Well it’s finally springtime and where I live in the mountains it was a long, snow filled winter. So, I am very ready for warmer weather and I think my two dogs, Maya and Chief, are just as excited. I am a nature lover so all of these activities are going to relate being happy with your pups in the outdoors. Without further ado, my top 5 best summer dog activities (that could also be great in other seasons):

#5 – Biking

Maya and Chief

Make sure when you go biking with your dog you really watch the temperatures, but biking is a great way to tire out your high-energy mutt. You’ll need to introduce your dog to the bike so be careful at first, but if your dog is used to off leash walks it should be a pretty easy transition. If you’re rugged mountain biking, be careful with the types of trails you take your dog on and realize that it’s hard to keep up
with a fast decent, especially in warm weather. However, getting out on a mellow trail and taking a cruise with your dog is a great way for both of you to get exercise at a pace more conducive to four legs.

#4 – Evening Walks

I love a good summer evening stroll. It’s after dinner, my belly is full and happy, and I could use a little movement. Grab your dog and head out for an enjoyable walk. The cooler nighttime temperatures will keep your friends tongue from hitting the ground and the evening chirps and noises are sure to please as always.

#3 – Hiking

Grab some food and water and head out for a hike for the day. Pile you and all your friend’s dogs in the car somehow for an afternoon of smelling flowers and chasing bugs. While our canine friends love to chase balls and roam around, they love nothing more than following us on an adventure. Go buy a dog backpack and fill it with water and supplies for the day. I really love the packs because while my dogs are extremely well behaved they have plenty of excitement and I feel wearing a pack slows them down and keeps them closer.

#2 – Camping

Set out for that hike with gear for a few nights or head out on a car camping trip. While you hang around the fire your dog can sniff out their surroundings and keep plopping their favorite toy in all of your friends’ laps, encouraging them for one more throw. As is normal with an active day, you’ll be tired early, but when you crawl in your tent you might find your buddy has passed out before you, taking up all the room!

#1 – Swimming

Well I don’t know about you, but swimming is one of my all time favorites and my dogs go absolutely crazy for it. It’s hot and they can’t sweat as much as humans do; what could sound better than a dip in the water? Not only is it refreshing and fun, just as it is for people, but it’s also an amazing workout that is very gentle on their joints. So, grab a stick, ball or whatever they love and chuck it into the water for my #1 summer dog activity!

What does your dog need to be for all of these?

Well behaved! A happy, active dog has to follow the rules to come along so you need to be sure to take the time and energy to train your dogs, especially when they’re younger. Expose them early to rides in the car, water, being off-leash and responding to voice commands so that they can earn your respect and have more responsibility.

About the Author
Cooper is passionate about his dogs, fitness and blogging. When he’s not playing with his dogs Maya and Chief he writes about Sono Bello, cooking, and a myriad of other topics. He’s also active with Sono Bello on Twitter and Sono Bello on Facebook.

Despite being over 6 years old, Blaze is still a ball of energy. He can go on a 15km cycling trip with no problem.

Keeping Blaze in shape is what motivates Lisa to go out and exercise with him. Lisa grew up with a very overweight dog in the family, whose quality of life suffered due to his unhealthy weight. And while Lisa didn’t want their dog to be unhealthy, she had no say in the dog’s health as he was a family dog. So now that Lisa has Blaze, she makes sure that he is in his peak physical condition and stays in the ideal weight range.

Lisa and Blaze’s favorite activity is hiking.

I love it and he loves it. He is offleash running around swimming, playing with his 2 buddies we hike with. It’s beautiful out there, not a soul for miles. Just me, my friend and the dogs. We do about 5-8kms those days (and we do it about 3-5 days a week)
– Lisa

They also swim regularly, which provides many benefits:

Swimming is great on the bones and muscles, its a low key activity meaning its not hard on his joints like running, but is much more tiring.
– Lisa

When cycling, Lisa chooses not to use a bike attachment for Blaze. Blaze runs along off-leash as Lisa cycles and when needed Lisa ties the leash to the bike. This system works for them, so they have no need for a dog bike attachment.

Many dog owners are hesitant to get their dog into a dog sport like Agility because they feel that the dog is too old or too slow or not well trained enough. The key to remember is that Agility is first and foremost about fun, and Lisa gave some great advice to dog owners who are considering getting into Agility:

We have just started. So we are still in classes. I started Blaze the day he turned 6. So I say to owners who are afraid, don’t be. Classes are lots of fun, no dog is too old to start.
– Lisa

Lisa and Blaze switch things up when it comes to keeping fit so much, that Blaze doesn’t get a chance to get bored from any one activity. This is a great idea for dogs who may be easily bored of a certain activity – pick a few fun dog exercise activities to do and switch them up. When your dog seems to stop enjoying one thing, move on to the next. It never hurts to try new things.

Doing all of these activities with Blaze keeps Lisa fit as well. After all, it takes one fit human to keep up with a fit Collie.

There may be a day when all this fun activity has to stop for heath reasons for him. So I want to make the most out of his days for him and I.
– Lisa

Thanks a lot to Lisa for sharing her and Blaze’s dog fitness experiences and tips with us. If you have a dog, tell us how the two of you keep fit by sending an email to info@1fitmutt.com. Check out some photos in the gallery below:

Scott takes his dogs’ health and exercise seriously. No matter the weather, they go for a 45 minute walk each morning. Then, in the afternoon, they also go for a bike ride:

Our rides are generally between 15 and 20 km and take an hour or a little more. – Scott

Scott’s dogs are expected to behave properly when walking or cycling.

Dogs are clipped to my belt, one on either side and are very good at keeping in proper position beside me with the leash slack.

We take a different route every morning. In the afternoon we go for our bike ride. Either I have the two dogs both clipped to my belt, or my wife has one and I have one. We generally ride on the trails in the dry weather where Kona-dog gets unclipped. He is still expected to maintain his proper position beside a human while running though.

Penny Lane is still in training… In the wet weather we have a series of paved bike paths we ride and especially enjoy one that follows the seaside. Both dogs are always clipped to a human rider when near traffic and, as with the walk, are expected to keep a slack leash. – Scott

Scott says that diet plays a critical role in Kona’s and Penny Lane’s health and fitness. He feeds his dogs a dehydrated whole food called N.R.G. and uses the Vitality or Raw One blends.

Both of them smell clean and fresh and have neither dandruff nor excessively oily skin. Both are in tip top condition. – Scott

I’ve had a couple of people ask me about Husky fitness before, so it was fortunate that I got to speak with Scott, who has Kona the Husky cross. I asked if Kona tends to be an overall more natural runner than Penny Lane as that is, after all, what Huskies are bred to do. Scott’s answer was very insightful:

I think that both Kona and Penny are equally matched for endurance and speed, Both have a top measured speed of a little better than 50 kmh and they both go on all the same runs. Penny, though, has more fire and really loves to pour in on and run as fast as she can. And while Kona gets like that now and then, he is generally happy lopping along at a nice easy 15 kmh or so. – Scott

I also wondered if the heat has any impact on Kona because of his warmer coat and breed:

Kona has no trouble with the heat. He runs everyday so is acclimatized. We always have water for them and when it’s really hot we soak Kona with the hose before the ride and do routes where there are places he can swim part way along to cool off. Penny hates the cold and wet weather and so wears a coat in all but the warm season. – Scott

So there you have it. Huge thanks to Scott for sharing his information and experiences about cycling with dogs. Check out some photos in the gallery below:

• Fatigue and Heat Exhaustion
• Paws
• Traffic
• Laws
• Harness vs Collar
• Other animals

Fatigue and Heat Exhaustion

Always keep a close eye on your dog while cycling to make sure that it does not become fatigued or get heat exhaustion. Watch closely for the following signs of fatigue and exhaustion:

1. Rapid, heavy panting
2. Dripping mouth
3. Glazed-over eyes
4. Staggering
5. Falling behind your bicycle

If your dog is exhibiting one or more of these symptoms, it is possibly suffering from fatigue and exhaustion. Stop immediately, do anything you can to lower the dog’s body temperature by saturating the dog in cool water (not ice cold), getting your dog out of the sun and into a shady or muddy area, or putting the dog in a nearby lake if there is one. If your dog appears extremely fatigued or does not appear to be improving after stopping and attempting to cool it down, get to a vet as soon as possible. You should know your individual dog well enough to be able to recognize when it has been pushed too far – and you should never allow your dog to get to this stage.

Paws

Check your dog’s paws for injuries or splinters after each cycling session. If your dog suddenly appears to be limping, stop immediately and check the paws. If you do not use dog boots, having your dog trot near the bicycle on grass as opposed to concrete is preferable. For example, I usually cycle on the edge of the sidewalk so that my dog Keeda is trotting on the grass beside me .

Traffic

Do not cycle in high traffic areas if you think that your dog may be spooked by loud noises or vehicles. If you do cycle in an area with a lot of traffic around, be sure that you have enough control over your dog and the bike. Be certain that there is no danger of your dog getting spooked, toppling you over, or running into the road. Keeda and I feel safe in such areas with the Springer dog bike attachment as she is not spooked by fast moving traffic and is unable to take me off of my bike, but we still prefer to keep more to nature bicycle trails rather than freeway bike paths.

Laws

Make sure that you know the laws in your area when it comes to cycling with your dog. In some places it is illegal to cycle on sidewalks and bicyclists have to cycle at the edge of the traffic lane. 1 Fit Mutt does not recommend that anyone cycle on the road with their dog. In some areas it is also illegal to cycle with animals while holding their leash.

Harness vs Collar

It is best to use a harness when cycling with your dog as opposed to a collar. If your dog is pulling your bicycle along with the leash or bike attachment attached to its collar, constant pressure to the dog’s neck can cause pain and damage to the neck. A harness, while a device that encourages pulling, tends to be the safer option when cycling with your dog.

Other Animals

If your dog is the type to chase after other dogs, cats, birds, etc., be careful when cycling as your dog may jerk toward another animal or person very suddenly. This can throw you off your bike and injure both you and your pet. This is where bike attachments come in – they help you stay on track and keep your balance..

• Your dog’s breed and size
• Your dog’s fitness level
• The temperature/weather

Your Dog’s Breed and Size

A pug will never be able to run as far or as fast as a border collie. Whereas some dogs (such as herding breeds) tend to need a large amount of exercise other dogs (such as smaller dogs like chihuahuas and dachshunds) will may only need a walk around the block or so to tire themselves out. You always need to be careful not to push your dog too far when cycling and this is especially easy to do when cycling with smaller or overall less energetic breeds. By all means, cycle with your chihuahua – but keep in mind that you may only be able to go for a few minutes before your pooch gets tired and needs to go back home! Go at your dog’s pace and book exercise time and intensity accordingly.

Your Dog’s Fitness Level

You probably won’t be able to cycle for an hour with your dog if the dog is unfit when it comes to strenuous exercise (and cycling can be very strenuous). Going out for 15 or 20 minute intervals at first is a good idea, to gauge how your dog handles trotting alongside your bike. Also, getting your dog checked over by a vet and given the ‘OK’ to cycle is a great idea if you have the means to do so. If you have any suspicions that your dog may have weak joints or if it has had physical problems before take it to a vet before cycling! We at K9 Cyclers are not vets and will not attempt to give you professional medical advice when it comes to your dog.

The Temperature/Weather

Some dogs can go nonstop in any kind of heat; other dogs can barely drag themselves to the park when it’s hot and turn into unstoppable rockets when the weather is cool. Which type of dog is yours? If your dog gets overly fatigued in the heat you may need to wait until the weather has cooled off towards the evening (or early morning) for your scheduled cycling session or book a cycling session for a shorter period of time.