Team up with Fido for fitness

Molly Masland

If trimming down and getting in shape are high on your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2005, do yourself and your dog a favor — team up and make it a joint effort.

Just like us, most dogs aren’t out chasing rabbits and hunting mastodons for their survival anymore. Instead, they’re asleep in the backyard or lounging with the kids in front of the TV. And, just like people, the extra pounds and lack of exercise are taking a toll on their health.

A 2004 survey by Purina of pets in five major U.S. cities found that 60 percent were moderately to severely overweight. Of these dogs and cats, 12 percent were so portly that they were suffering from weight-related health conditions, many of which can lead to an early death.

While the benefits of a healthy lifestyle for people are well-known, fitter pets also reap rewards. Dogs that get regular exercise are more relaxed, generally better behaved and have fewer problems with chewing and barking.

“A dog is probably going to have a better personality if it’s exercising, and maybe we will, too,” says Dr. Howard Erickson, professor of physiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University.

And just like people, dogs that stay in shape and eat right have healthier hearts, more efficient respiratory systems, stronger muscles and bones, and often live longer than their couch-potato kin, says Erickson.

Mutual benefit
A healthier lifestyle for your pet may benefit you in more ways than just a trim, well-mannered pooch. A study published in November found that when people and their dogs were put on a diet and exercise plan together, both were able to lose weight and keep it off.

In the study, dogs became a major source of motivation and accountability for their owners, and helped keep them on track with their fitness goals, says Dr. Robert Kushner, professor of medicine at Northwestern University Medical School, who led the research. As many of the human participants found, it’s hard to say no to a four-legged friend eagerly waiting at the front door for a walk or run each night.

“It got a lot of people off the couch and out the door because the dog was there helping them,” says Kushner.

In addition, having a canine buddy added variety and helped reduce the hum drum of a standard fitness routine. “Across the board, people who exercised with their dogs found it rewarding, fun and an opportunity to bond with their dog more than they ever did before,” says Kushner.

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