She’s a very big dog, powerful and quick
I volunteered to babysit my son’s dog while he and his new wife went on their honeymoon. For the past two weeks, I’ve had a 68 pound Airedale terrier sharing my house with me. She’s a really sweet dog but only a little over a year old and exceptionally active. Part of our daily routine is my 60 minute workout. I have a screened lanai located on the back of my lake house where I have my jump rope, various hand weights, yoga mat and a set of resistance bands. I change up my exercise regimen every day, switching between high-impact aerobics and strength training. I include a ton of lunges, squats, mountain climbers and abdominal squats. I make a point to spend plenty of time on the warm-up, cool-down and stretching portions of the workout. The dog has made these workouts more of a challenge. If I segregate her in the house while I exercise on the lanai, she smears her nose on the glass doors and whines. If I allow her into the area with me, she decides it’s playtime. She chases me, bites at my feet and body slams me. She sometimes grabs pant legs with her teeth and tugs. I’ve needed to modify the way I approach my workout. I begin with the dog locked in the house while I spend about twenty minutes warming up, stretching and jumping rope. I get my heart rate sufficiently elevated, and then I let the dog join me. I bring her squeaky ball, rope and several types of toys out there with us. We then play an extremely active game of fetch, chase and tug-of-war. Now and then, the dog and I wrestle around. She’s a very big dog, powerful and quick. I’m always out of breath and sweating by the end of it. I appreciate the added bonus of tiring her out.