Anyone use their dog as motivation to exercise?

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Replies

  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    Yes! I have 7 in my family (GSD, black lab, yellow lab, Jack Russell, Flatcoated Retriever/Chow, Catahoula/black lab, black lab/pit) and all of them go for a walk or run at least once/day. In the hot Houston summer, the walks are shorter, but in the winter, we can run for miles and the black lab/pit regularly runs 6+ miles with me if it's cool enough! They love it and everyone stays exercised and happy (and they like being able to eat a little more and not chunk up!). It gives all of us motivation to walk/run as well.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    I don't have one anymore, but I had a sweet pitty too, and she just wanted to go ANYWHERE I did (and it made my husband happy to know nobody was going to mess with me on a run with a pit bull on my leash..she was very protective :laugh: )
  • FunSizedK
    FunSizedK Posts: 144 Member
    I have a 8 1/2 month old boxer and I am trying to exercise him everyday!
  • JeepBaja
    JeepBaja Posts: 1,824 Member
    I have a six year old Black & Tan Coonhound that I walk at least 3 miles a day. We hike a lot as well... I need to walk this guy daily because he is not one to be sitting around and doing nothing all day long!
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 270 Member
    Pit-Bull owner also, everyone is happier when Taffy gets her walk. I also bought a garage sale bike so she could run along side. Best $7 I ever spent. She is my very determined motivator to get my walking shoes on...and once I'm out there we just go until she's tuckered out, about an hour.
  • melinda200208
    melinda200208 Posts: 525 Member
    I have a 3 1/2 year old Puggle. I use her as an excuse for extra excersize :) I usually go to the gym in the mornings and take her for nice long relaxing walks when I get home from work. So relaxing and she loves it!!! But she keeps me motivated to go for our daily walks because I feel bad she is stuck home all day while I am at work
  • Wuggums
    Wuggums Posts: 339 Member
    My girl is a 7-year old Alaskan Malamute / Treeing Walker Coonhound mix who thinks she's still a puppy. When I got her from the shelter, I specifically asked for a dog that liked to walk a lot, because I needed some motivation to keep exercising. She wakes me up at 5:30 am every single morning - rain or shine, even on Sundays, even when I just got home at 2:30am. We walk two or three times a day, at least 40 minutes each time. And recently I found out that she LOVES trails in the woods, so we've been scouring all the local parks and running the trails whenever we get the chance. She is my biggest motivator and supporter, and the best exercise buddy ever!!
  • yamsteroo
    yamsteroo Posts: 480 Member
    Whatever the weather, our 3.5yr old GSD makes sure I go for a walk! She gets 4 a day, two short 15min walks and two longer walks which I share with my husband then Sundays we go out for a couple of hours. I hope to take her on c25k training runs but she does tend to stop suddenly for trees and lamposts!
  • jp619
    jp619 Posts: 20
    The dog whisperer says a tired dog is a good dog.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    yah much so...I love a worn out puppy
  • WannaDizzolve
    WannaDizzolve Posts: 270 Member
    Yep. i have a yorkie and a pom. i walk at least 2 miles every day. i can actually jog with my yorkie. when he gets tired, i just pick him up and carry him. Voila! A 5 lb weight...
  • sandy_gee
    sandy_gee Posts: 372 Member
    Most definitely! I have a pug/jack russell/min pin demon cross that is just FULL of energy. As far as I've seen so far, he will keep going forever! My goal is to be able to outlast him on our walks/jogs/hikes, but so far it's looking a little tough. Soon as we get back home he'll curl up and go right to sleep, but I want to see him start lagging while we're still outside lol
    He's also very helpful when I'm doing my exercises in the house. My profile pic is a shot of him thinking I need an extra 20lbs of resistance while doing my pelvic tilts on my stability ball... Thanks buddy.
  • BakerRunnerBadass
    BakerRunnerBadass Posts: 1,359 Member
    Our two 7 and a half year old sheppard/lab dogs are my daily running partners. They love it and get so excited to go. Because we generally run in the morning they jump on the bed to get me moving when they think that it is time to go, as much as I don't want to get up some days their excitement gets me moving most days!
  • miracole
    miracole Posts: 492 Member
    My shepherd/husky/saluki mix (she's in my ticker) is my top marathon training partner. She was born to run and loves every minute of it! The longest we've ever gone together is 37km and she was recovered and ready to go again way before I was. Just have to make sure we set running routes that give her lots of places to stop for water.
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    my ex has custody of the furbabies.

    i used to walk, then run, then sk8 with the black terrier mix every day or nearly every day. at first she could outrun AND outlast me. now i can smoke her. she can't keep up with me at full flatground speed on my longboard, but if i slow down some i can match her comfortable running speed and we have a blast together. i still get to see my furbabies sometimes, and i walk the neighbor's dog 1x/wk.

    those dogs are partially responsible for the fantastic shape and decent conditioning i have now.
  • missbossypants
    missbossypants Posts: 42 Member
    I have a 13-year old Jack Russell Terrier, whom we call "the roast". She's quite round and "beefy". She can't make it out for many walks anymore, but her size motivates me! :)
  • stefa711
    stefa711 Posts: 196 Member
    I have a border collie and a lab mix... they LOVE to run! Some nights when I get home from work they will stand at the front door, cry, and pull at the "running leash"!

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