He’s been an important member of the family for several years now. Everyone loves him and he loves everyone. He’s there to cuddle you in the evenings, he’s there to hoover up any leftover food on the floor, and he’s always happy to see you when you open the door after a long day at work. Unfortunately, though, your dog is a little on the large side. As the years have gone on, he’s grown slightly lazy while his appetite has only increased. You don’t want him getting seriously overweight, so something needs to be done.
Training him to play sports will help him shift some of those extra pounds. You might not be able to get him sprinting on his walk, but if he’s playing sports with your kids, he’ll soon be burning calories. This exercise could prevent serious illnesses rearing their ugly heads later on in life.
Training your dog to play sports is thankfully pretty straightforward. You simply need to find a way to motivate him. Fortunately, you already know food does the trick. You’ll just have to make sure he burns more calories than he consumes. His favorite toys are another quick and easy way to get him worked up. If he’s younger he should be full of energy and keen to get involved. Training could then take just a week or so. If he’s older, bigger, and rather lazy, then you might need a couple of weeks before you see consistent results.
Training him to play sports will be fantastic exercise for him. On top of losing unhealthy weight, it will also help keep his muscles and joints strong. This could help prevent arthritis and other conditions, all of which come with hefty vet bills.
Before you can set about turning him into the next LeBron James you’ll need to get a few bits together. You’ll need a nice big yard or a field nearby for training. You don’t want him tearing around your living room breaking the TV!
You’ll also need tasty treats and an array of toys. A soccer ball and a frisbee are a good place to start. You’ll also need to construct an assault course for one of the methods. Then set aside 15 minutes every other day for a decent run-around.
Once you’ve got all of that you just need patience and a can-do attitude, then you’re ready to get to work!