As any puppy owner would tell you, tiring their dog out is a crucial part of the day. We know from personal experience, that keeping a puppy cooped up with all of that energy can lead to destructive behaviors. But to what extent does exercise help your dog? From improving physical health to reducing undesirable behaviors, modern research has found that exercise is crucial to raising a happy and healthy dog. In this article I am going to discuss the physical benefits exercise will have on your dog.
As you would assume, exercise benefits your dog similarly to how it benefits people. One way exercise notably helps is that it prevents obesity. Obesity is defined by the World Health Organization as, “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.”
This fat gain is not only what we can see in our dogs’ outward appearance when they get chubby but also the more harmful fat around the organs known as visceral fat. In addition to the significant weight gain, the increase in visceral fat can lead to hormonal imbalances. A study on this subject in 2014 found that the resulting hormonal changes can persist for the lifetime of your dog, even if later they lose the weight. Resulting hormonal changes also lead to behavioral imbalances. Similarly, the same study found that canine obesity has adverse effects on heart health.
When a dog becomes obese the heart needs to work harder to move the blood throughout the body. This leads to the thickening of the ventricular muscles, which pump the blood around the body, as well as an elevated resting heart rate. Both of these can result in high blood pressure and can lead to heart disease and heart attacks. While the study found that heart health improved following weight loss, primarily in that the muscle thickness was reduced, researchers found that heart health did not return to pre-obesity levels.
In addition to physical health, another study performed in 2015 found that obesity reduced a dog’s overall quality of life. These types of dogs are found to be less energetic and enthusiastic with increased discomfort when engaged in activities. This highlights the importance of obesity prevention if you look at these characteristics in the context of weight loss. A dog that is unenthusiastic about play or training would be difficult to work with but combining that with low energy and discomfort makes both training and weight loss especially problematic. Additionally, these limitations reduce a dog’s quality of life by making them unable to engage in enjoyable activities.
To avoid confusion, we aren’t trying to say that dogs need to be in any form of strict regimented exercise to be happy. Similar to people, dogs need varying levels of a regulated diet and consistent exercise in alignment with their individual traits. Exercise can be accomplished with daily walks, play, hikes, whatever you enjoy doing with your dog that gets it active. And while it is ok to give your dog treats, remember that moderation and ingredients are important. These shared positive experiences help to increase the bond between you and your dog as well as improve the health of both parties. Overall, the research indicates that exercise and diet regulation are very important to a dogs’ health, particularly in puppies, in order to prevent obesity and the related detrimental effects it can have on your dog’s health and happiness.
