Outdoorsy With Your Pets
My love for the outdoors started when my sister’s adorable pet France arrived. He was just two years old and he already wanted to do everything that we were doing. And being a Rottweiler, France loves high energy activities. So we’d enjoy taking him along on our outdoor adventures. If you are looking for things to do with your pet dog, here’s a lowdown of outdoor activities you could do too.
Time For Some Doga
You might have heard of all the different schools of yoga but have you heard of Doga? That’s yoga for you and your pet dog. Doga was developed by Mahny Djahanguiri, a Swiss born yoga teacher and author. Involving your dog in your yoga practice is a great way to have a stress-free exercise. And it is a great way to strengthen the bond between the two of you. Whenever I lay down on my yoga mat, France comes happily and just lies down on the mat and refuses to get up. He shows that he wants to be a part of sessions as well, so I often put another mat for him and ask him to follow some simple asanas which he could do too.
Head Out For A Walk/Run/Jog
Walk, run, jog with your pooch. This is the easiest way of exercising and being in outdoors. Make sure to pick an activity that matches with your dog’s stamina; otherwise it can be exhausting to both of you. I often take France to a nearby ground and both of us simply run behind each other. It is fun and a great cardio workout for both of us. Some of the places that you could take your pet for a run in Mumbai are around the beach like at Juhu or Chowpatty, your neighborhood gardens that allow pets, open grounds like Shivaji Park, at the sea face promenade like Worli, Bandra or a good wide road would do too.
Let’s Camp Out
The next time you plan a camping trip, take your pet along. They love the outdoor vibe, the open spaces and abundance of greenery around campsites. Spending time with you in the vastness of nature or a quick dip in a nearby lake is going to make you and your pet happy. We often take France camping to a place closer to Mumbai and he totally loves it. He enjoys swimming with us in the pond, walking with us and at night he enjoys sitting in front of the bonfire.
Open Water Swimming
Did you know that swimming is a great exercise for dogs? The best part about swimming is it works all the muscles, thus giving you and your pet a complete workout. Cities are yet to open the pools for the dogs; nevertheless, you can always enjoy a quick swim and lots of fun session in the nearby lake or pond or the sea. There are many picturesque places nearby cities like Tansa Lake near Vashind or river near Malshej Ghat that offer a good outing as well as a great swim session.
Fetch And Tug
Ask anyone about their dog’s favorite game and most of the time, you would the answer – Fetch! Yes, we all know how much dogs love a game of fetch. You can have a game of fetch with your dog’s favorite toy – a frisbee or a ball. It’s a super energetic and high intensity workout for both of you and also trains your dog in being obedient to you. A great place to play fetch is at the beach or the neighborhood garden. France had this thick rope that used to be his favorite; we would often play tug of war with this rope or sometimes would just use it to have a game of fetch.
Hiking With France
Mumbai offers many easy hikes in and around the city where you can take your pet on a nice and relaxing hike. You can work on building you and your pet’s endurance with a light hike in the outdoors over the weekends. France is amazing company for us when we hike up the hills around my neighborhood. He keeps us on our toes and makes sure we don’t fall back! If you are planning a hike with your pet, make sure to carry food and water for him as the places you visit might not have dog food ready. The outdoors can be quite unpredictable so make sure you have safety and security features in place for a fun time in the outdoors.
Dogs love being in the outdoors; in fact they are meant to be as outdoorsy as you and I are. I hope the escapades France and I have in the outdoors inspire you to head out and explore more outdoorsy ways to bond with your pet.
