Several weeks ago I looked at my beloved pooch and had to make a confession: he is fat… and it’s my fault. I was humbled by my emergence from denial. Operation “Fit Dog” went into practice. In a nutshell, more walks, fewer treats. Though I’ve developed some decent exercise habits over the years, I don’t often include my dog in my training; partly because he’s great with people, but not well socialized with other dogs, and partly because my workouts often involve riding my bike, hiking, or outdoor cross training with friends. I like going places and/or meeting up with people to train or exert myself. While this works great for me, my poor dog was getting fat lounging around waiting for me to return and begging for treats and attention when I did. Like many mom’s, I felt bad for leaving him home by himself, so I gave him a nice belly rub and a little treat to show my affection. After several weeks of taking him for morning walk/runs and limiting treats, he’s a bit trimmer (still has a ways to go…). But more than that I’ve noticed behavior patterns that make be really stop and think – not just about our relationships with our pets, but also with our children. Here are a few observations I’ve made:
- Quality Time and Attention are Preferred Over Food Rewards. When I regularly spend time with my dog on routine walks he doesn’t ask for treats nearly as much. It could be that his appetite is somewhat suppressed from the exercise; but I suspect the bigger issue is that he is getting to spend quality time with me on a regular basis. Begging for treats used to be a way of begging for my attention; and I in turn gave them to him out of guilt (and love?). When I’m home in the evenings I’m usually busy in the kitchen or on my computer, and admittedly often shoo my beloved dog out of the way. Unable to get quality time with me, he then settles for second best and does the cutest tricks to beg for treats. Giving him a good regular dose of positive attention has decreased his need for the poor substitute food is for attention. How often do parents do something similar with their kids – giving them “special” meals or snacks out of guilt for not having time to spend with them? I know it happens with my clients much more than people want to admit.
- Having an Exercise Partner is Rewarding. I’ll have to admit, I get a kick out of just saying the word “walk” around my dog (a yellow lab mix). He completely spazzes out when hears the word – gets so excited he can barely contain himself. His energy and excitement to hit the pavement is contagious. And once outside on his leash – oh halleluiah! He exudes joy! He wants to run…at least until he finds an interesting bush! Our walks end up being more like bush to bush interval training. It’s all good. He’s a lot of fun to trot around with and pushes (or pulls) me more than I might push myself some days.
- Having Someone Counting On You is Motivating. On those days when I have so much to do I want to forego the walk and get on with my agenda for the day, or am tempted to take a lazy Sunday and lounge around… my fabulous dog goes into this silent but persistent dance looking at me, looking at the door, looking at his leash, looking at me… all the while trotting between these three objects of his focus. “Ok! OK! I’ll go already!” Somehow I FIND time to squeeze in at least a short walk to appease the persistent pooch – and I’m never sorry for having taken time to do so. Even on days when the weather involves horizontal rain, he manages to do his happy dance and get us out for a walk at the first break in the weather and before the next storm starts (yes, somehow he knows…).
- Changing out my Exercise Routine to Include a Family member is Not so Difficult. I will still go for long bike rides or hikes on the weekend without my favorite pooch, but switching out my weekday routines several days a week to include my furry companion is not that difficult. And as I’ve reported, the rewards are many. My former habits involved pursuing my own fitness while ignoring my dog’s (whom I consider to be part of my family). Not cool. Unfortunately it reminds me of patterns I often seen in adults with pets as well as with kids. They trot off to the gym, go for a run, ride, swim, or a quick pick up game of something – and leave the kids at home or in the childcare at the gym. While I think there is a place for these things, how easy would it be to include the kids in some of their exercise time during the week? Family walks, even a few days a week build healthy habits and healthy kids (and pets). Your kids too little to engage in a game or sport? Try playing catch with them in the back yard… trust me, you’ll get plenty of running in chasing wildly thrown balls. Involve kids and pets in your exercise; be a role model they can see not just hear about. It can make all the difference in healthy habits and attitudes.
