0
0
Creative Ways to Exercise Your Pug
All pug owners know that pugs are active little dogs, but they are active in little spurts. Pugs tend to sleep up to fourteen hours a day, but they still need exercise. The exercise keeps them healthy. No matter how old your pug is, the recommended amount of exercise for a pug is at least two walks of twenty minutes each per day.
I personally take my pug out several times a day to potty (which consists of about 20 minutes per time) and then I take her for a mile walk every afternoon at about 4:00. This time and this distance are not set in stone. I watch the weather and lengthen or shorten Molly’s walks accordingly. My best advice for this is watch your pug. Watch how he/she acts. If he/she is breathing a lot harder than normal, then it’s time to stop. If they slow down, it may be time to either slow your pace or stop completely. I have even been known to carry my pugs for a distance at times. When Molly starts getting tired, we tend to mosey along and she will stop and smell everything- this gives her time to rest a little. I recently bought a drinking bottle for dogs. I love it!! I can take it with me and Molly can have a drink whenever she needs one. Here’s a photo of it:
( This post may include affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here)
Cooling Vests work!
Also, last summer, I bought my pugs a cooling vest. I wasn’t sure they would work, but they did. They seemed to keep my girls cool and they were able to walk further when it was hot. I will use mine again this summer… Here’s a link to a vest like the one I use for my pugs.
(This post may include affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here)
Here are some ways to exercise your pug:
Go Kayaking–
Molly (my pug) loves to ride in my kayak. Does she get to exercise doing this? Yes, because when we are in shallow water, she gets out and swims. I usually get out with her. My pug loves the water and I realize not every pug does, but introducing him or her to water when they are young usually makes them want to spend time in water. It’s kind of like kids- whatever they grow up doing, they like. Are pugs natural swimmers? No, not usually, but some of them can swim pretty well. Be sure you have a good quality life jacket on your pug. I usually let Molly swim for ten to fifteen minutes and then she’s ready to get back in my kayak. Swimming is excellent exercise for your pug. If you have access to a dog water park, that is an excellent way to get your pug some exercise.
(This post may include affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here)
Take your dog for a walk–
Everyone knows this, right? But… take your dog on an adventure walk. Don’t walk the same place everyday. Dogs, just like people like to see different places, they like to explore different smells and meet different dogs and people. Sometimes, at one of Molly’s favorite parks, I will tell Molly it’s her turn to lead. She loves this!! She will take me for a walk on those days- As many times as we’ve been to these parks, she always shows me something I haven’t seen. Try it!! Your dog will love it!!
Find a sand pile-
One great way to exercise your pug is to find some sand. I don’t know what it is about sand that makes pugs want to run and act crazy, but it works. Usually, Molly and I find the sand pit while walking at the park. We don’t always go play in it, but if she has a lot of excess energy, we do. She will run, turn quickly, roll, do figure eights, etc… in the sand and she loves to be chased. Usually, she wears herself out in five to ten minutes of playing in the sand.
Find the black, soft playground chips-
Another way to exercise your pug is to find a child’s play area and look for the black soft chips that they put under the swings, etc… One of our parks has these and pugs like to run and play in them as much as they do in the sand. They are soft so Molly will run and roll for about fifteen minutes in these. Don’t forget to take a video of your pug while playing in the sand or the black chips.
Go for a bike ride–
Something else we do is go for a bike ride. You can get a basket for your pug to ride in (make sure they are fastened in) or you can carry your pug in a back or front pack (this is what I do). But, they are not getting exercise, right? Wrong!! You can give them a ride, and then park your bike and take them for a walk. They will enjoy being outdoors and spending quality time with you. When your pug gets tired of walking, it’s time to get back on the bike. Pugs love to ride, they love to look around and they mostly just love being with you.
Find a lake with rocks all around the edge of it-
Molly came up with this idea herself on one of walks that she got to lead on. She headed to the edge of the water and jumped on one of the rocks. I watched her as she walked or jumped from rock to rock as we walked around the whole lake. She loves this and we do it quite often. Pugs are very inquisitive and love to look at anything. Molly will look at fish (if she sees them), she’ll watch the ducks, people fishing, etc…
Play Frisbee with your pug-
Can a pug really play Frisbee? Not like a large dog, but yes, they definitely can. We started playing Frisbee with Molly when she was little and she still loves it to this day. I throw the Frisbee, then she runs and picks it up. She will run with it (even though she can’t see where she is going), then she brings it back to me and I’ll throw it again. This game may only lasts for five to ten minutes, but that’s five or ten minutes that your pug got some exercise. Try it!!
(This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here)
Get your pug some brain teasing puzzles:
I have several of these for Molly and she loves them. She will stand by the shelf where I keep them, asking to play with them. It exercises her because she works on getting the treats out for usually at least an hour. In order for your pug not to gain weight on the treats, get some low-calorie treats from your vet- that’s what I use. Here’s a link to a couple of the puzzles I have for Molly.
(This post may include affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here)
These are some of the ways I exercise my pug. No matter what means you come up with for exercising your pug, the main thing that’s important is to just spend time with them. Sometimes, when Molly and I are tired, we’ll just go to a park and lay in the grass. She loves to lay there and watch people walk by and she gets to be outside at the same time.
I’d love to hear any other creative ideas for exercising our pugs… Please post them so everyone can read and share these ideas.
Until next time,
Hugs and pug kisses,
Candy
