It's just as important for dogs to be as physically fit as it for humans to be fit. Dogs share a lot of similarities with people – including the tendency to overeat and not get enough exercise. This makes the dogs prone to illnesses that can shorten his or her life like heart disease, diabetes or arthritis. Dogs need fitness workouts from puppy hood into their golden years, just like you do. If you are reluctant to get fit, a dog can be great encouragement and companionship.

Puppies Over Two Months Old

Puppies need steady fitness workouts consisting of them tumbling around, meeting the world and play with you. Puppies are usually active for about two hours and then fall into a sudden deep sleep for two hours. The large or giant breeds of puppies need special attention to their fitness workouts. Don’t ask them to jog five miles a day, or tackle an agility course or do a lot of high-impact aerobics like jumping until they are over eighteen months old.

Giant breeds need special attention paid to their diets as well as not overdoing any exercises. They are prone to many skeletal problems, including some deformities, if they are given too much food and not enough to do, or are asked to take on a heavy workload before their skeletons are strong enough to handle it.

Adult Dogs

Fitness workouts for adult dogs are not as demanding as they are for puppies, but still need to be consistent to be most effective. It is much better to go on a twenty minute walk every day than to only go for a two hour walk on Saturdays. Many dogs love to swim, which can use up a lot of energy quickly. Although medium to large dogs are excellent swimmers, they always need supervision. Some dogs will swim to the point of absolute exhaustion and you have to go fetch them. All dogs have to learn how to swim, just like you.

Senior Dogs

The age of what a senior dog is depends on their breed. A senior in a Great Dane is five years old, while in a Jack Russell would be anywhere over ten. A fitness tip many people forget is that senior dogs do not need as much calories and protein as younger dogs. When your dog's muzzle starts to turn grey, it's time to cut back on the fat content and calories. Always check with your vet for fitness workouts for your dog at any stage of his or her life.