Not able to go to the dog park or get in all the usual walks because of lockdown? Is your pet “zoom bombing” you looking for attention? Try out these fun (and healthy!) fitness exercises for your pet you can do even in lockdown.
These exercises are great for both dogs and cats and can be done with things already around your house. Take these ideas, find what works for you and your pet, and get creative!
Of course every pet is different and especially older pets or those with arthritis or any history of injuries or surgery may need modifications or to avoid certain exercises so check with your vet before trying new exercises for your pet.
Even for healthy young pets you probably don’t want to do every one of these exercises every single day, just pick a couple to do on any given day.
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Want to get fancy with pet fitness equipment? Try out things like wobble cushions, cavalettis, a bosu ball, balance pads, wobble board, or a physio roll. Already have some for yourself? Use them for your pet too!
Looking for high value, low calorie treats to use for exercises? Try freeze dried liver diced finely, bonito flakes, or even some chopped veggies or fruits can work for some pets.
Not all pets even need treats, sometimes just praise is reward enough! If your pet is clicker trained you can click to reward the behaviors you’re looking for.
Other options are tennis balls or favorite toys. Or try something like a Kong toy with a very small amount of Kong liver paste, whipped cream, cream cheese, or even squeeze cheese in it. Remember to avoid kibble even for treats!
QUARANTINE FITNESS EXERCISES
Puppy (or kitty) squats. Have your pet sit and then quickly stand up. Repeat several times in a row for one session. Increase reps and sessions as your pet gets better at it! This gets all the joints in the hind legs moving and increases strength of the thigh muscles just like when we do squats.
Puppy (or kitty) push-ups. Have your pet go from laying down to sitting. Repeat several times in a row for one session. Increase reps and sessions as your pet gets better at it and combine with Puppy (or kitty) squats for a front and hind leg workout. This one gets the joints in the front legs moving and strengthens the front legs.
Pushovers. With your pet standing up very gently push on their right side (over their shoulder, ribs or hip) as if you were trying to push them over (but don’t actually push them over!) to the left. Then do it the other way, push on their left side towards the right.
This pushes them a little off balance so they have to stabilize themselves which works on balance, nerve function, core strength and leg strength. Do several pushes in each direction per session. As they get stronger and don’t get pushed off balance increase the reps.
Crawling. Have your pet lay down then encourage them to “army crawl” forward for a treat or toy. To encourage them to keep their body low instead of just standing up you can have them crawl under something like the coffee table or under chairs or even just under your legs. This works on spatial awareness, strength, flexibility, and gets all the joints moving. The reps for this are based on your pet’s size. One rep is crawling forward about 1 body length. Start with a few reps and increase as they get better at it.
Cookie Stretches. Have your pet put their front feet up on the couch, the bed or even just some stacked books or a box. Then get them to lean and stretch to the right and left following a treat or toy. Start with short sessions, you can increase the time and combine with other exercises to make it harder. This stretches the back legs and the spine and works on balance, strength, and flexibility.
Uneven surfaces. This can be the couch, the bed, a large dog bed, pillows on the floor or fancy equipment like balance pads, wobble cushions or even wobble boards. When the ground is soft and squishy and unstable it makes your pet work on balance, nerve function, spatial awareness, strength and flexibility. Start with standing and walking on things that are still relatively stable like the couch and work up to harder things like wobble cushions and wobble boards. Combine with other exercises for a challenge.
Step over obstacles. The key to this one is stepping, not jumping. Jumping is cheating, we want each foot to go over the obstacle one at a time. So they need to go slowly and walk, not run and jump. For home made things to step over you can try foam rollers, rolled up yoga mats, or line up a row of canned goods or toilet paper rolls. You can even use your legs when you’re sitting on the floor for little pets or sitting on the couch for bigger dogs.
Setting up 2-4 obstacles in a row is an extra challenge. Start with low obstacles to make it easy and make them taller as your dog gets better at it. This one works on nerve function, balance, strength and flexibility and also gets all the joints moving. Getting all 4 feet over the obstacle without jumping is 1 rep. Start with several reps and increase over time.
Combine exercises. Lots of these can be made more interesting or challenging by combining. Doing any of these exercises uneven surfaces makes them more challenging. You can do a rapid fire mix up of crawl, squats and pushups: sit, down, crawl, sit, stand, sit, stand, etc. Do pushovers while they’re doing cookie stretches. Get creative!
Obstacle course. Put it all together to make a fun and challenging course for your pet. Remember it’s an obstacle course not an agility course, the goal is strength, balance, and flexibility not speed. So we want them to walk on and step over the obstacles not run and jump. Try putting couch pillows on the floor for walking on uneven surfaces, have them crawl under the coffee table, walk over a row of canned food and then do some push ups and squats!
This will be fun mental stimulation for your pet plus will work on nerve function, strength, balance, and flexibility for the whole body. Depending how elaborate your obstacle course is going through the whole thing a couple times may be good for one session.
These are just a starting point, get creative and have fun with your pet while working on their strength, balance, nerve function, and overall fitness.