Anyone use their dog as motivation to exercise?

benne070
benne070 Posts: 51 Member
I have a two year old pit bull who is full of energy. If I can get him out and walking/jogging, everyone is happier!

Anyone else? (I'm a huge dog lover!)
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Replies

  • sjenkin6
    sjenkin6 Posts: 34 Member
    I don't have a dog, but just today I decided to volunteer at the local shelter to exercise the dogs! Got all the info and will attend volunteer orientation Saturday morning. Unfortunately I rent and am not allowed to have a dog.
  • benne070
    benne070 Posts: 51 Member
    I volunteered while in college, and it was a great stress reliever and great exercise getting to walk the dogs :)
  • Mrs_Padgett
    Mrs_Padgett Posts: 191 Member
    We got a lab puppy a month ago (3 months old then, 4 months old now) and I walk her as much as I can for exercise and plus her hyper crazy puppy energy is motivation enough for me to walk her so she calms down!
  • benne070
    benne070 Posts: 51 Member
    Exactly! If I don't get some of my dog's energy out, it doesn't make for a relaxing evening after work!
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    I actually use my dog for a variety of reasons.

    She sleds my daughter home from school, carries home the groceries (we live in London and don't own a vehicle), and she is also trained to attack on command.

    She however, cannot lift a barbell and isn't a very good work out partner.
  • benne070
    benne070 Posts: 51 Member
    wow, your dog sounds pretty multi-talented!
  • Amcolecchi
    Amcolecchi Posts: 260 Member
    Yes! Everyday I walk my dog because he is 2 and has tons of energy! If I come home and sit he barks until we play!
  • Pattie74
    Pattie74 Posts: 85 Member
    I use my Sally ( a sheltie) all the time on my long walks. She keeps me company and is full of energy. She really keeps me going :)
  • shareelynette
    shareelynette Posts: 22 Member
    I love taking my dog on walks/runs. She really enjoys it and she keeps me going and also makes me feel safer. Even though she is a big wuss haha
  • BeinAwesome247
    BeinAwesome247 Posts: 257 Member
    Just got a new puppy haha who I have decided to take for daily walks in the AM

    I have to check with the vet about jogging though b/c I've heard that it isn't good for large breed dogs to be running too much as puppies b/c it can make them more prone to hip displasia(sp?)
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    I actually use my dog for a variety of reasons.

    She sleds my daughter home from school, carries home the groceries (we live in London and don't own a vehicle), and she is also trained to attack on command.

    She however, cannot lift a barbell and isn't a very good work out partner.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    And OP, yes. Even when I feel lazy and just bleh...I'll get off my butt for my dog. She's about 2-3 years old and even though she isn't a high energy dog - still needs her exercise :D

    The way I feel about it is, if I want to screw up my health that's one thing. I won't screw up someone else's (my dog's in this case) because I feel too lazy to want to go for a walk..lol.
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    i walk my dog at least once a day. sometimes i'll go slow and other times i'll go fast. I rather him make a mess outside than on the carpet. I cant stand stains on the carpet.
  • Susan_fessler
    Susan_fessler Posts: 56 Member
    I just started my C25K training and take my Border Collie out with me for runs, she loves and and is such a clown that I don't realize that I am running
  • CrazyDaisyMom
    CrazyDaisyMom Posts: 79 Member
    I have two English Mastiffs and because of their size I generally will walk each of them separately which is a bonus for me. My big girl just weighed in at 160 and we want to get her down to about 150ish. So when I don't want to walk I just think Daisy needs me to walk her big ol' booty.
  • benne070
    benne070 Posts: 51 Member
    They really are good motivation. Although my dog may be as out of shape as I am. I started c25k this week, and during the 1 minute jogging interval he can't keep up!!!
  • miriamwithcats
    miriamwithcats Posts: 1,120 Member
    I have a very old, fat, Akita/ German Shepherd dog and am trying to get him out for a walk every day. Neither of us can tolerate walking on sidewalks, since we both have bad arthritis, but I take him to the soccer fields in town. He can now handle going around all three! When we started a few months ago, he could only manage one! AND he has lost 8 pounds so far! From 112 to 104! He should be around 80-85. My Sheltie/ border collie mix loves it to. She minds, so I let her off leash, and she just runs and runs. He doesn't mind, so he is on leash. They both look forward to it, and I feel guilty when I cannot manage it, or the weather doesn't cooperate. (After we got 7 inches of rain in one day during a rainy spell, the fields were under three feet of water, but they are dry now.
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    i always walk my neighbors dog a 2 year old weathen terrier but we looking to get a border collie in the near future since i had to leave my collie/chow in germany with my mom she loves him and he is 13 yrs old i didnt want to put him threw the flight and my mom got noone else but him.
  • butterbean4283
    butterbean4283 Posts: 258 Member
    I definitely use my Diesel for motivation. He loves to run and I want to be able to run with him. I even mention this in my about me section. I also volunteer a lot at the shelter. Dogs are a huge love of mine.
  • I have a 16 month old doxie/yorkie cross, and we go for long (1-3 miles) walks every morning before the heat and the humidity get out of control. If I DONT walk him, he is just out of control all day, and that's enough to keep me motivated.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    YES! My 15 week old Australian Cattle Dog is my walking partner and future running partner. When I was evaluating various dog breeds to determine which breed was the best match for me, I looked for breeds with high physical activity requirements. I knew I would have to commit keeping my new pet healthy and happy by providing physical activity.

    Cora and I walk in the morning and evenings, 1.5 miles currently. On weekends, when I'm not strapped for time, we take two 2 mile walks each day. I am training with C25K so I will be about to run with her when she is old enough to start running.
  • blinker86
    blinker86 Posts: 104 Member
    I have 2 Great Danes and a Corgi and am most definitely not able to take all of them out at once, but they enjoy their individual walks! I'm doing C25K right now as well but I'm not sure I have enough confidence to run with any of them yet because it takes so much focus to get through the runs. I'm hoping I can bring them along once it gets easier. They certainly do get into less trouble at home once they're worn out! :smile:
  • i walk my dog at least once a day. sometimes i'll go slow and other times i'll go fast. I rather him make a mess outside than on the carpet. I cant stand stains on the carpet.

    You should really do it more than once a day to help avoid the really messy situatuions your dog could cause. Once a day isn't sufficient. Just a little helpful tip. If you need me to walk your dog to help just let me know. I love puppy kisses.
  • bmiller211
    bmiller211 Posts: 222 Member
    yep this puppy loves to run...not kidding! [img]http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/t540/Brian_J_Miller/Facebook/Mobile Uploads/901952_10201112947730365_1214481948_o.jpg[/img]
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    i walk my dog at least once a day. sometimes i'll go slow and other times i'll go fast. I rather him make a mess outside than on the carpet. I cant stand stains on the carpet.

    Stains on the couch are even worse. Ideally you should be walking your dog twice a day. A prework walk followed by a post work walk. The dog will have to much energy and likely burst if you don't do this.
  • i walk my dog at least once a day. sometimes i'll go slow and other times i'll go fast. I rather him make a mess outside than on the carpet. I cant stand stains on the carpet.

    Stains on the couch are even worse. Ideally you should be walking your dog twice a day. A prework walk followed by a post work walk. The dog will have to much energy and likely burst if you don't do this.

    Dogs bursting on their own can be a bad thing. Bad, bad doggy.
  • Yes, in fact at lunch I walked my 2 Standard Poodles. They have lots of energy and love going for walks and rides too. It makes me smaller and them more tired and happier, so we all win!
  • DeeDiddyGee
    DeeDiddyGee Posts: 601 Member
    I have a one-year-old Shih Tzu named Dexter (picture on my ticker). I take him for walks, but his little legs hold me back at times. About 20 minutes into the walk he starts looking over his shoulder at me like, "are you kidding?!..."
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
    I tried to, but it turns out that he was lazier than me.
    I'd get about 2 blocks before he'd decide to either climb my leg so that I'd carry him the rest of the way or he'd want to take a nap on someones lawn.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    i have a boxer. If he doesn't get proper exercise, he starts gnawing on furniture :)

    Motivation!
  • littlebuddy84
    littlebuddy84 Posts: 995 Member
    Absolutely! My 2 girls can never get enough exercise.