Does walking dog help lose weight? A Comprehensive Guide

What sort of equipment do I need?

Forget the leash and collar if you want to burn some serious calories with your dog. Collars can compress the trachea (windpipe) when pulled, causing difficulty breathing or even a neck injury. Choke chains or any other collars that work by applying a constrictive pressure around the neck are especially dangerous. Your safest choice is a head halter (Gentle Leader®, etc.) or walking harness (Ultra Paws® Harness, Gentle Leader® Easy Walk, etc.). Look for wide, soft, padded straps and breathable materials.

A leash of a relatively short length is preferable. Retractable leashes are not preferred as they pose a danger to the dog walker and the dog. You will be keeping your canine companion close to keep up a steady pace. Save the long leash for casual strolls around the neighborhood or explorations at the park.

For long winter walks in cold climates, protective booties and dog coats may be required. If you will be walking in hot weather (above 80-85°F or 26-29°C for most dogs), or if you will be walking longer than 30 minutes, do not forget to carry water for both you and your dog. If you want your dog to be fashionably equipped, there are many different styles of portable water bottles available for dogs on the move.

Few dogs will naturally walk at a pace that generates the elevated heart rates needed for sustained aerobic activity and weight loss. Based on observations, the average pace of people walking with their dogs is 25 minutes per mile (15 minutes per kilometer), which is actually a slow stroll. They make frequent pauses (on average every one to two minutes) for the dog to smell an interesting object or mark territory.

Walking for weight loss is very different than walking for pleasure. Make your objective to walk briskly from the beginning of the walk. Too often, if you start slowly, allowing the dog to sniff and smell everything, you may have a challenging time getting them to speed up. It is not necessary to warm up before a walk or a slow jog; as hunters, dogs have adapted to be able to accelerate rapidly with very little risk of injury.walking_dog_exercise

Draw your leash close – generally within two to four feet (about 0.5-1 meter) of your body – and set off at a pace you feel comfortable sustaining. This should be about a 12-15 minute per mile pace (7-9 minute per kilometer). It should feel like a brisk walk and you should break into a light sweat. The key is to keep it up!

Do not look down at your dog when they inevitably want to stop and smell something or mark a fire hydrant. Continue moving straight ahead, tighten the leash (but do not jerk it) and give a command such as “No stop”, “Come”, or “Here.” Head halters are a great method for training dogs to heel during a brisk walk. If your dog sits or refuses to walk, you may have to return home. If this happens, you should crate him or put him in a quiet space without your attention and try again another time. However, this is rare, since most dogs take readily to this new form of exercise.

For most overweight or obese dogs, providing they have normal heart and lung function and no other pre-existing medical conditions, we recommend starting with 30-minute walks at least five times a week. Ideally, you should do the walking for exercise seven days a week. A sample schedule follows:

Can You Really Lose Weight by Walking Your Dog?

Of course you can! You probably already know that it can benefit you both, and now it has been proven. A study at the University of Missouri showed that walking your dog was actually more effective for weight loss than having a membership in a gym or joining a diet plan.

If you weigh about 150 pounds and try to walk briskly, you can burn up to 135 calories for every 30 minutes you walk. You might burn less (based on your weight and the speed at which you walk), but the point is the same. The more you walk, the more you will burn.

Adapted Exercise Routine To Lose Weight!

Many people think that losing weight is all about how you exercise. Physical activity is indeed essential to get in better shape, but your nutrition is more important. It’s the same thing for dogs. If you (or your dog) eat too much or poor quality food, it’s normal to gain weight. Therefore, make sure that you both have good nutrition before starting exercise!

Does walking dog help lose weight?

Once you (and your dog) eat a good quantity of healthy food, it’s time to go working out. At the start, it’s always better to start slow and with short walks or training sessions. It will take time to be suitable for more intense physical activity both for dogs and humans. The first step is to understand your (or your dog’s) physical activity requirements!

To know how much exercise your dog should have, there are many things to analyze. His breed, age, health, energy, and many other elements will influence his needs. In general, dogs need around 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise. That’s why by providing your furball with proper exercise you can lose weight with him!

High-energy breeds such as Labrador or Golden Retrievers, Belgian Malinois, Dalmatians, Australian Shepherds or Border Collies could need up to 2 hours of daily exercise. On the contrary, more lazy dogs like Bulldogs, Basset Hounds, Newfoundlands or Great Danes could need around 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity every day. As you can see, it’s crucial to know your dog exercise needs to lose weight with him without hurting or injuring him!

Dogs 101: Lose Weight Fast While Walking Your Dog – Animal Facts

As you probably know, obesity is a serious problem both for dogs and humans. Whether it’s because you eat too much or you don’t exercise enough, it’s never fun to be overweight. Furthermore, it’s not easy at all to replace bad habits. My Labrador and I had some pounds (or kg) to lose, and we worked hard to get in better shape. Now, I’m not sure what helps us to lose weight, maybe walking my dog more or how we change our diet?

After some research and reflection, I think that everything we did helped. The most important to keep in mind is that if you do nothing, there will be no change. However, I would like to help you and your dog lose weight. Everyone knows that exercise is essential for losing weight. Therefore, I finally found more information for you about: Does walking your dog help lose weight?

Yes, canine owners can lose weight by walking their dogs. Daily walks at a brisk pace around 30 minutes can help you burn anywhere from 90 to 200 calories. That could be extremely efficient to lose weight (~15lbs/year) with your dog. Proper nutrition, healthy habits and walking your dog are good ways to keep you both at an ideal weight!

For some dogs or people, walking won’t be enough exercise to lose weight. Fortunately, there are many fun ways to exercise your dog properly. At the end of your reading, you will understand if walking your dog can help you lose weight. Moreover, I will also share with you some weight loss tips and other activities to exercise with your dog!