Comments on: Exercise and Dogs with Arthritis http://www.exercisemydog.com/exercise-and-dogs-with-arthritis/ A healthy dog is a happy dog and has a happy owner. Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:37:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Tracey http://www.exercisemydog.com/exercise-and-dogs-with-arthritis/comment-page-1/#comment-1998 Tracey Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:37:11 +0000 http://petflex.net/exercisemydog/exercise-and-dogs-with-arthritis/#comment-1998 @Emilia...Even a dog with joint pain like arthritis can and SHOULD exercise, daily if possible. Reasonable activity will help him feel better overall. The issue is just to make sure he doesn't over do it, some eager dogs don't know when to stop. Check out our article here: http://www.exercisemydog.com/page/2/?s=arthritis. Of course you should confer with your vet, even if by phone.
@Emilia…Even a dog with joint pain like arthritis can and SHOULD exercise, daily if possible. Reasonable activity will help him feel better overall. The issue is just to make sure he doesn’t over do it, some eager dogs don’t know when to stop. Check out our article here: http://www.exercisemydog.com/page/2/?s=arthritis. Of course you should confer with your vet, even if by phone.

]]> By: Emilia A. http://www.exercisemydog.com/exercise-and-dogs-with-arthritis/comment-page-1/#comment-1990 Emilia A. Sun, 22 May 2011 21:23:51 +0000 http://petflex.net/exercisemydog/exercise-and-dogs-with-arthritis/#comment-1990 Hey, I have a 4 year old Boston Terrier (that we got about two months ago)that LOVES to run. We would go everyday to the dog park and play fetch with him and he would run with other dogs. But about a week ago he started limping and today we learn the (sad) news that he has arthritis. Can he still go running everyday just this time instead of an hour 10 to 15 mins? I can see in his eyes that he just wants to play.
Hey,
I have a 4 year old Boston Terrier (that we got about two months ago)that LOVES to run. We would go everyday to the dog park and play fetch with him and he would run with other dogs. But about a week ago he started limping and today we learn the (sad) news that he has arthritis. Can he still go running everyday just this time instead of an hour 10 to 15 mins? I can see in his eyes that he just wants to play.

]]> By: Tracey http://www.exercisemydog.com/exercise-and-dogs-with-arthritis/comment-page-1/#comment-1740 Tracey Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:20:37 +0000 http://petflex.net/exercisemydog/exercise-and-dogs-with-arthritis/#comment-1740 If his joints are really bad, you would do best to start with low impact activities where balance is not a big issue. Training him to perform command is a really good way to do this. In order to learn a trick or command, a dog is repeating motions over and over and it can give him a low-impact workout. Commands like fetch, release, roll over are useful and physically active. A couple of things to remember: 1) choose commands where balance is not a major part of the command, and 2) really avoid treats as a reward for good performance. Love and rubs and attention WILL also work for positive motivation. What is also good are games where the dog is constantly in motion are good. Any game where your dog is constantly following you are really good. There are a few examples in the ebook on the home page. Now, these activities are not likely to burn a lot of calories, but this will help him get in better condition to do more intensive activities later. This is important--go slow with exercise and weight loss to prevent more injury to his joints. And do exercise regularly. And as always, check with his vet who has more knowledge of the condition of your dog's joints and can advise accordingly.
If his joints are really bad, you would do best to start with low impact activities where balance is not a big issue. Training him to perform command is a really good way to do this. In order to learn a trick or command, a dog is repeating motions over and over and it can give him a low-impact workout. Commands like fetch, release, roll over are useful and physically active.

A couple of things to remember: 1) choose commands where balance is not a major part of the command, and 2) really avoid treats as a reward for good performance. Love and rubs and attention WILL also work for positive motivation.

What is also good are games where the dog is constantly in motion are good. Any game where your dog is constantly following you are really good. There are a few examples in the ebook on the home page.

Now, these activities are not likely to burn a lot of calories, but this will help him get in better condition to do more intensive activities later. This is important–go slow with exercise and weight loss to prevent more injury to his joints. And do exercise regularly. And as always, check with his vet who has more knowledge of the condition of your dog’s joints and can advise accordingly.

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