Exercising your Beagle dog

When a lot of people think of exercising their Beagle, it is a chore, and they could easily skip it in favour of watching TV. Then the same people wonder why their dog destroys their home while they are not looking. Most of dog’s destructive behaviours relate to boredom and can be minimised with Exercise.

Exercise is not an option

Exercising your dog is not actually just an option, it’s a necessity. He needs to be exercised daily to keep fit and healthy, to use up his enormous amount of energy, and to keep his boredom at bay. If your dog does not get the exercise and physical stimulation he needs, he will find other ways to cure his boredom, like destroying furniture, annoying the neighbours and chasing cats and cars. These can turn into negative challenging behaviours for your dog.

A few months ago my Beagle indicated his boredom to me by coming into the office with his toy and barking. As I was very busy, I just had to ignore him so I could get my work done. He left the office and things were quiet. After about half an hour I began to wonder why it was so quiet, so I went out and looked into the living room. My beagle had ransacked the place. There were toilet rolls unravelled and ripped to shreds, all the lounge suite cushions were all over the floor, and also on the floor was a sail boat ornament that was on the window ledge, he had chewed on the mast and ripped the sails. And my naughty little beagle was in the centre of the chaos, lying down, looking up at me with his tail slightly wagging. If I had played with him while he was in the mood, my living room would have been spotless, and I wouldn’t have destroyed property and a huge mess to clean up.

There are many different and fun ways to exercise your dog. The only thing that limits you is your imagination. The most common exercise is walking, and it is one of the best. Dogs were born to walk, that’s why they have four legs, and they will always appreciate going around the block or going to the park for an even-paced stroll.

Ideas for Exercising your Dog

• Fetch – This game is reasonably easy to teach and can keep your dog entertained for up to an hour at a time.
• Dog Park – Dog Parks are full of fun activities that can help exercise your dog.
• Obstacle Course - I found some instructions on how to build some weave poles out of PVC piping, and my Beagle loves it. Other agility training-typed obstacles are also quite easy to make.
• Going to the beach – The beach is a great place to exercise your dog. You can walk, run and even swim with your dog. Just beware of the local bi-laws about dogs on public beaches.

Remember, not only is exercise extremely fun and entertaining for you and your dog, it’s also a great tool for managing your dog’s challenging behaviours.