Activities to do with your dog

[Jenz10]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to Fitbit and trying to find ways to increase my activities. I have been reading all the discussions about increasing steps and active minutes but most of them are human only based. I have a large dog who also needs some help getting in shape.

Does anyone have some unquie ideas of things to do with your furry best friend to get both of us more active? Going for walks tends to get a little bit boring so even ways to spice up the walk a little bit. 

Thanks everyone!!

[SunsetRunner]

Hi,

I know the struggle. I have two large dogs who are both attending doggy training camp to learn to walk on the lead, so  at the minute being able to enjoy a walk with them is my starting point lol. They are both good off lead however and my husband and I play hide and seek with them were one of distracts the dogs and the other hids behind a tree or something and they then try to find us. They love it the dog trainer we go to also does this with her rotties. Your dog would need to be good off lead. 

I would love to hear other peoples suggestions it great to get the dogs involved as well.

MM

[too_spicy]

What a fun question...

If your dog is big enough, you can slap on a pair of roller skates and have him drag you around. Great workout for the dog, and if you help him out it can be a good workout for you too. I wouldn't recommend it if your dog likes to chase after things, because you will eat dirt. 

Frisbee in the park is extra fun, and depending on how your dog likes to play, it can be good for you too. My dog never likes to give up anything that he's playing with, so I usually have to chase or wrestle him to get the fetch item back. 

My favorite favorite favorite game to play with my dog (or any dog really) is tag. My dog is small and super fast, so he's extra hard to catch. But dogs don't really know the rules of tag, so even if you can't tag them, just say "you're it!" and run away. They'll still chase you lol.

Honestly it depends on how well-trained your dog is, and also what his energy level is like. If you can take him out without a leash, the sky is the limit on what you can do with him. Some really lazy dogs won't even chase a ball if you throw it, but both you and your dog will feel a lot better if you can get active. See what both you and your dog like to play, because dogs don't really get the concept of exercise for the sake of exercise. 

[Maxit]

I have a large dog, too.  If your dog is out of condition, walking is great - increase the distance to help your furry friend (FF) & you get some endurance, and vary your route to keep it interesting.  If you have an off leash place, throwing a ball can be good but watch your dog and quit when it seems like your FF is slowing down at the beginning.   Frisbees are also a lot of fun - but some dogs, especially larger ones, can injure themselves with the jumping (even the in-shape dogs).  Playing in the house for short bursts is fun for my dog and me, too, especially during the cold dark months where walking outside more than 3 miles during the day (shorter and more frequent walks than warmer weather walking) is not practical.