Wednesday: January 6, 2010
Springer's girls went out to purchase a backpack for his Wed session. It is quite flashy, sporting colors of bright blue with pink, yellow and white stripes. It is also very serviceable as it has zippered pouches where he can carry house keys and potty bags. It is much too cold to walk outside, so a 15 minute trek on the treadmill twice daily is in order. Isn't he handsome?
On a technical note: wearing a backpack during outdoor migratory walks and treadmill time places the dog's mind into a working mode. This intensifies the mental effort of the exercise, thereby providing the much needed 'job' every dog longs for. If you have a larger dog (Springer, a Havanese, is only 7 lbs), you can gradually increase the weight carried in the backpack. Outward hound makes a 'hiking' version of the backpack with expandable pouches.
One of my clients is an avid outdoors-man and hikes for days up in the mountains. Just like a true outdoors-y type, his dog carries everything she needs for those 2-3 days: high energy food, collapsable water bowl, mini telescopic shovel (used to dig holes to bury feces), NASA thermal blanket and the like. She is a Boxer, well past the growing stage* and absolutely loves going with her people on these excursions.
A Westie standing 10-11"at the shoulder and weighing 15-22lbs can carry more than a poodle of the same height as the Westie has a shorter spine and more muscle mass.
I recommend consulting your vet to see what weight is appropriate for your dog as it will greatly depend on the size - weight - muscle mass - spine length of his breed/body type. A Greyhound is a large dog but has a slighter weight with a long spine so should not carry as much as a Rottweiler who can be every bit as large but has a far greater muscle mass that can support the spine while carrying heavier items.
Mini breeds and puppies can get in on the action, too!
So stylin'!
Remember, just as we humans can become listless and depressed when living with no express purpose, so can our canine companions suffer. They are eager to find purpose in their daily lives and carrying a backpack during walks (outdoors or on the treadmill) goes a very long way in meeting that instinctual need.
*Stick to very light and few items while your dog is growing! Every breed reaches maximum skeletal and muscle maturity at differing ages. Consult your vet or knowledgeable breeder to determine when this maturity is likely to occur. I prefer to keep the backpack empty for small breeds until they are fully grown.
Another well designed "article" for your web site and a very informative and interesting blog post. I love learning from you.
ReplyDeleteHey, Springer, it looks good on you!