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:

First, we played catch in the backyard. We used her favorite rubber wheel toy, which she loves to sink her teeth into.

Then, we cycled to the nearby oval. It was quite hot, but she kept up:

Next, we goofed around a little. Keeda crawled under my legs to rest in the shade.

Then played some catch at the park with her favorite deflated rubber ball:

And did some running. We didn’t go for a proper leashed run today as it was very hot, but we ran around the park.

We then went for a hike at the sand dunes:

Where we did some more running. It’s great for Keeda to run up and down sand dunes. Hill training is great for dogs just like it is for human runners.

And more goofing around:

It was a great outing overall. Keeda’s never been a fan of the heat and looked thoroughly exhausted by the time we got back home. I made sure she cooled down properly, checked her paws, put out a fresh bowl of water. I’ve been reading about dog collars that you’re meant to put ice into to keep your dog cool on hot days, maybe I’ll find one and buy it for Keeda.

• A leash, preferably longer than 6 feet which allows some roaming room but is still comfortable for you to hold. You can also try using a waist harness instead, to attach the leash to your hip instead of having to carry it around.
• A portable water bowl or a dog water bottle.
• Plastic bags to clean up after your dog

In addition to these two mandatory pieces of equipment, you can also consider bringing along the following:

• A toy for your dog, such as a tennis ball
• Some dog treats
• A dog backpack. This will allow your dog to carry its own water bottle and plastic bags while hiking with your dog.
• An extra collar and leash. You never know what might happen on your hike and don’t want to get stuck far away from home with no way to have total control over the situation.

Make sure that you and your dog are ready for the hiking trip. If you have a fat pooch who’s been a couch potato since he was a puppy, your dog probably won’t be ready for a day-long hike. Get your dog in shape gradually and look before you leap into a long hiking trip with your dog. Keeda and I sometimes go to the undeveloped area in the back of the neighbourhood, where there are large sand dunes and patches of trees and clearings. It isn’t as great as hiking in a proper forest, but there’s plenty of open space to run, play, and explore freely.

Many people choose to let their dog roam free off the leash on hiking trips. This is great in hiking areas where off-leash dogs are permitted. Make sure that your dog is well behaved and has a good recall if you decide to do this. This way you can avoid any potential trouble while hiking with your dog on your trip.