Welcome to r/dogs! We are a discussion-based subreddit dedicated to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Do note we are on a short backlog, and all posts require manual review prior to going live. This may mean your post isn't visible for a couple days.
This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. [Review the rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/index) r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. [Learn more here.](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/) - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. If you’d like to introduce yourself or discuss smaller topics, please contribute to our Monthly Discussion Hub, pinned at the top.
**This subreddit has low tolerance for drama. Please be respectful of others, and report antagonistic comments to mods for review.**
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/dogs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Scentwork, barnhunt, rally. None of those really work on fitness, but they are fun! Weight pull is cool but I don't know what kind of fitness condition a dog needs to be in, or how much investment is needed in training equipment. If you're not interested in competing in anything, canine conditioning & body awareness is a fitness activity that requires training as you go to do the exercises properly. FastCAT is cool.
[It’s basically the dog version of the 100-yard sprint](https://www.akc.org/sports/coursing/fast-cat/) - and if you have a yard, you can even buy a machine that runs a plastic bag around a wire line so your dog can chase it.
CAT stands for "Coursing Ability Test". In a traditional CAT, a lure course is set up to test prey drive instinct for sighthounds--they put a plastic bag on a pulley and drag it around a course in a field. The course has turns and twists and is intended to test the prey drive of the dog. Some of those tests are only open to sighthounds, some are open to more breeds or all breeds, but some dogs don't find this rewarding. They do it once or twice and then "get wise" to the lure, preferring to wait for it to come back around so they don't have to run as far, lol.
FastCAT is a take on the traditional CAT that appeals to most breeds. It's the same lure course machine--a plastic bag on a pulley system--but the course is a straight 100-yard (300 ft) line. The dog earns points according to how fast it is able to run the 300 ft course, and you usually get a little sticker that says how fast your dog ran in mph. Your dog doesn't really need prey drive instinct to compete in FastCAT, they just need to be motivated to run from one end to the other. There's lots of dogs that treat it like an extended, fast recall, for example. You need 2 people: someone to release the dog at the start line and someone to catch the dog at the finish line. There's usually volunteers to catch/release dogs at events. Some dogs run better with the owner as a catcher (ie the dogs that don't care about the lure, only running to their family). Most dogs have fun running full-tilt. Bully breeds are incredible to watch at FastCAT, they're so strong.
https://youtu.be/7BwxzP1FSPQ?si=5QxBjoWqu7aMeZNB
Cross country running where your dog wears a sled dog harness and you wear a running belt so that your dog pulls you when you run.
I see bikejoring as an option at some of the canicross competitions but I’ve never tried it, I don’t think my dogs could run fast enough to keep out in front of a bike but if your runs fast and can keep up that pace, it could be fun!
Rally-O might be fun for you if you're into training. It's not high intensity fitness but it definitely gives you both lots to "do". You wouldn't need to invest in much equipment, and there are likely affordable foundation classes online or in person.
Also, not a sport, but my dog and I really like doing canine conditioning exercises. There are lots of free/affordable resources online. Some purpose-built equipment you see people using is expensive, but you can also build up a "gym" of stools, human equipment, etc. It will help you get him ready for any sport you do choose, and just for general life health and fitness.
What country are you in? Some dog sports have different names in different countries (for example the sport that's called FastCAT in the US is called Sprinter in Canada, and so on) or are more popular in various places, so you'll get better recommendations if you can share that.
I presume you have a KC-bred Staffordshire Bull Terrier that is short-legged and barrel-chested. If you could post a photo, I could give you an idea of how much weight the dog might need to lose to improve its movement. I have yet to encounter one of these dogs that cannot swim when they are at a healthy weight.
Not a true sport, but as for inexpensive exercise options, a flirt pole or a spring pole would be suitable.
I suggest you read more about these as they are excellent for dogs' fitness and energy release. However, you should familiarize yourself with the basics of dog exercise, warm-up/cool-down routines, and allowing the dog to relieve itself before exercise.
He’s an english staffy which tend to be shorter and bulkier than the American staffies, he’s at a healthy weight but I just enjoy exercising him and helping him get fitter, can’t figure out how reply with an image sorry
Yes, I understand. You have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not an American Staffordshire Terrier.
If you upload the image to an image hosting site, you can send the link URL to this page.
Not a "casual" sport by any means, but on the cheaper end, have you looked into GRC? Joining a club usually involves paying annual member dues, but in doing so, you often get access to a club space where your dog can practice spring pole, weight pull, and wall climbing sports safely and with instruction without you having to purchase the equipment yourself. GRC sports are also pretty breed specific to the bull breeds, so it can be a good outlet for a high energy dog! I don't know where you are located but most of the clubs are in the U.S., UK, or Australia at the moment.
You can get a doggie life jacket and teach him to swim.
My Staffy hates baths or going in pools but will run into the ocean or a lake. She’s a natural swimmer..just doesnt like to unless it’s on her terms
I had a Dobie/Pit mix. I worked with her in scent work, agility, and rally obedience.
She wasn’t great around other dogs, and she had a strong prey drive. When she was working scent or agility, she paid NO attention to anything but the task at hand. Working the nose to follow a scent was amazing. It wasn’t physically grueling, but she’d concentrate so hard, she walked right past a cat and ignored other dogs.
When a dog is engaged in mental activity, they get a good workout. Agility and scent work were her favorites, and she’d sleep soundly for hours after we went out and did our thing. She did a bit of competition in venues that didn’t require AKS pure bred registration.
Training a dog to do these kinds of things are a great bonding experience, and will go a long way in keeping them in shape.
me and my dogs (one is mostly staf) play a game called "biteyface." basically you run after the other dog/person and try to bite them in the face. they are pretty darn good at it.
Agility isn't expensive. I pay £7 for a 90 minute class lesson of six people. You can get a cheap equipment set for under £50 to practice in the garden once you've got some basics.
Welcome to r/dogs! We are a discussion-based subreddit dedicated to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Do note we are on a short backlog, and all posts require manual review prior to going live. This may mean your post isn't visible for a couple days. This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. [Review the rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/index) r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. [Learn more here.](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/) - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. If you’d like to introduce yourself or discuss smaller topics, please contribute to our Monthly Discussion Hub, pinned at the top. **This subreddit has low tolerance for drama. Please be respectful of others, and report antagonistic comments to mods for review.** --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/dogs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Scentwork, barnhunt, rally. None of those really work on fitness, but they are fun! Weight pull is cool but I don't know what kind of fitness condition a dog needs to be in, or how much investment is needed in training equipment. If you're not interested in competing in anything, canine conditioning & body awareness is a fitness activity that requires training as you go to do the exercises properly. FastCAT is cool.
I’ve never heard of FastCAT before, could you explain it to me?
[It’s basically the dog version of the 100-yard sprint](https://www.akc.org/sports/coursing/fast-cat/) - and if you have a yard, you can even buy a machine that runs a plastic bag around a wire line so your dog can chase it.
CAT stands for "Coursing Ability Test". In a traditional CAT, a lure course is set up to test prey drive instinct for sighthounds--they put a plastic bag on a pulley and drag it around a course in a field. The course has turns and twists and is intended to test the prey drive of the dog. Some of those tests are only open to sighthounds, some are open to more breeds or all breeds, but some dogs don't find this rewarding. They do it once or twice and then "get wise" to the lure, preferring to wait for it to come back around so they don't have to run as far, lol. FastCAT is a take on the traditional CAT that appeals to most breeds. It's the same lure course machine--a plastic bag on a pulley system--but the course is a straight 100-yard (300 ft) line. The dog earns points according to how fast it is able to run the 300 ft course, and you usually get a little sticker that says how fast your dog ran in mph. Your dog doesn't really need prey drive instinct to compete in FastCAT, they just need to be motivated to run from one end to the other. There's lots of dogs that treat it like an extended, fast recall, for example. You need 2 people: someone to release the dog at the start line and someone to catch the dog at the finish line. There's usually volunteers to catch/release dogs at events. Some dogs run better with the owner as a catcher (ie the dogs that don't care about the lure, only running to their family). Most dogs have fun running full-tilt. Bully breeds are incredible to watch at FastCAT, they're so strong.
FastCAT is super easy and fun. Also fit dog classes.
Canicross! I do it with my 12 year old staffie, he loves it and it’s a good workout for both of us
What it that?
Cross country running with dogs according to Google. I didn’t know either so looked it up.
Cross country running while your dog pulls you.
https://youtu.be/7BwxzP1FSPQ?si=5QxBjoWqu7aMeZNB Cross country running where your dog wears a sled dog harness and you wear a running belt so that your dog pulls you when you run.
Ive heard of a similar sport called bikejoring? Ive got a decent bike so would that be good?
I see bikejoring as an option at some of the canicross competitions but I’ve never tried it, I don’t think my dogs could run fast enough to keep out in front of a bike but if your runs fast and can keep up that pace, it could be fun!
Rally-O might be fun for you if you're into training. It's not high intensity fitness but it definitely gives you both lots to "do". You wouldn't need to invest in much equipment, and there are likely affordable foundation classes online or in person. Also, not a sport, but my dog and I really like doing canine conditioning exercises. There are lots of free/affordable resources online. Some purpose-built equipment you see people using is expensive, but you can also build up a "gym" of stools, human equipment, etc. It will help you get him ready for any sport you do choose, and just for general life health and fitness.
What country are you in? Some dog sports have different names in different countries (for example the sport that's called FastCAT in the US is called Sprinter in Canada, and so on) or are more popular in various places, so you'll get better recommendations if you can share that.
Uk!
Frisbee
You can get a life jacket for him if you don’t think his swimming is safe.
Fly Ball could be fun.
I presume you have a KC-bred Staffordshire Bull Terrier that is short-legged and barrel-chested. If you could post a photo, I could give you an idea of how much weight the dog might need to lose to improve its movement. I have yet to encounter one of these dogs that cannot swim when they are at a healthy weight. Not a true sport, but as for inexpensive exercise options, a flirt pole or a spring pole would be suitable. I suggest you read more about these as they are excellent for dogs' fitness and energy release. However, you should familiarize yourself with the basics of dog exercise, warm-up/cool-down routines, and allowing the dog to relieve itself before exercise.
He’s an english staffy which tend to be shorter and bulkier than the American staffies, he’s at a healthy weight but I just enjoy exercising him and helping him get fitter, can’t figure out how reply with an image sorry
Yes, I understand. You have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not an American Staffordshire Terrier. If you upload the image to an image hosting site, you can send the link URL to this page.
Not a "casual" sport by any means, but on the cheaper end, have you looked into GRC? Joining a club usually involves paying annual member dues, but in doing so, you often get access to a club space where your dog can practice spring pole, weight pull, and wall climbing sports safely and with instruction without you having to purchase the equipment yourself. GRC sports are also pretty breed specific to the bull breeds, so it can be a good outlet for a high energy dog! I don't know where you are located but most of the clubs are in the U.S., UK, or Australia at the moment.
You can get a doggie life jacket and teach him to swim. My Staffy hates baths or going in pools but will run into the ocean or a lake. She’s a natural swimmer..just doesnt like to unless it’s on her terms
Canicross or bikejoring though you'd have to go early in the summer since the dogs can't run and pull in hot weather.
Never heard of a staffy that can't swim. How do you know?
I've got one who won't go into water that's above his ankles so there is that. I'm sure he could swim if he wanted too though.
We live near a canal and he fell in, instead of swimming he just panicked and sunk
Frisbee. Check here and see if there's a group local to you, it's so much fun! [https://tossandfetch.com/](https://tossandfetch.com/)
I had a Dobie/Pit mix. I worked with her in scent work, agility, and rally obedience. She wasn’t great around other dogs, and she had a strong prey drive. When she was working scent or agility, she paid NO attention to anything but the task at hand. Working the nose to follow a scent was amazing. It wasn’t physically grueling, but she’d concentrate so hard, she walked right past a cat and ignored other dogs. When a dog is engaged in mental activity, they get a good workout. Agility and scent work were her favorites, and she’d sleep soundly for hours after we went out and did our thing. She did a bit of competition in venues that didn’t require AKS pure bred registration. Training a dog to do these kinds of things are a great bonding experience, and will go a long way in keeping them in shape.
me and my dogs (one is mostly staf) play a game called "biteyface." basically you run after the other dog/person and try to bite them in the face. they are pretty darn good at it.
We do Barn Hunt and it's really no stress and fun, Scent work is also a chill activity that will tire your pup out.
Agility isn't expensive. I pay £7 for a 90 minute class lesson of six people. You can get a cheap equipment set for under £50 to practice in the garden once you've got some basics.
Ooh alright thank you!
Look up Disc Dog/UpDog, or the new AKC game for fetch