The famous proverb, “a healthy mind resides in a healthy body” holds true for almost all animal species. Regular exercise is one of the important parts in your pet’s life that provide them healthy body. Other parts of your dog's healthy lifestyle are proper grooming, balanced nutrition and regular visits to your veterinarian. The ideal time to start exercising your pooch is at the puppy stage and it should be continued throughout your pet's life.

• What are the benefits of regular exercise?

The expression "use it or lose it" is also true in case of body because if your dog does not use his body, he will surely lose it. If you want to keep your dog happy, healthy and out of trouble, then daily exercise is quite important that provides many benefits, including:

• It reduces or eliminates the common behavior problems in dogs, such as excessive barking, digging, hyperactivity and chewing
• It helps to keep dogs agile and limber
• It reduces constipation and various other digestive problems in pets
• It also brings confidence and trust in timid or fearful dogs
• It helps dogs feel sleepy, rather than restless, at bedtime or when you are relaxing
• It keeps your dogs’ weight under control

Not only this; if you play with or snuggling up to your furry friend, you also gets lots of mental and physical health benefits. Many studies have been conducted to show the health benefits of the pet owners when they play with their pets. Some of these studies are as follows:

• Pet owners are less likely to suffer from various medical conditions such as depression than those without pets.
• Pet owners have lower blood pressure in stressful situations as compare to the people without pets.
• One study also found that when people with borderline hypertension adopted dogs, their blood pressure turned down significantly within five months
• Playing with cats or dogs can elevate dopamine and serotonin levels, which relax and calm people
• People with pets have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels (indicators of heart disease) than those without pets
• Heart attack patients with dogs survive longer than those without
• Pet owners over age 65 make 30% fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets

• What happens if a dog doesn’t get enough exercise?

The behavior of dogs is just like young children. If you do not give your pooch something constructive to do with their energy, they will find something to do on their own. If you do not provide enough exercise to your dog, they will show behavior problems. Some of these behavior problems are:

• Digging or scratching, destructive chewing
• Investigative behaviors, like garbage raiding
• Excitability, hyperactivity and night-time activity
• Knocking over furniture, unruliness and jumping up on people
• Play biting and rough play
• Excessive predatory and social play
• Attention-getting behaviors like whining and barking

In addition to this, dogs that don’t get enough exercise run the risk of developing health issues such as heart disease, obesity, and arthritis. Therefore, to ensure a happy life of your pet, you should exercise him regularly.

• What are the best exercises for dogs?

Giving enough exercise to your dog does not mean you have to be athletic yourself. If you don’t like to run or take long, brisk walks; you can consider these three approaches to exercising your canine companion:

1. You can exercise the brain of your dog with food puzzle toys, hunting for dinner, trick training and obedience training, and chew toys in spite excessive physical exercise. These trainings and exercises will not only make your dog healthy, but also prevent dog boredom.

2. You should focus on games that make your canine companion run around while you mostly stand or sit still. Some games that fit the bill include Frisbees or sticks, fetch with balls, Find It, Hide-and-Seek, and chase (a toy on a rope or stick).
3. If your dog enjoys the company of other dogs, you can take him to the dog park, organizing play groups with friends or neighbors who have dogs. In these ways, you will give your dog a chance to experience invigorating social play with other dogs.

• What are Dos and Don’ts of exercise?