need to exercise more but many of these big breeds get tired pretty quickly, too. Just remember to pay attention to your dog and listen to them when they say they’ve had enough.

Second, make sure your dog stays well-hydrated. In the heat, dogs can get overheated pretty quickly. Always have fresh, cool water available for your dog during or right after exercise. If your dog does get a little overheated, bring out the hose and wet them down. The cool water on their bodies, especially their paws, can help them cool down quickly.

You should also avoid feeding your dog 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after exercise to prevent vomiting or nausea.

Feng Shui and Your Pets

I’m sure you’ve heard of it, unless you’ve been in Mars for the past couple of decades, but I’d like to give you my own description of Feng Shui.

Feng Shui is the ancient practice utilized by the Chinese to assist in harmonizing everything that surrounds you. The idea is that as long as everything around you is harmonious, your own energy and the cosmic energy, or Ch’i will help you increase your happiness, your health, your wealth, your family life, your relationships etc. Feng Shui teaches us how to place our furniture, our decorations, and how to use our colors and textures to achieve the greatest benefits possible in each area of your life.

Many people see Feng Shui as a superstition, and I tell them they couldn’t be more wrong. Although Feng Shui gives you “cures” for the problematic areas of your house, office, apartment, etc., their purpose is mostly to add an element that a certain area might be missing. Feng Shui teaches us the best way to achieve harmony.

Feng Shui uses a lot of common sense. If you walk into your house or apartment and you see clothes lying around, dirty dishes in the kitchen, a burnt out bulb in the entrance, a TV that doesn’t work in your den… what do you feel? I’d bet you start feeling stressed thinking how you haven’t had time to clean the place, how you have to find the time to change the bulb, how you have to wash the dishes or fix the TV. That’s energy that just drained from you. But, if you come in and you are welcomed by a clean and organized place, and you see harmonious colors, and smell nice aromas, your stress level will drop considerably. Don’t you feel just great when you’ve finally get that faucet fixed? Doesn’t it take a weight off your shoulders when you finally organize your drawers?

Sometimes all it takes is adding a light to a dark corner, or a splash of color in the room or a plant in front of the window to make the place come alive.

Have you ever been in someone’s home and you just feel so comfortable you don’t want to leave?
On the flip side, there’s places that you just can’t wait to get out of!

Well, pets are particularly sensitive to the energies around our home and surrounding environment. Animals have the ability to sense things that humans don’t. Observe your pet, they can give you an idea of how Ch’i is working in your home.
Almost all cats and dogs know what room and what area of the room they do best in. Their health and their character reflect the energy of the house and the people living in it. When pets are ill, lethargic, or maybe even overweight, chances are that people in your household have the same symptoms. If your animals are happy, well adjusted and lively, that will be the general feeling in your life.

Simply getting a pet if you don’t already have one is a good way to enhance your Ch’i. Animals represent fire energy. Adding fire energy to your life will make you more passionate and will give you motivation to do the things you like. They can help with depression, loneliness or bring a welcome change if you’re in a rut. They just make life better.
Now, you also have to think about giving them a harmonious life as well. Get down to their height. Look around. What would you see if you were a small animal. Make sure that there’s no mess under the bed, which, by the way, would be bad Feng Shui for you as well. Look at the corners of the floor. Do you see dust bunnies or accumulated dirt? Look under the sofas. Under the coffee table. Notice that whatever you do for them, will also be good for you.

Give them a place of their own. A bed, their water bowl, their toys…. make it nice.

When you don’t feed, bathe and nurture your pet properly, your Feng Shui will suffer. Even if you don’t realize it, the way you treat people, pets and plants is very important for your own self-image and well being.

Animals are the best way to experience good Feng Shui. Find out the pros and cons of getting a new pet and adopt a friend from your animal shelter. You won’t regret it and your life will definitely be better.