Have Dog, Will Walk - Or Should

Dog owners are more likely to meet the minimum federal exercise goals each week than people who don't have a dog.

A recent study that assessed data on about 6,000 people in a Michigan Risk Factor Survey found that 41 percent owned a dog. Of those, almost two-thirds walked their dog at least 10 minutes at a time.

Overall, dog owners were 69 percent more likely to get any amount of leisure-time physical activity than people who didn't have a dog. Dog owners were also 34 percent more likely to meet federal physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each week.

Furry motivation

"Dogs can be a great motivator for physical activity," says study author Mathew Reeves, D.V.M., Ph.D., at the Michigan State University. "People who walk their dogs, walk more. They walk about an hour longer each week."

Walking the dog also benefits the dog, Reeves says.

He sees room for improvement, though. "When you look at dog walkers, only 27 percent get the 150 minutes of activity benchmarks, so dog walkers could probably be walking more often and can walk longer," he says. "And, for the almost 40 percent of dog owners who didn't walk at all, they really should be walking their dogs. Every dog should have the opportunity to get out and walk."

Many excuses

People gave lots of reasons for not walking dogs, but the most common excuse was that the dog got enough exercise on its own or spent all of its time outdoors. Some dog owners said they had no time or interest in walking the dog. Others reported that their dog was too ill-behaved for them to walk, and still others said either the dog or they themselves were too old to walk.

Older adults were most likely to meet the exercise guidelines through dog walking. Middle-aged people spent the least time walking their dog. Education levels and gender had little impact on the amount of time spent walking a dog.

People with lower incomes, specifically those under $20,000 a year, spent the most time walking their dogs each week, with the median time being 104 minutes.

The researchers also found that people with young dogs tended to get more exercise, and that small dogs get shorter walks than larger ones.

Always talk with your health care provider to find out more information.