Shake up your pet’s exercise routine with these fun activities
Exercising with your pet should be a joy, not a burden. While most pets will gladly stick with your usual walking or feather toy routine, switching things up can help exercise different muscle groups, build confidence and stimulate the brain. Help your pet slim down and get fit with these amusing activities:
Fetch: A classic game of fetch is a no-fail way to burn a few extra calories and spend some quality time together. From frisbees to balls, retrieving is a natural instinct for many pets—even cats!
Hide and seek: Help your pet utilize their five senses and exercise their brain with a fun game of hide and seek. This is also a great opportunity to practice basic commands like “sit” and “stay.” Reward them with a playful pat or a tiny treat to increase interest.
Obstacle course: Set up a variety of barriers such as hurdles, tunnels, ramps and hoops to challenge your pet physically and mentally. Change up the routine periodically to prevent boredom or, better yet, enroll in a local agility course. You can easily organize an obstacle course for your cat as well, being sure to include lots of opportunities for climbing and jumping.
Scavenger hunt: Give your companion the opportunity to use their heightened sense of smell to give them a feeling of purpose while providing a good dose of mental stimulation. Place small treats (use different treats for added variety) in small boxes or hollow toys and hide them around the house or yard, encouraging your pet to jog back to you each time they discover a new treasure.
Social play: We know that timely socialization is key for puppies and kittens to grow into confident, well-mannered adult pets. Allowing your pet the opportunity to freely play with other animals is a rich experience as they age, too. Combine your pet’s needs for social and physical activity by pairing up with your closest four-legged pals and get playing.
If you aren’t sure if a particular activity is burning enough of your pet’s calories, consider the Whistle FIT. Not only can you track how many calories your pet burns, but Whistle FIT creates activity goals based on your pet’s breed, age and health status. You can even set up daily reminders and view nutritional recommendations.