As a responsible dog owner you will know the importance of providing them with food and water, taking them for walks and providing them with a loving home.

But, do you know why it is important to exercise your dog? Do you know how the regular exercise really benefits your four legged friend? And, why it can really benefit your home life?

Did you know that when you exercise your dog can not only benefit their physical health, but it can also have a positive impact on their behaviour, mental health and trainability. It can also help lower, and manage, their aggression levels. Not bad for ‘walkies’.

Taking your dog for a walk is not just a bathroom activity, it helps to increase their metabolism, so they can burn off fat and fend off obesity and heart problems.

How does exercise affect your dog’s mental health?

Outdoor activities help stimulate your dog, both physically and mentally. They have the chance to engage with other people and other animals. They also experience other smells, sounds, objects and scenery. It also gives you the chance to do the same, and engage with your dog in some ‘play’ time.

This mental stimulation helps stave off boredom, which can lead to behavioural problems. Any negative behavioural problems can lead to an unhappy dog in the home, which will ultimately have an adverse affect you on.

How does exercise affect your dog’s trainability?

Mental stimulation, by regular exercise, leads to a smarter dog. Going for a walk, not only allows them to experience other animals, and other people, it actually increases your dog’s ability to focus on a certain activity. It is well known that a bored dog, a dog with little or no stimulation, is more easily distracted and can become bored.

This exercise allows them to become more trainable, and your dog can focus on the command, or task, at hand. A trained dog is much more easily managed in the home, than one that is not. This can help alleviates any potential stresses that come from an untrained dog.

How much exercise should a dog have?

There is no golden rule for this, as every dog breed is different. Caring for your dog, by providing them with everything they need, requires time, money, patience and energy, is something that every responsible dog owner must do. Websites such as http://www.k9active.co.uk are a good place to start when looking for equipment that can help.

The amount of exercise is dependent on your dog breed. You should thoroughly research how often you should be exercising your dog, and for how long. Speak to a vet, breeder or search for some information online. There are plenty of good resource websites that you can use.

Taking your dog for a walk, on a regular basis, giving your dog the exercise they need, helps stimulate them, leading your dog to behave better and be better trained. So, an exercised dog means a better home for you and your family.