Indoor dog gyms are on the rise all over the country, and we’re all for the trend. In some locales, for months on end the weather is either too hot or too cold for adequate outdoor activity. Just like for people, a climate-controlled fitness center is the solution for getting a dog’s muscles moving and her brain’s mood-stabilizing endorphins flowing.
If the gym has a pool, so much the better. We’re not talking kiddie pools. Some gyms have pools the size of those in which people do laps. A dog is not going to swim back and forth from one end to the other over and over as a person would, of course, but videos of dogs’ ecstatic splashing around help prove that aquatic activities make for good aerobic exercise.
For older dogs or dogs of any age suffering from arthritis or other wear-and-tear conditions, being held aloft in the water may provide not just fun but also relief. Just as so many people with arthritis prefer swimming to landlubber activities, so it goes with dogs. The pool provides an opportunity for free-form physical therapy.
Not for every dog
Not all dogs are comfortable with other dogs and therefore shouldn’t be taken to a communal canine setting. Not all dogs like the water, either. But for dogs who enjoy socializing with others of their own kind and look forward to the chance to have a dip, a gym with a pool might be just the venue where they can work out — both for their bodies and their minds. Some canine fitness centers with pools even offer swimming lessons for puppies and dogs unaccustomed to swimming but seem game to try it (and private swim time for dogs who don’t want to be around other dogs). Others may offer special one-on-one help for dogs whose bodies would respond well to aquatic physical therapy, either because of an illness or to recover from a surgery.
When choosing an indoor gym with a pool for your dog, do some common sense scoping. Make sure the facility is clean and that there’s no exposed waste in common areas. And make sure proof of vaccination is required for all dogs so yours doesn’t pick up an illness from another person’s pet. Finally, don’t let your dog go at it too hard at first. Like people, dogs have to amp up gradually rather than throwing themselves into a new physical activity like a weekend warrior who then ends up with overly sore joints and muscles.
