What can you do to increase a dogs strength?
Written by Luvs Dogs on January 10th, 2009
Jordan asked:
I’m not fighting my dogs, but I own two pugs, and one of them needs to lose weight, and she’s a little weak as well. I mean, I guess it doesn’t really matter to have her be strong, I just would like to. So what can I do to help her get more active? Besides running, swimming, and walking? Should I just play with her with toys, and dangle them above her so she jumps for them?
I’m not fighting my dogs, but I own two pugs, and one of them needs to lose weight, and she’s a little weak as well. I mean, I guess it doesn’t really matter to have her be strong, I just would like to. So what can I do to help her get more active? Besides running, swimming, and walking? Should I just play with her with toys, and dangle them above her so she jumps for them?
And does strength training for small dogs and big dogs have a difference? Because I’ll be getting a big dog soon, and I’ll want to strength train him so everybody can see his nice little formed muscles.
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4 Comments at "What can you do to increase a dogs strength?"
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run her every day, and u can try putting weights on the dogs ankles. they dnt have to be heavy
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they make doggy back-packs thay you can fill with weights or water or whatever that the dog wears on normal walks and hikes. It works really well, and wears them out quickly. Many outdoor/camping stores sell them, or can order one for you. Also, switching to a high protein/no grain or even all raw diet will do wonders.
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You need to be careful, Pugs aren’t made to be marathon runners, and can get overheated easily. Their little flat flaces makes heavy breathing during high activity difficult. Keep in mind what Pugs are MEANT to be…not what you WANT them to be.
That said, your best bet is to get her on a healthy diet, and feed her only as much as she needs for maintenance. Regular walks are suitable for Pugs, they are not meant to be runners or swimmers. Playing chase games and such with her toys are fine, but don’t overdo it. Just making sure she’s on a good quality food, only getting as much as she needs, and stepping up her activity level a bit should do the trick.
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If she’s overweight, first and foremost, you need to cut down a little on her food and stop all treats and snacks, especially human foods.
If you think your dog is weak, she’s just out of shape. You need to exercise her, but, just like a person, she needs to be built up gradually. You have to gradually increase the distance of her walks, play ball or frisbee with her. Swimming isn’t a good idea for a pug - look at how they’re built, they can’t swim for any length of time at all. Don’t get her jumping for toys either - do you want to damage all her joints?
It took time for her to put the weight on, it’s up to you to take it off sensibly and with common sense. (The same goes for any large breed dog, and if you get one, make sure you get advice from the breeder because you need to take care that you don’t damage a large breed puppy’s joints!!)