Fun Weight Loss Exercises for your Cat and Dog
We love our furry children and want what’s best for them. Often, that includes indulging them in an abundance of treats, giving them some of our leftovers from the dinner plate, or just all-out spoiling them. After all, it takes a strong heart to resist the pleading eyes and intense stare you feel burning into you at the table.
Then, horror of horrors. You notice that your pet is looking a little tubby! You aren’t alone.
Almost half of the pets in today’s society are overweight, putting them at a higher risk for developing heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and other serious ailments. Inadequate leash time and too many treats are usually to blame when it comes to chubby pets.
To help your pet lose weight, not only will you have to cut back on the sausage rolls and other good stuff, but you can also step up their exercise a notch. Maybe you could stand to shed a few pounds too, or simply want to get fitter and healthier?
In this blog post, we’ll look at a few simple exercises you can do with your pet to have both of you moving, getting fitter, and hopefully have those kilograms melting away.
Teasing Fetch
Do a bunch of sit-ups with your pet’s favorite fetch toy. As you sit up, pretend the throw the toy and make a mock toss.
Once he realizes you still have his toy, your fur baby will probably prance around and ask you for it. While pretending to chuck the toy once more, perform another sit-up. As many repetitions as you can be completed before your pooch stops participating. However, after a couple of times and your dog still doesn’t get it, throw the toy anyway. Too much teasing is just a little too mean.
Squats and Jumps
Make your dog or cat jump for his toy as you perform a bunch of squats. Hold the toy in your hand and squat, then as you stand, lift the toy over your head and make your pet jump for it in response.
Interval Training
Interval training is a type of exercise that alternates between high-intensity bursts of activity and brief periods of rest. This type of training is often used by athletes to improve their speed, agility, and endurance.
Interval training can also be beneficial for dogs. These workouts can help dogs to build muscle, lose weight, and increase their stamina. In addition, interval training can help to reduce boredom and improve mental stimulation. An easy example would be:
- Walk for one minute
- Jog for 20 seconds.
- Walk for one minute
- 20 seconds of sideways shuffle
- Walk for one minute
- 20 seconds to sprint backward
Because you constantly switch things up, your furry buddy will be thrilled. After all, variety is the spice of life!
Play Catch or Tug-Of-War
Not only is sprinting around a secured park a great way to get some energy out, but it is also an excellent obedience training possibility.
Tug-of-war is a great way to train and practice the commands “take it”, “drop it”, and “wait”, while both games give plenty of opportunities to romp around, expend some calories, and have some fun. Use a rope instead of a toy, especially if your dog is a large one. You don’t want too many ripped-up toys.
Hold the rope out and offer your dog a command, such as "take it" or "let's pull!" Begin gently dragging the toy from side to side as soon as he takes it into his mouth. Use your "drop it" command to stop playing and rest for a while, especially if your dog seems extremely excited or focused.
Red Laser Pointer
Cats are natural hunters, and their instinct to stalk and capture prey is strong. However, cats that live in homes often do not have the opportunity to hunt real prey. As a result, many indoor cats become bored and restless.
Cats and red laser pointers go together like bread and butter. If your cat is one of the gazillions around the world that likes chasing the little red dot around, go for it. The moving dot of light satisfies their natural hunting instincts, and the chase provides them with much-needed exercise. In addition, playing with a laser pointer can help to bond you and your cat.
Even some dogs love the pointer! However, for a dog, you might need one with a longer range and you can easily run your dog outdoors and have them chase it.
Keep in mind that with a laser pointer, it is impossible for your pet to catch the dot. Sure, they have loads of fun chasing it, but they might get frustrated that they are unable to catch it. You might want to break it up and throw in their favorite toy for them to chase and finally catch something.
Cat Curls
Rig a very basic pulley system that links some of your free weights with your cat or dog’s favorite toy. As you curl, have it set up so that your cat’s toy goes up in the air, and have fun watching your cat go nuts jumping for it as you’re pumping some iron.
Play Frisbee
If your dog likes to play fetch, take it up a notch and have them jump for a frisbee. Athletic dogs like Border Collies are born frisbee catchers.
As they are bringing the toy back to you, run away from them and make them catch you instead. That way, you’ll both get a good sprint out of it.
Keep in mind that young puppies and senior dogs shouldn’t be made to jump great heights, and you might want to tailor something else for them that doesn’t involve putting undue stress on their joints.
Final Thoughts
There you go! You have no excuse now, so grab the leash and head out with your buddy to get some exercise. A tired pet is a happy one, and the same goes for humans!
