Bernadoodle Exercise

Bernadoodles and Exercise: How Much and What Kind is Best Carrie Tippmann You’re an exercise fanatic. Or maybe not so much, but you enjoy being outdoors. You love running. Long walks are your thing. Whatever your preference, we all know that we thrive best with regular exercise, and dogs are no different. A daily dose of exercise not only helps keep dogs healthy and strong, but it also curves boredom and aggression, deters excessive chewing and barking, reduces mischievousness and assists in maintaining a healthy weight that leads to overall well-being. But also like us, it can be difficult to get motivated and stay interested in the same activities long term. Whether their personality is more high energy like their poodle parent or slightly docile like that of the Bernese, all Bernadoodles will typically acclimate to any activity that you are interested in. Below are some tips for new pup owners for getting your pup off on the right healthy path and help prevent exercise boredom and burnout as they grow. How Much Exercise Sometimes we get overzealous with new pups. We want to show them off on our long walks and set out on runs with our new companion right away. But taming down excitement can oftentimes become a “thing” for humans just as much as it is for dogs. Keeping the appropriate amounts of exercise in mind per age is important. If your dog is over exercised, they tend to become disinterested in your enthusiasm to spend time with them. 15 min of exercise twice a day is enough time for new pups up to 3 months of age. After 3 months increase their time to a minimum of 30-60 min a day twice a day. Behaviors are your best indicator of too much or too little exercise. Training is an important aspect to remember before deciding upon the type and amount of exercise that is appropriate for your dog. A hyper dog may simply need more training rather than more exercise. Over time, as you get to know your pup’s personality, you will also become the most knowledgeable decision maker for your pup. What Exercises Are Best As already mentioned, some activities may have to wait till the appropriate age. Regular running will require your dog to wait until they are at least six month or older to avoid hurting joints and muscles. Walks are great for younger pups, but as Bernadoodles grow it can become a greater challenge to keep them interested and engaged in exercise. Finding new and different ways to exercise with your Bernapoo will help keep them mentally and physically stimulated. If your dog seems less than enthusiastic to engage in the once enjoyable activities with you, maybe it’s time to switch things up and try one of the new activities listed below. These will have your Doodle exercising without even knowing they are exercising. Hiking Dogs love to explore and hiking is a great way to relish in curiosity. With all the spontaneity in the outdoors, it best to keep your dog on a leash during hikes though. And most parks or trails require that dogs are leashed anyhow. Retractable leashes are great for giving dogs a sense of freedom to explore yet still having control of their boundaries. Try throwing a treat in your immediate area and having the dog play a game of treasure hunt to sniff out the treat. Walks Walks never disappoint. But if this easy and simple task has turned boring, spice things up a bit. Play a game of red light, green light replacing with the commands of “stop” and “go.” Or change things up by using the commands “faster” or “slower.” Dogs love consistency of spending time with you but making regular walks mentally engaging can help avoid boredom and redundancy. Swimming Bernadoodles love the water! The sooner you get them splashing, the better. But get them used to the water at their own pace. Don’t have a pool? Baby pools are great for dogs. In larger bodies of water, pool fetch is always a favorite. Toss the toy in and have them retrieve. Teaser fishing poles provide a great way to play fetch as you cast the toy and they swim to catch it. Throw a frisbee, ball or dog toy and see how far they can swim to get the most amount of exercise. If your dog has mastered the art of jumping through hoops, the pool is a great place to show off their skills added to a simple game of fetch. Agility training Once your pup has simple commands down, agility training becomes a favorite for Bernadoodles. A quick google search for agility parks may surprise you as far as what your town has to offer. These spaces are also great for getting dogs out and familiar with being around other dogs. Agility training fosters stronger mental attention builds confidence and is also an indirect way of providing fun exercise. Agility kits can be bought online for around $50.00, however you can also piece together kits with objects around your own house. Set up an obstacle course and you’ve got yourself your own agility park right in your back yard! These agility exercises can be done indoors or outdoors and treats work best for training these skills. Hula Hoops: Lay hoop on the ground and reward them with a treat for being curious about the hoop. Use the command “sit” next to the hoop and if followed, reward with a treat. Have your dog sit inside the hoop and reward them. Hold the hoop in front of you, vertically with the bottom touching the ground. Holding a treat in front of your dog use the command “through” and then guide them through the hoop. Give reward. Repeat several times. Without holding a treat, use your hand and the command “through” to guide your dog through the hoop, while phasing out the reward. Make the jumps more challenging by raising and lowering the hoop. Remember to praise! Pause Box Jumps: Use a sturdy, brown or plastic box or footstool to perform the jump and pause. This skill teaches body awareness while also providing stimulation and fun! Flip the box over providing a flat landing for jumping. Using a treat, encourage them to explore the box or touch the top with their paws. Use the command “up” and encourage them to perch onto the top of the box. Reward with treat. Have them jump off the box. Repeat several times. Tunnels: Pop up play tunnels work great for teaching dogs to feel comfortable in covered or dark spaces. Blankets draped over chairs, or empty boxes that form a tunnel also work. Keeping the length short at first, use a lure, or treat to coax them to walk through to the other end of the box. Repeat several times. Tunnels are a great way to play a game of peek a boo as well! Jumping: A Broomstick balanced on a small stack of books can replace a traditional high jump. Jumping is an easy skill and one of their favorite agility tricks. Balance a broomstick on a short stack of books. Use the same technique as the hula hoop trick but with replacing the command “through” with “over.” As they become comfortable with low jumps, you can begin to raise the height of the jump creating more of a challenge. Handling: If you’re a runner and have high expectations of your Bernadoodle joining you, you’re going to want to master handling and getting your dog disciplined. Use cones staggered in a straight line far enough apart to weave through. Using a leash, have the dog walk beside you as you weave together through the cones. Turn and repeat the walk keeping the dog on the same side of you. As they master how to walk at your side, up the pace of your walk until you are at a runner’s pace. Games Try different games and toys to keep your dog engaged and exercise fun. Test out various toys and objects to see what toys they prefer for fun games. “Hyperflite Jawz Disc” is a flexible rubber frisbee great for playing fetch. Use treats to lure them back to you after retrieving or try toys that can be stuffed with treats for them to retrieve. Teaser toys are always a great way for dogs to play chase. Gas stations or dollar stores oftentimes sell inexpensive, small laser pointers that make great dog toys. Dogs will be confused yet quite entertained by a tiny red dog that they can’t ever seem to catch. Ropes are great for playing a friendly game of tug o war. A simple set of stairs can turn into a fun, healthy game that is rewarded with a treat. Games are a creative way to ensure they receive their ample amount of daily exercise. Bernadoodles ultimately love your attention and being with you, but they are not exempt from activities boring them. Liven things up by choosing new and different activities and choosing ways to ensure exercise is always a part of their healthy life!