With the arrival of summer (the dreaded swimsuit season), now is the time to start doing some healthy outdoor activities. Our friend and blogger Alessia Canella from Styleshouts keeps fit by training with her four-legged friend. Today, she teaches us 5 dog agility exercises you can do with your pet.
1) JOGGING
Keeping Fido on a leash, you can start by taking a brisk five-minute jog – it is important to mark each step well, lifting your knees up high. If your dog stops, you do not have to drag him, just continue the exercise with a little run on the spot. It has same effect!
2) SPRINTS
To kick-start and speed-up the metabolism, there is no better exercise than sprinting. After a short run, turn your attention to this activity: stop in an area with trees then dash between one tree and the next at full speed, with your pooch. High-intensity exercise requires short but explosive effort, which also help to strengthen the bones.
3) ZIGZAGS AND JUMPS
If your local park is not already set-up with fitness equipment, just put your imagination to work and create your own exercise course. For example, you can place some markers on the ground and proceed to have the dog zigzag between them whilst you try to follow behind him or else, you can utilise the markers as if they were obstacles and jump over them with your feet together. This is the perfect exercise for strengthening the lower limbs.
4) ROPE-PULL
This exercise is a tug-of-war of sorts between you and your dog. Position two objects, such as water bottles, as markers at a distance of 3 metres. With Fido’s favourite toy in hand and the dog trying to grab it, we take a step sideways, in a squat position, moving back and forth between the two markers. Now, repeat this exercise as many times as possible.
5) STRETCHING
After 30 minutes of training, you need to do 10 minutes of stretching. At this point, lower down with one leg extended in front of you, then free the dog and use the leash as an original fitness tool. How? Just pass it under the soles of your extended foot and grab it by the two ends. Bend your torso forward to stretch out the muscles at the back of your thigh and meanwhile, using the leash, gently pull the tip of your foot towards you to stretch out your calf.
Are you ready to get fit with the help of your dog? Follow Alessia’s advice!