Exercising Or Running With Your Dog Is Proven To Improve Your Mood, Study Finds
Like we all know any exercise with your dog helps us all keep active, just a short brisk walk can help us feel more energised and improve our general mood. Our dogs also love the fact that we are spending the time to do an activity with them that is fun and its an activity that they enjoy.
New research by Canagan, the grain-free pet food company and The University of Chichester looked at how running with your dog impacts performance, including decreasing negative mood states such as depression, anger and fatigue.
As well as improving your mood, researchers also discovered that exercising with your pooch also gives you the motivation to get up and go for a run, and found that running with your dog is a time-efficient and easy way of fitting higher intensity exercise into your daily routine.
Dog owners also reported feeling satisfied knowing that they’re doing an activity their pet loves too. The feeling of companionship on a run makes the activity itself more enjoyable.
Study leader, Dr. Sarah Edmunds from the University of Chichester said, “Despite nearly a quarter of adults in the UK owning a dog, there has been very little research investigating the role dogs play in their owners’ motivation for exercise.
“This is the first study, that we are aware of, which has looked specifically at the impact of running with dogs on their owner’s exercise experience. Results show that our participants exercised at the same intensity both with and without their dog and they experienced a psychological benefit from running with their dog. Interview data found participants were autonomously motivated to run with their dogs.
“From a behaviour change point of view this is of interest as autonomous motivation is associated with exercise adherence. This was a small-scale study, but it indicates taking your dog as a running companion may help to provide that extra motivation to get you out running and help you enjoy the activity.”
Exercising with a dog has been proven to improve cardiovascular health, leading owners to a more physically active lifestyle. Better yet, exercising with a dog isn’t just good for you, but it also boosts your dog’s overall health, mood and fitness levels.
Henry Dove, Veterinary Expert for the grain-free pet food brand, Canagan said, “The companionship you share with your dog offers so many benefits and this can be applied to running with your dog. Building runs into your pet’s daily exercise regime will ensure they will be fit, will be less likely to be overweight, will keep their joints mobile, and will strengthen their muscle mass. They will also get mental stimulation from going to new places and be happy that they are doing something with you. It is important to remember that like humans, your dog will need to build their running endurance over time, and they will need water along the way too.”
Have a look at our range of doggy friendly Water Bottles, ranging from Smaller Sized Bottles for suitable for small dogs to Larger Sized Bottles with a bigger lid that are more suited to larger dogs that drink more water when out on walks.
