Keeda did very well – she heeled perfectly, got along with other dogs, sniffed, and just had a great time. We finished the 5km distance in no time and then it was time to check out the various booths and tents that the Million Paws Walk sponsors and RSPCA set up. There were so many great stalls set up. Keeda and I browsed and attended a dog behaviour seminar at the Vetwest booth. I was wearing my 1 Fit Mutt shirt and got quite a few questions about what it is I do and about the site.

In the end we strolled over to the stage and found that there was a dog show contest happening, with the presenters announcing different categories for people to enter their dogs. We got there toward the end and I entered Keeda in the Weirdest Looking Dog category just because I wanted to go up there and parade around with all the other entrants . Entry cost $2 and that was my last bit of cash so unfortunately it meant I missed out on the next category – best trick. If we’d known that one was coming up I’m sure we would’ve won, Keeda has some great tricks up her sleeve .

Anyway, overall it was a great day, although I’m not happy with the online registration costing $15 at first, but when I went to register online this Friday the price jumped up to $20! I did read that registration would be $20 on the day, but Friday was not the day of the walk and it just seemed like a bit of an underhanded tactic.

I’ll be drawing the winners of the two dog books from those who contributed to the RSPCA through the 1 Fit Mutt fundraising page at the beginning of next week, so keep your eyes peeled and thank you so much to everyone who’s contributed.

Check out some photos from the 2010 Perth Million Paws Walk below:

Set up plastic cones in a row and get your dog to weave through them. Or do the same with vertical poles, like they do in dog agility. As your dog gets more and more flexible and gets better at weaving through the cones, place them closer together to make it more challenging.

Jumps

Make some jumps out of PVC pipe and teach your dog to go over them. I wouldn’t recommend doing this until your dog is at least 1 year old (or sometimes even older, depending on the breed). If you have a puppy, you can put pipe or bits of wood onto the ground and get your pup to step over them.

Crawl

Get your dog to crawl under instead of over a jump. See how low it can go!

Balance ball

Get a balance ball for your dog (the kind that sits flat on the ground with a spherical upper side). Teach your dog to stand on it. It’ll improve their balance and strengthen their legs.

Walking across a plank

Teach your dog to walk across a plank. When your dog is still a puppy you can teach them by getting a solid wooden bar and placing it on the ground like you might do with a jump (except it’ll probably need to be a bit wider). Teach your dog to walk across the bar. As your dog gets older, you can raise the bar and teach your dog to jump up or down to walk across the plank.

These are just some dog exercise ideas to mix things up a bit. Sometimes a dog exercise routine can get boring for you and your dog – trying new things can rekindle your interest.

SUPER FIT FIDO CLUB UNLEASHES NEW FITNESS PROGRAM FOR CANINE COUCH POTATOES

NEW YORK, NY, April 14, 2010 – Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions among the human population, and our four-legged friends are right next to us on the fat couch. Super Fit Fido Club™ (SFFC), a new canine fitness program, is offering New York City dogs a great workout in a fun, energetic setting, using controlled exercises that are easy for dogs, and their owners, to follow.

SFFC Founder Gail Miller Bisher designed the program using the same principles seen in the world of competitive dog sports fitness training, canine sports medicine and veterinary physical therapy/rehabilitation. The training curriculum was developed to help dogs lose weight, improve overall heart health, flexibility, increase endurance and provide mental stimulation. Proper physical conditioning is a key component to achieving a Healthy Canine Lifestyle™.

“Super Fit Fido Club was created to encourage dog lovers to help their pets live longer, healthier and happier lives through fun, low-impact canine fitness programs,” said SFFC founder Gail Miller Bisher. “The choices we make directly affect the quality of life our dogs enjoy. If we choose to get our dogs the exercise they need to stay healthy, their quality of life improves exponentially.”

With 77 million canine pets in the U.S. today, 45 percent are suffering from being overweight or obese. The consequences of leading such an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle are the same as they are for humans, ranging from lack of energy to more serious complications such as shorter life expectancy and debilitating and costly health issues, including arthritis, heart disease, respiratory problems and diabetes.

Bisher, a skilled dog trainer and handler with more than 30 years of experience has seen firsthand the benefits to having a healthy dog. “I’ve physically conditioned top winning dogs my entire life. It only seemed natural to use that passion and knowledge to help other owners give their pets the best gift of all – a longer, healthier life,” Bisher added.

Super Fit Fido Club currently offers two classes, depending on your dog’s level of fitness:

Fit Fundamentals is the beginner class, which includes low-impact, medium-energy exercises to safely start your dog on a path toward a healthier body type.

Super Fit is for intermediate dogs with at least a moderate level of fitness. The emphasis is on maintaining fitness and stimulating your dog’s mind and body in a fun, participatory group workout.

Classes being Tuesday, May 4, 2010, and will be held Tuesday-Saturday each week. Early morning and evening classes are offered to accommodate working dog owners and to ensure the safety of class participants. Dogs should be at least 6 months of age and generally under 7 years of age or in good physical condition. Dogs do not need special training to enjoy and benefit from Super Fit Fido Club, only a willingness and commitment towards getting healthy. SFFC strongly recommends dogs be examined by their veterinarians before beginning any physical regimen.

To learn more about Super Fit Fido Club or to register for classes, please visit www.superfitfidoclub.com.

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Super Fit Fido Club was established in 2009 with classes beginning in 2010. SFFC has developed fitness programs and classes that teach dog owners how to become their dog’s personal trainer for life. The mission is to help dogs live longer, healthier lives by recognizing the importance of regular exercise and fitness training. SFFC is a sole proprietorship and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Do you often take your dogs into new environments?

This also goes for dogs. Dogs who are mentally so engrossed in what they’re doing may not even realize that they’re hurt until after the activity. The same holds true for the opposite – a dog may look absolutely and utterly exhausted while you’re out doing some sort of activity with it, but as soon as it sees something it’s more interested in (like another dog, for example), it will suddenly feel all better and race full speed ahead at the object of its desire.

Knowing that your dog may not acknowledge pain or an injury if it’s so single-mindedly focused on whatever it’s doing means that you need to make sure you watch your dog closely during exercise. If your dog falls, twists its paw, or if anything that you think could have hurt it happens, examine your dog before continuing. Your dog might be hurt without even realizing it.

If you’re finding that your dog acts more tired during your exercise sessions and “magically” recovers when it sees another dog or something else that it’s very interested in, work on making your sessions more interesting and enjoyable. If your dog is just as excited about your run, bike ride, agility session, or whatever it is that you’re doing as it is about the things that would normally catch her attention it might be able to mentally last longer during your session.

Keep in mind that just because your dog can suddenly find more energy to do things it’s more interested in, this does not mean that you can push your dog further during your exercise sessions. You might think “Well, she looks tired, but I know she’s really not”. No – if your dog looks like it has reached its limit, you don’t push it past its breaking point. You will need to work on increasing your dog’s endurance and making your sessions more mentally enjoyable and stimulating for your dog.

Yesterday my boyfriend and I found our first cache. We were so excited! We looked through the logbook signatures and they dated all the way back from 2006! I thought about how fun it would be to start going geocaching with Keeda. She’d get to go on nice hikes in different environments and we’d hunt for treasure. We’ll definitely start doing this when I start driving.

Have you ever gone geocaching?

If you’re going to run with your dog, you’ll need to invest in a pair of good running shoes. In fact, running shoes will likely be your biggest expense when you’re starting to run. You can seriously mess up your feet, ankles, and/or knees if you run in shoes that are too old or don’t suit you. Just as it’s important to watch over your dog and make sure it’s handling the running, it’s important to watch over your own health as well.

When buying running shoes it’s really recommended that you see a podiatrist or a specialist running shop and get them to recommend a type of running shoe for you. No, Athelete’s Foot is not a specialist running shop. In my area, for example, we have Runner’s World – check out running forums and such for a good store in your area (I’ve put together some resources and good communities to check out when getting into running at the end of this post).

Anyway, personal stories aside, here are some general tips about running shoes:

• Running shoes last approximately 400-600km. This does not apply to all running shoes, some may last hundreds of kilometres more and others may last less. When you start getting up in the km in your shoes pay attention to any new joint pain you may have, whether your shoes start or feel “flat”, new muscle soreness or tension, or anything else of the sort. If you pay attention to your body you should be able to feel when it’s time to get a new pair of running shoes. Don’t go just by the look of your shoes – your shoes may still look great, but the cushioning on the inside could be completely worn away. How quickly your shoes wear out will also depend on your weight and how hard you are on your shoes.
• Just because a pair of shoes feels good to walk in does not mean it will be good to run in. Some shoes may feel great to run in, but absolutely horrible to walk in. This is why so many runners have dedicated running shoes and never use them for anything except running.
• Start off slow when breaking in a new pair of running shoes. You don’t want to risk injury by launching into a super long run in shoes you haven’t run in before.
• When you find a great type of shoe to run in, stick to that shoe. You don’t have to try a new model each time you buy a new pair of shoes – keep using what works.

Some useful online resources for the beginner runner (or any runner, for that matter):
CoolRunning
The Runners Guide
Runner’s World Forums

Do you have any tips or experiences to share about running on your own or with your dog? Please leave a comment below!

Don’t Chain Your Dog Up

If you’re going to keep your dog outside, don’t chain it up to its kennel and expect it to be ok. Dogs need to have space to move, run, play. If you’re going to keep an outside dog, make sure you have a fenced yard that’s big enough for your dog’s roaming needs. How much space your dog needs to roam will depend on its breed, size, and overall energy levels.

Give Your Dog Attention

Your outside dog will need plenty of attention from you and other members of your family. You may need to dedicate even more “strictly dog time” than you would if your dog was an inside pet. Inside dogs often get human contact throughout the day even when their owners aren’t directly playing with or paying attention to them as they go about their chores. No such luck with outside dogs, unless you’re gardening all day. Dogs are social animals. Your dog needs to know that it’s part of your pack/family and to do this, it needs to get attention from its pack-mates.

Make sure your dog has shelter

Your dog will need to stay cool in the heat of summer and warm in the cold winter. It will need to stay in the shade when it’s scorching and stay dry when it’s raining. Never keep a dog outside without sufficient shelter. Get a high quality dog house and furnish it with warm, comfortable blankets. Make sure your yard always gets enough shade throughout the day. Also make sure that there is more cover in your yard than just the dog house. If it’s raining all day, your dog will get either bored being stuck in its dog house all day or sick staying out in the rain.

If your dog is sick or if the weather conditions are unsafe, bring it inside

I know, I know, your rental doesn’t allow indoor dogs, your partner is allergic, your cat doesn’t get along with your dog – everyone has their own reasons for keeping a dog outside. But if your pet gets sick or if the weather is extreme enough to cause potential illness or harm to your dog, find a way to bring it inside no matter what your reasons. Assign a room for your dog to stay in and stay there with it if you must, but get your dog into the house where it’s safe. Your partner can stay in a different part of the house for a while, you can vacuum up the fur and get the carpets cleaned if it’s a rental issue. Whatever it is, your first priority is taking care of your pet. There is no excuse to leave a sick dog out in the cold on its own.

Go for daily walks, runs, or bike rides

Go for a walk, run, or cycle with your dog every day. This will get your dogs some exercise and allow the two of you to spend some much needed time together.