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.

If you are like a lot of dog lovers you love to take your dog with you to all your activities, including your vacations. Those that love camping and hiking have a great start on a year round way to involve their dog in their adventures. Depending on where you are camping and how accessible your campsite is there are several considerations to keep in mind. The following four tips can help you make your next camping holiday with your dog fun and enjoyable for you both.

Choose your food wisely

Depending on the size of your dog hauling dog food into a campsite in a backpack can be a hassle. The great news is that many camping supply stores and some pet food stores now sell dehydrated dog food, all conveniently sealed in individual service waterproof types of packaging. This is good option for dogs that are routinely fed kibble and those that are on raw foods diets, just make sure that you are choosing the best quality product. Many of the dehydrated dog foods are made by smaller companies and use only human grade ingredients, which is always a benefit.

Pack a first aid kit

A dog first aid kit doesn’t have to be elaborate but it should include bandages, antibiotics, scissors, tweezers and antiseptic spays. Adding medication for insect bites, skin allergies and wound treatment is also a good idea. Although you can’t plan for everything having the basics is important to deal with any emergencies that may arise. Often the same ingredients in your personal first aid kit can double for a dog, but there are small, waterproof and very compact dog first aid kits available online, at pet stores and often through your vet.

Bring a tether or leash

The last thing you want is your dog taking off at night or in the day after a bird, squirrel or larger animal. If your dog is very good at staying with you off leash, you may not have to worry as much during the day when you are awake and interacting with him or her, but at night it is a good idea to have them secured in some fashion. You may want to just keep them in the tent with you, or consider a simple, safe ground or line type of tether close to your tent.

Build up to long hikes

If your camping trip involves long hikes, start working with your dog well in advance to build up the dog’s stamina and exercise tolerance. Also remember that indoor dogs have softer pads than outdoor dogs and long walks may cause tenderness of the feet, leading to problems when you are miles away from home. If you have an indoor dog that’s not used to being outside you may want to consider buying a pair of the soft, durable lace-on boots available which can be used to give your dog a bit more protection over rough, sandy, gravel or rocky ground.

Article by Ben Clark; check out Petflow for natural dog food delivery on great brands like Blue Buffalo dog food online!

Keeda encountered a kangaroo up close for the first time and, of course, felt the need to chase it, going “deaf” to my calls (aka ignoring me) in the process. She first bolted after a female kangaroo with her joey. We didn’t know where she went at first and I was starting to get worried, straying to look for her. Then I get a call from C saying Keeda is back with him.

Apparently he was standing there, keeping a lookout for her and suddenly hears these long “POOF — POOF — POOF” stamps against the ground. He sees the two kangaroos leaping through the bushes. There is a crashing, rustling sound behind them and whaddaya know – it’s Keeda, chasing after them.

When I got back there Keeda was so tired and out of breath that I thought she learned her lesson. We gave her water and moved on, on the lookout for any more kangaroos in case she takes up the chase again (though I was hoping she was too puffed out after the first time).

Unfortunately we didn’t see the big male in the bushes until after he moved. And Keeda was off again. This time I was really scared. This was a huge male, muscly and tall. I immediately went after Keeda, calling after her, but alas she was already gone. I chased after them, but they were too quick and disappeared from sight within seconds. Then everything went quiet. I was calling out to her with no response and then I hear this high pitched whimpering and yelping in the distance. My heart sank and I thought “This is it, this kangaroo turned around and clawed or kicked her to death.”

Keeda post-chase

I kept calling and searching for her, but by this time she was silent and I was fearing the worst. I came upon a little cliff/hill top and see Keeda trotting toward me, seemingly unhurt, puffed out more than before. She came up to me, nuzzled my leg, and crashed in the shade under a bush with this panicked look in her eyes. I checked her over, running my hands over her paws, legs, ribs, back, everything, and thankfully found no blood or tenderness. She drank a full bowl of water and we had to sit there and wait for her to get her breath back again.

C said he suspected the roo may have leapt down this little cliff-edge/sharp hill slope type of thing and Keeda may have followed. The drop was too high and sharp for a dog of her size and she may have fallen down, which is when she would have yelped. I’m not sure if this is what happened, but I suppose it’s possible. Thankfully after 10 minutes or so Keeda seemed good as new (if more tired) and we continued our hike at a slower pace, me making sure Keeda was always nearby and didn’t have a chance to chase after more kangaroos. I thought about putting her on the short leash I had with me, but by this time she was so puffed out and I doubted she’d have the energy to chase after a kangaroo again. Besides, she would never catch one and needs to learn that it’s a fruitless (and potentially dangerous) exercise eventually.

Keeda and I on the hike

Either way, after the male roo chase incident it was a good hike. However I noticed the ground was too warm and suspected Keeda wouldn’t have been too comfortable. Thankfully there were always large patches of shade on the trail with cool ground where Keeda could trot along comfortably, but if that shade wasn’t there she certainly could have burnt her paws. Next time I’m definitely either buying her dog boots for this reason or perhaps we will stick to the dog beach in the summer and do most of our hikes in the fall and winter, when it’s cooler.

Has your dog ever encountered a kangaroo? How did he/she/you react?

Stay safe on your hikes – watch out for kangaroos!

Some photos from the trip:

And a couple of videos:

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.