Living in an apartment and having a traditional 9-5 (or in my case 7am-4pm) job with two high energy dogs is not always the easiest thing in the world. Luckily I have the best dogs in the world, but if they don’t get enough exercise they tend to start getting a little needy and winy.
Living in an apartment means we don’t have a big backyard or any land for the doggos to run around on. When I first got Mushu a lot of people were very skeptical about a cattle dogs mix living in an apartment, but its totally possible! Along the way I have definitely figured out some tips and tricks to keep the puppers happy and active.
- Make it a priority. Sometimes the last thing I want to do when I get home from work and an hour at the gym is exercise the dogs. But, they’re happiness and health is important to me. I don’t even make it an option anymore, its something that has to be done.
- Make your active time their active time! Instead of going to the gym, go on a run/walk/hike. I run with my dogs about 3 times a week and try to hike at least once a week.
- Find something you both love to do. We go to the park across the street. Its not a dog park, but there’s lots of room to run! We all run around together and it may sound silly but is exhilarating for all of us. It makes active time more fun and something I like forward to instead of something that feels like it has to be done.
- Throw something. If you don’t feel like getting extra exercise in, throw a ball for your dog to chase. I’ve even had some friends use laser pointers for their dogs to chase.
I think the most important thing is to think about happiness. Animals are sentient beings too. Why wouldn’t we want to give our dogs the best life possible and do things that make them happy?
