How to maintain your dog’s exercise when the country is on lockdown

Walking your dog each day is important as it allows them to get their daily exercise and helps with their mental wellbeing. But with the UK currently on lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, you may be wondering how you can ensure your dog is still getting enough exercise. 

If you are healthy and not showing any symptoms, then you can still go out once a day for exercise as outlined by the Government, meaning you can still take your pooch for a walk. If there are multiple people living in your household, then each of you can take the dog out if you want to fit as many walks in as possible. 

Different dog breeds will need different levels of exercise and some dogs may need longer walks than others. If you’re not sure how long you should walk your furry friend for, check out this dog walking calculator. However, there are other ways you can make sure your dog still gets enough exercise. 

Change your usual dog walking route

If your dog isn’t getting out as much as they usually would, you could try a different walking route to keep things interesting and fun. Obviously this would still need to be close to where you live, but if you can alternate directions each day, your dog will have new things to explore and keep them busy. 

By doing this, your dog will have new smells and sights each day keeping their walk intriguing – things like having a branch to pick up or a bench to sniff can be entertaining for them. You could even get your dog to try some new tricks or actions at a postbox or tree and reward them with a treat.

Find ways to exercise around the home

Just because your dog can’t go on long walks at the moment, doesn’t mean that they can’t keep their activity levels up. There are numerous ways you can keep your dog fit and healthy whilst staying indoors. You could play fetch or tug of war and your pooch will be happy as you’re spending time with them, playing their favourite games. 

If you have a garden or even a yard, you could try to set up a small dog obstacle course by using things you have laying around the house. Remember to keep it simple and safe! Things like cardboard boxes can make great tunnels, and if you have a hula hoop you could even get your dog to try and jump through it.

So although there is a restriction on how much walking you can do with your furry friend at the moment, it doesn’t mean that you can’t maintain their daily exercise. Whether you want to throw your dog their very own treasure hunt, play their favourite game of catch or teach them some new tricks, try to keep your dog fit and healthy with other forms of exercise.