More than just best friends, dogs are considered family members by their owners and are treated as such. If the whole family exercises to stay healthy, why should puppies be any different? Dog sports, in addition to offering great opportunities for integration with pets, are great for keeping the body moving.
Dogs of different breeds can benefit from sports, but before you put your pet to exercise, it’s important to take him to the vet to make sure everything is fine with him and that dog sports will make him healthier and happier. Then just choose a modality to start practicing with your pet.
One of the best-known canine sports is dog agility, in which the dog is led by a human to overcome obstacles with jumps, inspired by equestrian movements. In this modality, the connection between the dog and the handler is very important. In agility competitions, the pair that completes the route in the shortest time wins.
Agility was created in 1978 as a way to entertain the public at the traditional international dog show Crufts Dog Show, which has been held since 1891 in the United Kingdom. The exhibition was so successful that the activity became a separate competition.
Another sport competed by the duo of best friends is canicross. A cross-country race in which a human and dog participate connected by an elastic leash from the human’s waist to the dog’s chest. The distances to be covered vary greatly and the ideal is to have the appropriate equipment so as not to get injured during the race.
Swimming is also a great option to get your dog out of a sedentary lifestyle. One of the positive points of swimming is that, as it has no impact, it protects dogs’ joints. It’s important to respect your pet’s preferences. If he doesn’t like water, it’s best to look for another modality.
Pets in Brazil
According to Abinpet (Brazilian Association of the Pet Products Industry). Brazil has 144.3 million pets and dogs represent the largest share: there are 55.9 million dogs in the country.
The pet market is worth US$145.8 billion worldwide. Brazil has 3.9% of this share, being the seventh country that earns the most from pets.
