Man’s best workout partner: 5 exercises to do with your dog

You don’t just have to run or walk with a dog for both of you to get some exercise

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It’s pretty well known by now that with more people working from home, they are having to juggle work and being around kids.

But kids aren’t the only ones who need to be entertained.

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Dogs that see their masters at home more often want their love and attention, as well.

Going on walks, runs and hikes are the obvious forms of exercise you can do with your dog, but did you know you can incorporate your furry friends into some other healthy workout options?

To help keep your dogs happy and active, here are five exercises — besides the usual stuff — you can do with them while at home, according to Rover.


1.) Planks

This can serve two purposes if you do this exercise with your dog.

One, it can be a great obedience test to have your pet sit while you do the exercise for roughly 30 seconds at a time. Two, if the dog chooses to run around you the whole time playfully, it can provide some entertainment as you are grunting out the time. A cool variation would be to put a dog treat on your back the whole time, tell your dog to leave it until the time is up, and then come get it off your back when done, according to Jersey Strong.

2.) Push-ups

This can be more of an obedience exercise, either by getting your dog involved, or just having it watch.

If you’re choosing to get the dog involved, Jersey Strong suggests telling the dog to sit, go down, and then stand up while you are doing push-ups.

3.) Lunges

What a perfect way to work out your legs and give your dog attention at the same time. Just stand on one of your legs (obviously do reps with the other leg as well) and tell your dog to lay down. As you are doing a lunge, reach down and pet your dog before coming back up.

4.) Squats

While doing this exercise, make sure this time to have your dog standing in front of you. When going down to do a squat, simply take your dog’s paws and hold them in front of you before letting go and returning to a standing position.

5.) Yoga

What better way to do a downward dog pose in yoga than with a dog!

For those who don’t know what a downward dog pose is, it’s where you bend at the waist, then spread your arms and legs fully to stretch your spine, hips, hamstrings, calves and ankles. This happens to be a pose dogs do all the time as well (hence the name), so maybe your pet can mimic you while doing a yoga session.

If not, he or she can just sit there, watch and serve as good company.

Are there any other good home exercises with dogs that we missed? Let us know in comments below.


This story was first published in 2020. It has since been updated.


About the Author:

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.