When people start a new sport or exercise program, they are usually advised to check with their doctor to make sure they're in good physical condition. You should do the same for your dog if you're planning to get her started in one of the many dog sports or even if you just want a canine jogging or bicycling companion. Your veterinarian can evaluate the following aspects of your dog. Check off the boxes as your vet reviews each, and write any notes in the spaces provided.

CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS

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VISION

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RANGE OF MOTION

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HIPS AND ELBOWS (TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT DYSPLASTIC)

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Your vet can also advise you on whether the activity you've chosen is suited to your dog. Your dog might be overweight or just not built right for a particular sport. It doesn't have to stop you from getting active together, though. Just because your pug isn't suited to jogging doesn't mean she won't excel in the more leisurely sport of tracking. Basset hounds, bullmastiffs, and many other breeds aren't well suited to agility trials, but they can still compete as long as you take precautions and run them only on courses that don't have so many of the tight twists and turns beloved by some agility judges.

Conditioning Your Dog

All dogs need regular exercise to stay healthy, but canine athletes need conditioning to build up their stamina and improve their athletic performance. The following facts should help you appreciate how much work goes into conditioning a dog:

Top herding dogs can cover as much as 100 miles a day.

Field trial and hunting dogs must run or walk for miles all day long, as well as retrieve from cold and sometimes rough water.

Sled dogs may race 1,200 miles in less than ten days.

Whatever sport you try, walking is the best and easiest way to start conditioning your dog. Depending on his age, size, and general level of health, begin with short walks on leash. Puppies or overweight dogs might start by walking a quarter mile, or whatever distance you can go in five minutes. (Most people can walk a mile in twenty minutes.) Gradually work up to a half mile and then a mile. Keep track of your dog's progress using the following chart:

Remember that high-impact exercise such as running or jumping on hard surfaces is detrimental to a young dog's musculoskeletal development. The growth plates of large-breed dogs don't close until they're fourteen to eighteen months old (small breeds at ten to twelve months of age), so avoid jogging, running, or taking your dog over high jumps until he reaches physical maturity.

Exercise Physiology

Once your dog is at a basic level of fitness, you can start conditioning him for a specific activity. Like any athlete, your dog needs strength, flexibility, and stamina. To help him achieve peak performance, it's important to understand your dog's musculoskeletal system and recognize signs of lameness. By monitoring your dog's response to workouts, you can help prevent the muscle aches and pains that come with too much exercise.

When he's competing, plan to exercise your dog for half an hour every day (with one day off every week for rest). Dogs that compete only seasonally — in field trials, for instance — can stay in shape with a daily fifteen-minute workout, increasing to half an hour daily a couple of months before the season begins. Break up this chunk of time by focusing on different aspects of fitness.

Types of Exercise

Running isn't the only exercise dogs need. Just like humans, dogs can improve skills like strength, balance, and flexibility. Maintaining these skills keeps your dog feeling good and helps prevent injury. Try the following exercises:

STRENGTH AND STAMINA: Take him jogging, run him alongside a bicycle, play fetch with a ball or dumbbell, take him swimming, or allow him to run off-leash in a safe, enclosed area. If you're highly motivated and have money to burn, consider investing in a canine treadmill for convenience on rainy, showy, or hot days.

BALANCE AND COORDINATION: Have him “walk the plan” -walk across a fallen tree trunk or a wooden board. This will improve both balance and coordination. Also try laying a ladder on the ground and having your dog step over the rungs.

FLEXIBILITY: Teach your dog tricks, such as bows, spins, and waves. Walk him in circles and figure eights. Even if you don't compete in agility, consider setting up some weave poles in your backyard. If weave poles aren't an option, teach your dog to sit up for a treat — a good back-strengthener.

Other types of exercise can help your dog improve balance and develop specific skills. Have him practice stepping on and off objects and stepping over a bar (such as a broomstick) on the ground or a very low jump. Walk him on leash on both level and uneven surfaces so he's accustomed to both. Change pace frequently, moving from a slow walk to a fast walk and back again or from a walk to a trot and back to a walk. If you compete in obedience, make sure to teach your dog to heel on both sides so that he stays supple.