How to exercise your pet dog for ground transportation | Updated: 2023

Just like how every person is different, every dog is different. If you’re looking for a universal answer for how to physically and mentally exercise your dog, you won’t find it here. Let me give you an example…

I have a Beagle, named Winston, and a Belgian Malinois mix, named Raja. The two could not be more different. Winston loves to eat, sleep, and repeat. Raja loves to play, all day, and doesn’t care all the much about food.

Raja is pretty easy to physically and mentally exercise. She loves love to do training, nosework, tug, run, hike, jog, walk, play with tennis balls, etc… I can combine some physical exercise, such as walks/jogs, along with some training or nosework for the mental exercise. Of course, none of those exercises are purely physical or mental. They intertwine with one another and I like to take advantage of all the benefits to help give her the exercise she needs.

Winston, on the other hand, is just the opposite.  As I said previously, eating and sleeping are his main focuses. Although, he may not require the exercise that Raja needs, I would still opt to find a way to physically and mentally exercise him, before ground pet transportation.  A walk to the park and allowing him to explore is great for the physical exercise. Of course, it also will exercise him mentally, a bit. For the mental exercise, I would buy one of those toys that you can put treats in and it makes it difficult to get them out. So, he would have to work and find a way to get the treats, he so badly wants. If you have a dog like Winston, you may even want to give that treat-toy and some of your preferred treat to your transporter. They would be able to use that to during the transport to keep their mind busy and happy. As a side note: If your dog has shown any signs of food aggression or that they may get possessive over a treat-toy, we will not be able to give them such a toy.

Before we get into some of the exercises, we’d like to advise you to consider what your dog is physically capable of. DO NOT do any physical exercise where that may cause them to get injured, or possibly cause you to get injured.

Here’s a quick run-down of some physical exercise options, for your dog, that we like:

• Walks
• Jogs
• Runs
• Bike Rides
• Fetch
• Small Jumping
• Agility
• Tug
• Herding
• Hiking
• Backpacking

Here’s a quick run-down of some mental exercise options, for your dog, that we like:

• Training
• Nosework
• Tracking
• Search & Rescue
• Heeling
• Herding
• Treat-Toys
• Exploring new places
• Teach a new trick

Feel free to use any or all of the examples to help physically and mentally exercise your dog. Even if you dog is not being transported, it is still a necessity for your dog to receive both physical and mental exercise, so that they can feel fulfilled in their life. Trust us, the more time and energy you put into your dog’s life, they’ll pay you back 10-times over! Build your relationship with them and strengthen the bond you have with your dog!