As dog owners, we have a responsibility to walk our best friends. They love us unconditionally and become a devoted member of the family. To be with us sparks sheer joy for them, but how do we ensure that their exercise is age appropriate?

Yet, as they get older, we often miss the subtle signs they give us to change their exercise habits to suit their age.

Local animal chiropractor Neil Gregory explains...

"You see, as puppies, we are so excited to walk them. We delight in their never-ending energy and cherish the blossoming connection and friendship that develops. Most owners don't realise that walking too far or fast is harmful to your puppy at this life stage. He is growing and his growth plates have not yet formed. So, we must be mindful not to overdo it, otherwise long-term development injuries can occur. 

After all, how far would you walk or run with a toddler?

As our beautiful best friends grow, we increase their exercise in line with their enthusiasm and energy, walking our dogs further and more often. It's common to hear people who run or cycle with their dogs say, 'he loves it and he can’t get enough of it '. This can become a real boost when we're also keen to get fit, our dogs become our exercise buddies and explore the great outdoors with us. After all, we both might be at the same stage in life, young, enthusiastic, and fit! 

Wow, sheer bliss.

What we must be mindful of, is that as dogs age, what we 'think' might be a healthy exercise regime, may be detrimental to their physical health and comfort. We should be mindful to watch and listen for signs from our devoted pals. 

As young adults, dogs enjoy getting out walking, running, and even pushing their physical limits with us. However, as they become ‘young seniors’, running around the block flat out may not be their idea of quality time at all. They push through pain barriers to keep up with you. You may even be pulling them or worse still dragging them, without realising that when you stop on that curb while waiting for the cars to pass, they are so grateful for the breather. 

Time of day also has a great bearing on the safety of their walks. Dogs do not cope well with heat, no matter their age. In particular senior dogs really struggle. So think about timing and back off on hot days. You may bask in the sun on a hot day, but your dog probably won’t, but he’ll still be keen to head out the door with you because he doesn’t want to miss out on the adventure. Heat can stress and even injure a dog, burning their pads, heat exhaustion (it’s horrible to see them panting and gasping for air). Aging dogs' behaviour can be deceptive, because they jump up when we pick up that collar and leash, and with a quick call, they jog out the door to be with us but we must always remember that it’s their walk too!

So how should we scale back exercise appropriately to serve our four-legged friends?

We need to be intentional with our dog's exercise, ensuring that their daily routine is tailored to their life stage and not ours. I've met a lot of owners who think their dogs require the activity of working dogs, but even a Kelpie doesn’t want to run all day. 

We must remember that time moves quickly for our best friends. Biologically, they age one year every 2 months. This means that after one year of running our dogs they've aged by six (6) to seven (7) years by the end of it. Some breeds age even faster. Great Danes, Bullmastiffs, and Rottweilers, age so fast that at 5 years they are already considered a senior. 

For seniors, a long walk or run is not the right type of exercise for their brains or their bodies, they need mental stimulation. A Ten-year-old dog is aged 70 in human years. I regularly meet people running their 10 and 12-year-old dogs who do not realize their dogs are the equivalent of 70 to 80 years old. When was the last time you dragged out Nanna or Pops for a cheeky 5km jog in the heat? 

As dog's age, mental stimulation is far more important than cardio...that's where their nose becomes the superhero!

Do you enjoy phoning your family and friends to say hi? Of course, you do, all the time you might say. Well, your dog likes to say hi too and he wants to check out the local chat line.

Our dogs do this by sniffing all the scents they can pick up while out and about with you...wee here, wee there. Stopping, smelling, and taking it all in. Hard to do if he's being dragged on a brisk walk or jog around the block.

If the walk is truly about him, try letting him slow down and investigate all the wonderful scents that serve as messages from other dogs. Remember that while you’ve been glued to your computer at work all day, he has been on his own and hanging out for this adventure all day too.

Senior dogs are happier with the slower, perhaps shorter strolls, where their noses get to do the investigating, they might delight in a roll in the grass or a pat from a stranger.

Listen to your dogs with your eyes and your ears. They indeed will talk to you on that walk. If you speak to them, they will indeed talk back. Remember it’s their walk too”. 

Neil Gregory is based in Mona Vale on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. He practises at the Mona Vale Chiropractic Centre and is always delighted to take on new four-legged friends and patients. For appointments with Neil, call (02) 9997 5773 or visit www.monavalechiropractic.com.