Bonnie and her Great Dane, Tank
Someone recently asked my opinion on power-walking with a pet. Although I don’t personally recommend pets for workout partners, I feel the same way about partnering up with anyone who could slow down your intensity or distract you.
My suggestion would be to completely separate walking your pet and exercising your body. Walking a pet is great for daily activity, but not for fat-burning cardiovascular exercise. Many people would consider their morning walk exercise. However, most people don’t get their heart rate high enough to be considered exercise.
Your exercise regimen should be very purposeful, with as little distractions as possible. For a fat-burning workout, it is important to keep your heart rate up and keep it steady. Your pace must be set by you, not your pet. Exercising with a pet only works if your pet is a well-trained and experienced fitness partner.
From time to time I will see a person power walking or running very effectively with their dog. Nevertheless, this is extremely rare. A dog would have to learn how to consistently “heel”, staying right by your side, while keeping up with your pace.
Another reason you would need a well-trained dog is because you would need to be able to swing your arms freely for the most effective workout. This means your pet would need to stay by your side while allowing the leash to hang freely. If you are controlling your pet with one hand, you are unable to add upper body rotation which increases the heart rate and tightens the mid-section.
Although my dog, Tank, walks very nicely by my side and even allows me to swing my arms, he’s a slow-poke. I have to admit I love walking my dog, but the only one exercising his Tank – not me.
There are simply too many variables when you bring your pet along. People will want to stop and pet your dog. If you are like me, you are proud of your pet and enjoy showing your “baby” off. Another obstacle is animals are easily distracted which can also slow you down. Dogs will want to stop and sniff things or use the restroom. Each time they slow down, or stop, so does your heart rate.
Unless your dog is in better shape than you are or you need your dog to drag you around the block in order to get you out of the house, I say leave the pet at home. When it comes to choosing a workout partner, pet or not, your ideal partner should match or challenge your own intensity and pace.
4 responses so far ↓
» Friday Link Round-Up: 09/05/08 // September 5, 2008 at 6:27 pm |
[...] Pet-walking and power-walking: sometimes it’s best not to multitask. [A Fitness Connection] [...]
PawBuzz - Latest Trends on Dog Beds, Pet Beds & More! // September 5, 2008 at 6:30 pm |
[...] Pet-walking and power-walking: sometimes it’s best not to multitask. [A Fitness Connection] [...]
Tracey // September 8, 2008 at 3:06 pm |
I don’t know. I know several people who run with their dogs. I agree with all your points, but I think it is more common and more do-able than you imply. Personally my dog and I have cultivated a great running routine that works for both of us (I’ve even increased my running rate), but I wouldn’t have know if 1) I didn’t go out and tr, and 2) continue to work with him for a bit.
Again I totally agree with your article, but I think this is a case where multi-tasking works and if the person even thinks they have the right kind of dog for it, I would encourage them to give it a try.
longevityclubs // September 8, 2008 at 4:06 pm |
I should clarify – I’m not saying not to try it. I think everyone should give it a try, BUT if it’s slowing them down they should separate the two activities. Judging by your URL (exercisemydog.com) you are the minority…we both are. I’m learning I’m not normal at all. ha!
I do agree with you. If you feel your dog is up for it, go for it! I would personally LOVE to run with my dog if he didn’t walk .5 miles an hour! ha! Although, I wrote this article in response to someone’s question about walking with their dog and I’m afraid the majority of people that walk their dog don’t exercise like we do. I have a very active neighborhood and out of the dozen or so people I see every morning walking their dog, not one of them is truly exercising – although they would think so. I’m definitely not saying it can’t be done, I’m just encouraging people to reconsider if they are really walking their dog for exercise or just calling it exercise because they have to walk the dog anyway.
Thanks for your input. I definitely don’t want to discourage anyone from exercising with their pet – I just want to encourage them to be honest with theirself on the level of intensity they are putting in their exercise routine – pet or not.