Summer Exercise for Your Pet
By Stacy E. Smith

Most of you can visualize the scene. Dogs bounding around the fenced dog park, giant grins, tongues lolling and flopping. Occasionally, one of them, to the dismay of its owners, flops down in a muddy puddle to cool off. It’s dusk and still hot, but not quite as prohibitively scorching as it had been earlier in the day, and the dogs were doing their best to get their “exercise” in.

Most owners think they know when their pet has had enough. With experience, that’s usually the case. However, to the inexperienced eye, it's difficult to tell when a pet -- dog or cat -- is getting enough exercise, and when it's getting too much.

Experts say it varies from dog to dog. If you have a little, short-legged daschund, you're not going to exercise that dog as much as a greyhound or golden retriever. Similarly, a Jack Russell will need much more exercise than a Shih Tzu, despite their similar sizes. So many variables play a role in the amount of exercise an animal needs that it's impossible to give a rule of thumb. Size, age, and weight and the day's temperature all factor in.

Just as with people, before you start an exercise program for an animal that hasn't had one, it's best to consult your veterinarian. The veterinarian may want to do a thorough check-up and make suggestions. If he or she knows your pet well enough, that may not be necessary.

Start your exercise program slowly. Don't start out with a three-mile walk. For example, take your Lab for a half-mile stroll at first, and slowly work up to three miles. Keep an eye on his footpads – dogs can quickly wear the skin off them, especially in the heat.

Once you start your pet exercise program, it's important to watch the animals to ensure they aren't overdoing it. Heatstroke is the main concern. A lot of the typical rules of thumb for exercise for humans apply to animals. One important difference is that an animal doesn’t really “know” to watch itself for the symptoms. For example, our Border Collie/Shetland Sheep mix would be more than happy to play catch until he drops dead – literally. Our St. Bernard/Border Collie mix doesn’t care for the heat and isn’t willing to spend any more time outside, let alone moving around, than absolutely necessary. One of them seems to be able to keep themselves in check while the other really needs us to monitor his exercise and know when its time to stop.

Excessive panting and drooling are danger signs. The dog going into heatstroke is not going to warn you. In fact, animals experiencing heatstroke may become more excited, not less which will make their condition even worse. They won't have any idea they're in trouble."

To avoid heatstroke, make sure your pet has access to plenty of fresh, clean water. It's a good idea to bring water along with you on your walks. Avoid exercising during the hottest parts of the day. In the Kansas City area there may be no good time of day when the heat and humidity levels are really high. On the really horrible days you might consider staying indoors as much as possible. When you do go out, aim for the cooler times – early morning and later in the evening. If your dog can swim – and not all can, by the way – you might want to try playing in the water.

Most owners say they rely on their pets to tell them when they're thoroughly exercised. But it's possible for your pet to give off false signals. One vet recalled exercising at a track with his Irish setter. On the first lap, he couldn't keep up with his dog, which was pulling him along by the leash. On the second lap, the two kept pace. On the third lap, the dog was lagging behind – not because of exhaustion – the dog was simply bored.

For animals like that, you're going to have to make the games more fun. Maybe your pet prefers chasing a ball to taking a walk; or a Frisbee to a ball. Perhaps you could play "hide-and-seek" with your dog, hiding desirable objects in the house and letting the dog sniff them out.

Experiment with different toys for bored cats, too. If the cat that ignores a rolling ball she may love a toy that bounces at the end of a stick. If the cat ignores those she may go crazy for a paper bag or cardboard box to climb around in. Or she may love all of the above.

Play it safe. Make sure to give your pet a break during exercise routines. Take a few minutes to sit in the shade and drink some water then go back to playing – let common sense rule.