Health Benefits of Adventuring Outdoors With Your Dog

Since humans and dogs first began coexisting thousands of years ago, the feelings of companionship and love have flourished and today, approximately 35% of Canadian households own a dog!

Owning a pup has some incredible benefits including reducing feelings of stress and loneliness and improving cardiovascular health through regular outdoor exercise! Curious about these wondrous advantages? Let’s take a closer at the ultimate health benefits of adventuring outdoors with your dog.

Looking for a dog hiking bundle for your dog? Check out our bundles on Rocky Mountain Dog!

Boosts Up Physical Fitness

Reaching and achieving your fitness goals is a whole lot easier with a faithful canine by your side. You are much more likely to go for a walk with your dog than alone which makes dogs a great addition to your physical health. Walking for just 30 minutes each day increases your cardiovascular fitness, strengthens bones, reduces excess body fat, and boosts muscle strength/endurance.

Daily activity for dogs is also very important as it helps them maintain a healthy body weight and boosts their muscle mass. A physically fit dog is less likely to have aging health issues such as diabetes and heart conditions.

Hiking is a great way to enjoy time with your dog and get an enhanced work out that doesn't feel like a workout. While this advantage may be relatively obvious, its importance is undeniable. Outdoor time, and daily strolls, help maintain healthy body weight and physical conditions for both you and your dog!  

Nature's benefits to mental health

 Dogs and humans alike can face boredom, irritability, restlessness, and even depression.  Getting off the couch and into our neighborhoods/wilderness helps offset these ailments as physical exercise creates endorphins which boost our mood. Sunlight increases your serotonin levels which are also mood boosting hormones.

Getting outside for a walk/hike offsets boredom as you always encounter new people and new experiences when outside. Its recommended to get up to 30 mins a day to maintain a healthy mindset. Bottom line taking your dog for a walk is fun! The fresh air and watching your dog enjoy all the smells and meeting other dogs will for sure give you great enjoyment as well. 

Expands your social circle 

Loneliness is a challenge for so many people especially during recent times, but with a dog by your side you can find many ways to get out the house and meet people.  Walking/Hiking with your dog gives you the opportunity to meet fellow dog owners. You may meet your dogs new best friend, but even a quick chat with another dog owner about all the silly things are dogs do can offset the feeling of loneliness.

There are also lots of dog meet ups and walking groups that you can join. Check out meetup.com  they have group listings all across Canada.  At Rocky Mountain Dog we do group hikes and its a great way to get out and meet new hiking buddies. Check our Events page to see when the next meet up is. 

Bonding with your Dog 

 Adventuring with your dog—whether through hiking, camping, backpacking, or swimming— is a mutual activity that you can enjoy together, building up a thriving and enduring bond. Taking your dog outside is great mental stimulation for them. Dogs are natural roamers and giving them an outlet that speaks to their nature makes for a happy stable dog. Walks with your dog also entails a lot of non verbal communication. Dogs greatly respond to physical communication and it helps give them a greater understanding of you.

Getting outdoors and having social interactions with other dogs and people helps build your dogs confidence. This is important for your dogs social skills and you will see their personality shine when they are feeling confident. Hiking and doing activities with your dog are also fun and your dog thinks so to. Doing fun things together will only help to create a strong lasting bond between you.

We hope you enjoyed this post. Rocky Mountain Dog was started due to a love of getting outdoors with our dogs. We want to encourage others to do so! We have a variety of Leashes, Collars and Harnesses to help you do just that. Check out our site www.rockymountaindog.ca  for all your dog adventuring needs.

Stay wild and thirsty my friends!