How to stay active at home with your dog
Your furry friend loves to spend as much time with you as possible. For them, the current situation, where you should stay at home as much as possible, is just another opportunity to show you 24 hours a day how much they appreciate your presence.
But especially for four-legged friends who need a lot of activity and still give you the “So, what’s next?!” look after hours of exercise, you urgently need new ideas for an active, exciting daily routine. We’ll explain how you and your furry friend can stay active together at home.
1. Workout with woof
On your mat, get set, go! Have you already tried just about every YouTube channel for living room workouts and become a real pro? Then grab your furry friend and include them in your exercises. This way, you’ll keep yourself fit and keep your dog mentally and physically engaged. Here are some exercises to get you started:
1. Get into a squat position and have your dog do 'beg' . Hold this position together, and you can support your dog’s paws if they can’t balance on their own yet. This way, you’ll both train your balance.
2. Get into the position for push-ups. Your dog should sit in front of the mat facing you. Now, alternately lift one hand and give your dog the command 'give paw'. Depending on how long you can keep going and how much your dog enjoys it, you can repeat this exercise as often as you like.
3. To do sit-ups correctly, it’s important that your legs stay on the floor . Who could support you better than your furry friend? Lie on your back, bend your knees, and have your dog do 'beg' so that they can rest their paws on your knees. Now you can do the exercise and need even more body tension so you don’t accidentally push your dog off.
2. Time to tidy up!
When you spend all day together indoors, your usually tidy home can quickly turn into a real chaos cave . So you don’t have to clean up everything by yourself, you can teach your dog to help you. Use the principle of retrieving.
To start, you’ll need a treat pouch or something else to store treats in. Let your dog sniff it well—thanks to the delicious smell, they’ll quickly become interested in the pouch. Now throw it a little distance away from you. Your dog will follow and try to get to the contents.
If your dog picks up the pouch, call them back to you. At first, it may take a while for them to understand the concept. Always combine your request with the command 'fetch!'. When your furry friend returns with the pouch, reward them with treats from the pouch.
Once that works, you can start having them fetch other items. This could be a newspaper, the leash, or even a drink for you. You can also train them to put things in specific boxes. The important thing is to always praise your dog right away, when they’ve done something well.
3. From yoga to doga
OOOOOMMM.
For many people, yoga isn’t just a sport, but also a way to leave everyday stress behind. There are different types—some focus more on meditation, others on strength and physical activity.
Well, and with some, the dog suddenly joins you on the mat. With so-called doga—a blend of 'yoga' and 'dog' (yes, dog)—you do the exercises together with your four-legged friend. Similar to a workout, your dog first plays a supporting role, and later they can even do their own exercises too.
Let your dog be with you during your exercises at first. Some dogs will lie right down on the mat, others need a little encouragement to enjoy doga. If you have a small dog, you can have them sit on your lap during seated exercises. For large dogs, exercises lying down work well.
Once your dog gets used to the mat and knows your exercises from watching or joining in, they can become a yogi—or rather, a dogi —themselves. With simple commands like 'down', lying down already leads to a gentle stretch.
Show your dog how you slowly move into the 'down' position. You can help your furry friend move slowly from standing to lying down. It’s important that you don’t pull on your dog’s limbs or force them into a position. If your dog isn’t interested, give them their space.
To learn the doga exercises properly so they’re healthy for your dog, consider taking an online course on the topic. Numerous books also cover the art of doga and can help you teach it to your four-legged friend.
4. Home bakery time
Your dog probably loves tasty treats. And nothing beats a few homemade kangaroo bites, your furry friend is sure to agree.
Of course, your dog can’t take over the mixer, but with our tips for retrieving they can still be a real kitchen helper. Whether it’s a rolling pin, mixing bowl, or dish towel: after a good training session, just have them bring everything to the kitchen counter for you.
For our delicious kangaroo bites you’ll need:
200g wet food kangaroo
gluten-free oats
1 egg
Give this a try!
Get plenty of fresh air
Even though our tips give you plenty of ways to keep busy at home, your dog still needs exercise outdoors. Look for quiet, green spots, where your dog can really burn off energy.
Outdoor sports options are available too: Start by running short jogging routes with your dog. This will improve your endurance. Just make sure to run on soft ground and not on asphalt to protect your joints.
More →more ideas for games and fun with your dog at home can be found here.
