Dogs Make you Exercise and you Live Longer

Esther’s writing prompt: August 26, 2026 : Exercise

Click here or here  to join in.

Esther’s current prompt is Exercise. Dog owners tend to live longer than others and one reason for that is that dogs force you to exercise. You should walk your dogs every day because they need the exercise and they love sniffing around. Dogs really enjoy their walk and so should you. If you have a large adult dog, you should walk it at least one hour per day. A Leonberger dog should have at least 1-2 hours of physical activity each day, which can include walks, hikes, swimming, or interactive play sessions. Sometimes they make you run for better and for worse, and running is good exercise, as long as you don’t fall. See the story below.

This AI generated illustration shows a man walking on a path through a lush forest.
Walking the dog (a Leonberger) through a forest. There’s peace, fresh air, and exercise for both of you, and objects to sniff for the dog. I generated this picture with the help of ChatGPT.

When Our Leonberger Bronco Made Me Run like Crazy

A couple of times, Bronco took advantage of the fact that the snap hook on his leash would come loose and detach from his collar. One day this became a big problem. Bronco ran off, and I chased him—across the street, across people’s lawns, across the street again, and back over neighboring lawns. When he ran in circles, I ran in circles right behind him, yelling at him. He would stop and wait for me, and then as soon as I got close, he would start running again. I even jumped to catch him a few times. But he dashed off both times, and I just landed flat on my belly.

A man is holding a leash and running after a Leonberger dog. They are running on green grass. The man is shouting.
I am running after our Leonberger Bronco, unable to catch up. I generated this picture with the help of ChatGPT.
A man is holding a leash and running after a Leonberger dog. They are running on green grass. The man is falling.
I am running after our Leonberger Bronco and I am falling. I generated this picture with the help of ChatGPT.

Bronco had a lot of fun doing this. I imagined him laughing at me, and I got angry. Dogs can’t laugh, of course, but his tail was wagging in excitement, and it was obviously a game to him—a dangerous game.

So, I asked him, “Do you want to be lost? Bad things happen to dogs who get lost.” I don’t know how much of that he understood, but I had to tell him the truth. Then I turned around and started walking home. I figured I’d never catch him, so it was better for me to go back and get help. (It was 2008, and I didn’t have a cell phone.) Naturally, I worried that Bronco would get hit by a car. I was also worried about the damage an energetic 130-pound adolescent dog could do to the neighborhood.

The man and the Leonberger dog are standing on grass at a distance from each other (about 100 yards). The man is shouting at the Leonberger who is looking at the man.
Me shouting at Bronco from a distance. I generated this picture with the help of ChatGPT.

As I stomped off, I turned around to look at Bronco. He stood still, around a hundred yards away, staring back at me. He seemed confused. I continued walking. After a while, I heard the soft slapping of big paws on the road behind me, accompanied by some distinctly noisy breathing. Then I saw Bronco walking next to me, so I carefully snapped the leash back onto his collar. He let me do it without protest. He was finished playing games. We walked home calmly, and the next day I bought a new and better leash.

A man and a Leonberger are walking together on the sidewalk. This time the Leonberger dog is leashed.
Finally Bronco was finished playing games. I generated this picture with the help of ChatGPT.

Well sometimes the situation below may happen with a Leonberger. This happened to my wife and to my daughter. Our Leonberger Bronco was dragging them as they desperately tried to hold him. In this case the exercise the dog gets is of better quality than what the woman gets.

An illustration of our Leonberger Bronco dragging my wife who is lying flat on the ground.
My wife Claudia and Bronco. This was not Claudia’s best dog walk. This picture was drawn by Naomi Rosenblatt.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts

Unknown's avatar

Author: thomasstigwikman

My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.

19 thoughts on “Dogs Make you Exercise and you Live Longer”

  3. I am definitely on board with the importance of exercise; I credit regular use of the rowing machine with helping me not die and stuff during The Event. Of course, the rowing machine doesn’t get the dogs walked …

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Although not as big as Bronco, Sam certainly kept me fit. Apart from our two long walks a day we had a big garden where he could let off steam with balls and frisbees… even just throwing those for an hour is good for the owner… Our cat does play hide and seek and race madly around the garden for about 60 seconds but not nearly as healthy for me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes I can imagine, throwing frisbees is great exercise and your book about Sam was a wonderful read. Seeing life from the perspective of the dog was such an interesting experience. Yes cats does not give you the same exercise but they are very cute and lovely. Unfortunately, I am allergic cats.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. I wish I was fitter and able to run with Maya on the beach, but it’s as much as I can do to walk round the block just now. Hubby gets the mobility scooter out and she knows she’s on for a long walk, and we also take her down the field several times a week to give her a run. We love to see that as she’s having so much fun, and for her size (36kgs) she’s fast!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Well, at least Maya gets good exercise. You are doing a wonderful job with Maya. At some point in our lives running is no longer feasible for us. I am going to be there in a decade. Dogs get old a lot faster than we do, and you have to deal with that.

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much Robbie. It is very easy but certainly not as nice as real photos and real art. With ChatGPT you just have to give very specific instructions in specific and clear sentences. ChatGPT misunderstands easily. For example, in the picture with the falling guy, I said to turn the Leonberger’s head to the left from the perspective of the dog (not ours), and it turned it right from the dog’s perspective instead. I guess that got too complicated for it. I kept it though because it did not matter.

      You are right Bronco was having fun but I was getting angry at him.

      Like

      Reply

  9. I don’t know about you, Thomas, but taking our dogs for a walk was usually much more emjoyable than other forms of exercise. It’s good for the dogs, us, and certainly helps the bond between dogs and humans. If I recall, you may have mentioned that you have been exercising (jogging?) lately. How’s that going? I still go to the gym, but I now have to take a day off in between because my body needs longer to recover.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment