How to Work Out With Your Dog
One of the students in Thursday evening's yoga class isn't like the others.
Mother-daughter duo Rhonna and Alissa Rogol settle onto their mats, close their eyes and do as they're told. "Take a deep breath in, and a deep breath out," purrs Anna Farkas, a New York City yoga instructor who's leading the private lesson in the Rogols' Upper West Side condo.
The third participant, Bella, meanwhile, walks toward Farkas when she should be still, faces the back of the room when her classmates are facing frontward and can't help but lap her tongue at Rhonna Rogol's lips when they're within licking distance.
"Sometimes we have to take kiss breaks, which is fine," Farkas says, "You don't get that in regular yoga."
Indeed, this is not regular yoga, and Bella is no ordinary yogi. This is dog yoga, or doga, and Bella is the Rogols' 4-year-old Havanese. As with all of Farkas's doga classes, the participating pup is welcomed to the mat alongside her owners, where she's incorporated into the practice -- say, by acting as a weight while Rhonna Rogol balances in tree pose or while Alissa Rogol holds a tapletop position.
"[Dogs] benefit, at the very least, by having a really quality time with their owners," says Farkas, who began offering doga classes a few years ago after a dog concierge service requested it.
Humans also benefit from connecting with their pets while reaping the well-established health perks of yoga. "It's very relaxing and really a highlight of the week," says Rhonna Rogol, a 60-year-old lawyer-turned-museum-docent, educator and dog therapy volunteer who first hired Farkas after searching the internet for local doga classes. "I spend a lot of time with Bella; this is just a little bit of a different twist -- literally."
Doga isn't the only type of exercise class with a furry twist. Dog lovers and fitness instructors across the country are merging their passions by involving man's best friend in all kinds of physical activities in an effort to train pups and people at the same time.
"A lot of people just don't want to leave their dogs" in order to hit the gym, says Dawn Celapino, a personal trainer in San Diego who began taking her workouts (and dog) outdoors after getting a Cairn terrier about 11 years ago. Now her company, Leash Your Fitness, offers Fido-friendly hiking, surfing, kayaking, boot camp and other classes. Such programs, she and others say, improve dogs' obedience skills as much as their health. "I've seen their behavior improve and their temperament improve and their ability to do the class [improve] a lot even after three or four classes," says Angi Aramburu, founder of Go Fetch Run, a dog-and-human circuit training program that's on hold in New York City as she prepares to launch it in San Antonio, her new hometown.
Is your tail wagging yet? Stop with the sit-stays and command your furry friend to come to your next workout. Here's how:
1. Never underestimate your pup.
If Aramburu's chihuahua can complete her program, "any dog can do it," she says. While many owners assume their dogs are too small, lazy or rambunctious to be a valuable exercise partner, Aramburu and others promise that the furballs just need the proper instruction, some practice and the right activity match. "We have 5-pound dogs doing 5Ks with us," Celapino says. "Your dog can be trained just like you can."
[See: Easy Ways to Get 10,000 Steps a Day.]
2. Don't expect paw-fection.
When Alissa Rogol, a 34-year-old lawyer-by-training who's now in medical school, tells friends about doga, they're surprised Bella has the patience to participate. But the truth is, she isn't always a star student -- and that's OK. "If Bella is just not having any of it, we just let her do her thing and we do our thing," Farkas says. Whether your furry fitness partner follows instruction, he or she is sure to make you laugh -- an element that can turn your workout from a pain to a pleasure. "Let's face it: People hire trainers because they hate working out and they need the motivation," Celapino says, "so bringing their dogs -- it's killing two birds with one stone."
[See: 10 Tips to Lighten Up and Laugh.]
3. Put safety first.
Celapino's classes have one rule: no retractable leashes, which don't allow for enough control of your dog. Aramburu also stresses keeping pups on a literal tight leash so you don't trip yourself or step on your dog. It's also important to keep plenty of water nearby -- no matter the temperature outside -- and to let your furry partner rest when needed, Aramburu says. "You have to know your animal," she says. "Don't push them too much because obviously they can't tell you how they're feeling."
[See: 7 Signs You Should Stop Exercising Immediately.]
4. Teach an old dog new tricks -- slowly.
You wouldn't sign up for a half-marathon if you hadn't run a mile in years; nor should your dog be expected to complete an hourlong high-intensity class if she's never been on a longer-than-10-minute walk. Instead, start with walking and increase your furry friend's distance incrementally. Want more of a challenge? Try involving your pooch in a circuit training workout by, say, commanding him to shake when you lunge, racing through an obstacle course made of dog agility equipment or ordering him to stay while you sprint up a hill, Aramburu suggests. "That works their mental and physical muscles because it's really hard for a dog to wait," she says.
5. Just move.
As with any humans-only workout regimen, it's not how you move that matters most; it's that you do so at all. "Think of your fur baby as exercise on a leash," says Alice Marino, a New York City certified personal trainer for people and pets who says walking with your dog -- cellphone free -- is the best bonding you can do. If doga is more your pup's style, check out YouTube for guidance or just experiment on the ground with your pooch, Farkas suggests. "Just like when we do yoga," she says, "the hardest part is getting down on your mat."
