Walk With Your Dog: How To Achieve A Good Aerobic Pace

By Dr. Ernie Ward for Vetstreet.com

Walking for fitness and weight loss is different from simply strolling for pleasure with your dog. To get in a real workout with your four-legged workout buddy, you need to move fast enough to reach the aerobic or “fat-burning” zone but not so fast that you risk injury or enter into the anaerobic or “sugar-burning” zone.

In other words, it all comes down to pacing. To help get you into the right aerobic groove, consider these tips when you're power walking with your pet. Just be sure to have your dog checked out by his vet before embarking on any fitness regimen.

For more on pet health, click here.

Source of Original Article: Canine Power Walking: How to Achieve a Good Aerobic Pace

Comments

[KeenRecessTeam]

07:52 PM on 06/28/2012

Great tips for keeping you and your dog healthy! The KEEN Recess Team wants kids and adults to take a break from the daily grind, get outside and create their own playground. Thanks for the info!

Best,
KEEN Recess Team

[Steeplechase2000]

08:34 PM on 03/21/2012

If you are going out for a walk , I found a great way to burn more calories and get my ressitance exercise while I walk - I wear the resistance shorts by http://www.nyknyc.com they look super sleek and not only hold me in make me look fantastic but burn more fat and I can skip the gym .
so sleek I can even wear them under my slacks at work!
love to wear them when dog walking !

[Steeplechase2000]

02:45 PM on 03/14/2012

OMG I was just about to chime in and say that I get my resistance training also when I walk my dog
Biff . He walks pretty fast as he is a puppy still and so I put on my nyk vest and get a great workout not just for him but for me too.
can I mention name of site? HTTP://WWW.NYKNYC.COM

[Steeplechase2000]

02:30 PM on 03/14/2012

I love to walk my dog it helps me get my workout also because I walk wearing a weight vest so that I can skip the boring sweaty gym - I use the nyknyc one becauae it is for women not men

[Steeplechase2000]

02:28 PM on 03/14/2012

I love to walk my dog and walk him 4 times a day but I get my workout in also cause I wear my weight walking vest by nyknyc it helps keep my weight down and keeps me lookin great
http://www.nyknyc.com
also strengthens your bones

[Charlotte Bonnie]

05:55 AM on 03/13/2012

I do my daily cardio by walking my dog twice a day. Since she is a 60lbs dog and likes to pull I get my resistance training covered as well.

[Team Brogan]

05:00 PM on 03/12/2012

I've come to believe that the worse enemy to the proper dog walk is having a nice fenced yard. In the US, where I own a home, all I had to do was open the back door. Instant 'walkies'! We'd go to the beach or a long hike 2-3 times a week, but definitely not every day. Now that I live in Europe in a tiny apartment, we HAVE to go out, and I've really learned to appreciate those 30 minute 3x a day power walks/pees (we walk, he pees). I'm counting on my boy to keep me honest and keep us walking once we're back home!

[liporidex]

02:29 PM on 03/12/2012

Thanks so much for the great article! I always take our dogs for a run whenever I can. Its all about the buddy system! Theres a lot of truth to this. This also applies to just about everything else in life - its much harder isolation. The big difference about dieting, exercise and losing weight however is that many folks are afraid/embarrassed to share with others due to personal fears. (eg failure rejection, losing less than others etc. etc.) However, if you really want to success with your weight loss and MAINTAIN the weight lost, its imperative that one gets over whatever is preventing you from reaching out and embracing others.

So what better way to get out and start burning cals with your best buddy? You may be surprised how much you enjoy running with a friend and your dogs until you try it! Maybe walk/running with your canine is for the dogs, one thing is for certain, find the right thing and you'll likely have a great time and make some great friends while you lose weight and improve your health!

Learn which superfood can help you start losing weight right away! http://bit.ly/zqlYPn

Dr. O
teamliporidex
www.liporidex.com

[NevaforLeadership]

10:24 PM on 03/11/2012

I have seen pet owners inflict such mindless cruelty on their dogs:

Tethering dogs to bikes and going far too fast, especially on hot days.

Leaving dogs tethered outside restaurants on very cold days, shivering in ankle-deep snow banks, or on very hot days, tongues dangling with thirst.

Dressing dogs up in net, lace and diamonds and wheeling them in prams instead of walking them (honest-to-god truth).

That's enough.

On the other side of the coin, the parks in my neighborhood are being totally ruined by dogs peeing on the grass: in some areas round yellow patches where the grass has died; in other areas bare ground where grass no longer grows. The gardener once showed me a pile of doodahs hidden in the bushes. The owner had taken the time to wrap them but was too lazy to throw the wrappings in the garbage.

I believe dog owners should pay fairly stiff annual fees for dog licenses, which revenue could go towards building doggy toilets hidden behind walls in corners of some parks. The added expense would make people think twice before joining the latest cruel trend: lap dogs, more often carried than walked, and left in apartments on their own all day long while the owners are away at work.

It would also open the door to collecting much-needed city revenues by fining dog owners who are caught using public areas instead of the doggy toilets.

[hornedcog]

11:29 PM on 03/11/2012

A tax on baby formula and diapers could be put to good use as well.

[chiodo08]

03:49 PM on 03/13/2012

...let me guess...you're one of those whack women in my hood that have baby carts for their dogs..."doggy toilets"...are you for real?...I take my dog to a discreet uninhabited place and scoop it up with a bag...that's good enough...

I love dogs and am a vehement defender of dogs...but "doggy toilets"...nurture their primal instincts..not train them to be human

[NevaforLeadership]

06:02 PM on 03/13/2012

If you read my comment, your short-memory must be on the fritz.

I clearly included wheeling dogs around as an abuse.

It is not the pooh that destroys lawns; it is the pee.

If you think dogs peeing on lawns is not a problem, perhaps you could advertise your lawn for that purpose.

[rowdiman]

07:40 PM on 03/11/2012

Um, hello? When will HP have a page for us dogs so we know what pace to walk our moms?

P.S. She's kinda slow.

[littlepuffycloud]

02:37 PM on 03/11/2012

My dog walks me 45 minutes a day and at his pace, that's 3 miles. I have to keep up with him except when we're on the last block heading home. When he's walking, he doesn't want to stop and visit with the neighbors we've gotten to know the last 5 years or other dogs. He's on a mission and nothing else matters. Walk walk walk.. In the summer, he goes through a bottle of water along our route...Must stay hydrated. My vet said said any healthy dog, regardless of size can walk 3 miles.

[Happy scotty]

06:55 PM on 03/11/2012

That's great! Your dog is a great asset as well as a gem.

[littlepuffycloud]

10:55 AM on 03/12/2012

He's also the sweetest smartest most adorable dog in the world..

[Tresco]

09:33 AM on 03/13/2012

3 miles in 45 minutes is a hell of a pace! You guys are serious walkers. That's great exercise.

[littlepuffycloud]

11:22 AM on 03/13/2012

He's walking at full speed at the end of his 14' leash 2/3 of the way and finally slows down and walks next to me for the final leg home. In 18 months, he lost almost 15 pounds and I lost nearly 20 lbs.

[local21]

09:29 AM on 03/11/2012

Walking my dog isn't it about me it's about my dog. I walk my dog for 45 minutes twice a day no matter if it's raining, snowing, or cold out. When it's 5 degrees and less I have to limit his walks because of his paws can't hold up on the cold concrete. Salt is a concern and from time to time some will get lodged in his paws and I have to remove it on the spot. The one thing I can't get him do is wear booties in extreme winter weather,I tried and failed. With his double coat and booties he could last longer then me in the elements.

My buddy is 100% trained when it comes to walking with me. I'm in controll at all times and determine the pace. I let him get all his smelling and turf marking done in the first half of the walk and then he is just slightly behind my left side on the way back. I don't allow him to stare down other dogs and keep a very close eye on him when he picks up another animals scent in the bushes. Possums, rabbits, squirells are the least of my worries but skunks are on the top of the list.

I enjoy my dog walks but they are for my dogs health , I can go in the basement and get on my treadmill or stationary bike for my exercise.

[mspat44417]

09:49 PM on 03/10/2012

It depends on the dog..Not all dogs can walk along way the stub nose dogs diffidently can't walk along way...And some dogs love to walk ..My dog walks with me off leash but that's because we live in the country and I do bring a leash just in case....But it just depends on where you live and what type of dog you have...To make everyone happy and safe...

[Hlynn]

07:59 PM on 03/10/2012

I don't think it was emphasized enough that people have to be very aware of their dogs' behavior since it could indicate injuries, even injuries that happen while walking with them. I see too many people yanking their dog's leash when out for a walk when it's possible the dog might be tired or have sore paws (and people should always wipe their dog's paws after a walk, especially in the winter with salt and de-icer on the sidewalks and roads) or not want to move for another good reason. I love walking our family's dogs, but I walk alone or with people for fitness reasons.

[victorzeller]

06:03 PM on 03/10/2012

Your dog doesn't want to walk 2, 5 or even 10 miles with you. Really he doesn't.

[PghStlrFan]

05:39 PM on 03/11/2012

Actually, most dogs do. They love to go walking, but I would limit it to 2 miles for most.