Sedentary Dogs: A Current Problem

Obesity in humans is increasingly out of control, but dogs aren’t lagging behind. Sedentary dogs are much more common  now than they were 10 or 15 years ago.

And this happens because dogs end up influenced by their owners’ lifestyle and end up developing the same pathologies.

what is a sedentary dog

The profile of dogs with a sedentary lifestyle is very easy to identify:

• Almost all obese dogs live in cities;
• They are super-powered by their owners;
• They don’t go out for walks often or they never do;
• They can be neutered, therefore, without sufficient motivation, they reduce their activity.

Obesity and sedentary lifestyle

Obesity is often the main problem that sedentary dogs develop. This is because a sedentary dog ​​is one that doesn’t move a lot or doesn’t exercise enough. That way, you don’t have the opportunity to get rid of extra energy, as well as burn calories and fat.

This situation is aggravated when the animal feeds in excess, also causing other types of illness, such as cardiovascular, respiratory and muscle or joint disease, which may even develop diabetes.

Sedentary dogs tend to get sick more often, not only because of the multitude of problems they develop, but also because, by not being exposed to different environments, they end up with a much weaker immune system than that of an animal that explores other places.

Likewise, condemning a dog to a life of sedentary lifestyle is considered maltreatment, as it limits its development, endangering its health and reducing its quality of life.

lack of exercise

Exercise is the best gift anyone can give a dog, but many people who lead a sedentary lifestyle forget how enjoyable a long walk can be.

For dogs, walks are a way to burn energy and exercise, as well as being fundamental for their social life, experiencing the world and developing their senses.

In outdoor environments, dogs have access to a whole range of flavors, odors, textures and new landscapes, and this ends up being extremely enriching for them, as it stimulates them and helps them understand the world around them.

In addition,  walking the pet is not only beneficial for the dog, but also for their owners, as it forces them to exercise and bond with other dogs. In fact, owning a dog can be wonderful for your personal life.

Bad formation

Usually, sedentary dogs have another problem, showing bad behavior. Having a disobedient dog clearly falls into the category of “abuse” as it shows that the dog is not being well-trained.

Dog owners with a sedentary lifestyle are, in turn, sedentary. Thus, there is a tendency not to discipline dogs properly, especially out of laziness.

This is not to say that in order to discipline a dog, owners must use violent methods such as hitting or yelling. On the contrary, they cause more behavior problems in the animal.

There are other training tools that have good intentions, but if misused can be very painful, such as hanging collars which, if used incorrectly, can hurt dogs and teach them to react aggressively.

Other aggressive ways of training, such as rolling a dog on its back and physically taking it with your mouth, or looking at it, can send messages of terror that can be seen as a threat.

The best way to educate a dog is the same as the one used to educate children : keep a calm, confident attitude and offer positive reinforcement as a reward for the animal’s good behavior.

Sedentary dogs do not have this type of opportunity and end up developing attitudes that isolate them from others, whether human or animal.