5 Reasons to Get Outdoors with Your Dog

Spending time outdoors benefits both you and your dog. Exercise, mental stimulation, and fresh air are a must for your dog’s health, happiness, and overall well-being. If your dog is like most dogs, hearing the word “outside” or “walk” results in plenty of excited barking and a non-stop wagging tail.

Keep reading to learn five reasons while getting outdoors with your dog is so important. With a sliding door pet door, your dog can enjoy fresh air even when you’re not home.

1. Daily Exercise & Weight Control

Dogs that spend too much time indoors are at a higher risk of weight gain. Too much sleeping and relaxing can lead to excessive energy and a lack of calorie burning. Overweight dogs are more likely to experience joint problems, diabetes, heart disease, and digestive issues.

2. Improved Mental Health

Spending time outdoors not only improves your dog’s physical health, but it also has a huge impact on mental health as well. Routine outside stimulation can cause dogs to become restless, depressed, and anxious. Dogs need to keep their minds occupied and their bodies busy. A stressed or anxious dog is more likely to show signs of depression and anxiety, so take plenty of time to get outdoors.

3. Lowered Risk of Boredom

A dog that doesn’t spend enough time outside is likely to become extremely bored. Most breeds loathe spending hours a day stuck inside the home. This not only increases the risk of anxiety and depression but increases the risk of boredom.

A bored dog is a dangerous dog. A dog lacking exercise and mental stimulation is more likely to:

• Chew
• Bark excessively
• Get into the trash, cabinets, etc.

Keep your home safe and your mind at ease by simply soaking up more sun and fresh air when you’re with your pet.

4. Free Vitamin D

Like humans, dogs also need vitamin D in order to stay healthy. Spending time in the sun gives your dog an extra (and free!) boost of vitamin D. This is a crucial vitamin for maintaining calcium and phosphorous levels in the body.

Be aware that too much sun exposure can be dangerous, especially for dogs that have a thin coat or who are light colored.

5. Grass & Dirt Feel Good

As much as you may dislike it as an owner, dogs love digging in the dirt and rolling in the grass. Digging, rolling, and romping around allow your dog to soak in the earth’s magnetism. This will rejuvenate your dog and allow him to live his best life.

Lacking Time? A Pet Door Can Help

While you’d love to spend all of your time at home with your dog, the fact is that we all lead busy lives. From work to school to running errands, there is a lot that humans have to do outside of the home.

If you want to ensure that your dog gets plenty of time outdoors, be sure to invest in a sliding door pet door. At Australia Pet Doors, we offer a wide variety of pet door inserts. We have electronic dog doors, flaps for smaller dogs, and even pet doors for some of the largest dog breeds.

Don’t risk an unhappy dog. Give your pet the freedom to roam and wander with a dog door insert for glass door from Australia Pet Doors. Contact us to get started on your order.