The Key to a Long and Healthy Life: Exercise

Harley Loves Exercise. Whew! My mom and I just came in from a very fun and long walk. Lately, we have been walking further and further as the weather gets nicer. I'll admit I really need to walk and the exercise is undoubtedly priceless. We went far today, probably over a mile or two. We always have so much fun. We catch up on stuff and chat, mostly about her day, but it allows us to spend quality time together. Exercise is one of the most fundamental components to a happy life, at least thats what my mom always says. Many dogs and their humans prefer different types of exercise. For example, our friend Derby loves to go hiking and biking with his Mom and our cousin Freddie loves to go running with his Dad. In addition to our long walks, we sometimes go to the dog park, but we never go running, mostly because my Mom's knees aren't that great and my hips are very sensitive, so we walk. 

It's a great trade, because humans really need exercise and dogs need the stimulation to burn off all that canine energy (thats usually stored up all day, while your human is at work). But the best part, is that my Mom makes me the best icey treats [see below]. Enough exercise is a vital and necessary component to a long and healthy life. As always my Mom wants to put her two cents in about walking, because I know how important it is to her.  

Mom Knows Best. Harley is so right; walking and exercise is vital to both you and your dog's health and sense of wellbeing. Our late dog, Max, who passed away back in February (from natural causes) lived until 16 years old! An old age that is rare for his breed and size (he was a greyhound mix who was about 45 pounds). When Max was young he developed benign tumors, ear infections and all sorts of random health issues that should have put a toll on his health. It never did. When he was about 10 or 11 years old, the vet said that he may only have a year left or so. Boy was he wrong! No one would have guessed that our vivacious dog would have lived so long and beautifully. Was Max's vibrant longevity based on his zest for life, his strong will or some unknown secret?

Our Dear Friend Max and his Secret to a Long Life. Max was born to an abusive home in the early 90s and was adopted by my family when he was six months old. We didn't know much about Max's history, except that it probably wasn't pretty. Upon his adoption we did not know much about his gene pool or his health history or any conditions that he may [not] have had. Many people have the misconception that dogs are "healthier" or live "longer" when dogs are pure bred or you know the health history of the dog, but that is not necessarily true. Max was an excellent representative for adoption and mixed-breed dogs, because he was both and lived such a long and healthy life.

My Dearest Max, 2008

Max's secret was not necessarily his breed or gene pool or maybe it was a combination of both, however we believed that Max lived a long and beautiful life due to the amount of exercise and love that he received regularly throughout his whole life. Even weeks before he passed he was still getting his typical 4-5 walks per day.

During the last few years of Max's life, he went through a lot of transitions because our family moved around a lot. Needless to say, he still received frequent walks, which at that time remained the constant in his life. Max loved to walk, probably more than anything. Some of my earliest memories were taking really long walks with my family and Max. We always walked. Walking always had a dear place in my heart for it was a way for us to catch up, chat and share ideas. Max walked up until the last couple of days of his life, he always wanted to walk and be outside. As you raise your dog, young or old, the most important thing to remember is to take frequent walks [and we do not mean bathroom breaks]. A combination of good exercise, a healthy diet and unconditional love is the secret to living a long and healthy life.

The Difference between Walking and Exercise. There is a lot of confusion on how much exercise your dog needs. Of course it is always best to consult your vet about what is best for your dog, but we wanted to make a few suggestions regarding this topic.  First, nothing bothers me more then when I witness pet parents take their dog out to use the bathroom and think that this is "exercise." For example, if you walk from your kitchen to your bedroom this is most certainly is not exercise. Harley gets about 4 walks a day, which are not bathroom breaks. These walks range from 15-30 minutes depending on the weather. Then 2-3 times a week we give him extra, extra long walks (as he mentioned earlier in this post) or he goes to the dog park. Of course, weather is a major factor to consider and could determine how much exercise your dog receives, please click here and here. 

Many people wonder how are we able to walk Harley so much. It's simple. We were both very committed to adopting a dog and therefore we arranged our schedules to accommodate his needs. There are many pet parents that are unable to accommodate in this way, which is more typical then our situation. Our suggestions are to find a dog walker, pet sitter or bring your dog to dog day care. If you feel that these suggestions are beyond your capabilities, make sure that your dog gets plenty of exercise before you leave for the day and when you come home. Nothing is more depressing then seeing a dog go outside just to go to the bathroom and then dragged back inside to go sit around and do nothing.  The problem is that then pet parents wonder why their dog has so much energy, is tearing up the house or going nuts when they aren't home? All I have to say is duh! If you choose to not stimulate your dog, provide sufficient exercise and socialization your pooch will be miserable and so will you. If you make the decision to adopt a dog, then you must understand the responsibilities that go along with the care of this animal. If you do not want to go on long walks, get exercise and participate in many dog socialization activities, then pet parenting is not for you. Finally, I must say that there is so much information on how much and what kind of exercise your dog needs. Please click here, here, here, and here. 

Now get off the computer and wrap your paws around a healthy exercise regime for both you and your human!!

Harley's Fantastic Cool-tastic Icey Treats

You'll need..
* ice cube tray or small plastic container
* fresh clean water
* One of the following: peanut butter, canned salmon (Harley's Favorite), small treats, food, milkbones, crunchy or soft treats etc... (please check with your vet and consider your dog's preferences, allergies and health before giving your dog any type of treat).

1. Fill up tray or plastic container with fresh clean water
2. Drop a small amount of one of the ingredients in the water
3. Freeze tray or container for a few hours
4. Exercise or go for a long walk (or anytime you want to reward your pooch)
5. POP out the icey treat and put into a dog bowl
6. Your dog will lick this cool snack until his/her little heart is content

VERY IMPORTANT: These treats are small and slippery, so please supervise your pooch (as you would with any treat/bone) during eating.

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR VET BEFORE EXERCISING YOUR DOG. NEVER OVERDO ANY TYPE OF EXERCISE. PLEASE CONSIDER YOUR DOG'S HEALTH, PREFERENCES, BEHAVIOR AND ABILITIES BEFORE IMPLEMENTING AN EXERCISE ROUTINE.