Workouts With Your Dog: 12 Moves You Can Do Together

The simplest workouts with your dog are built around the walk you already take: brisk intervals, bodyweight strength moves at a bench and short play sessions. Twenty to thirty minutes covers your legs, core and cardio while your dog gets exercise and attention at a safe pace.

As a NASM-certified trainer, I like this approach because it removes the biggest barrier to exercise: finding time. You’re already walking the dog. We’re just adding structure to it.

Below are 12 moves, a sample routine, and the safety rules that protect both of you, because the best workout is one your dog can enjoy too.

Before You Start: Safety for You and Your Dog

Good workouts with your dog start with a quick check. If you’ve been inactive or have a health condition, check with your doctor first. Ask your vet whether your dog is ready for more activity, especially if they’re overweight or have joint issues.

Use a well-fitted harness or flat collar with a standard leash. A hands-free waist belt can help, but only with a dog who already walks well on a loose leash.

Puppies, Seniors and Flat-Faced Breeds

Puppies have growing joints, so keep sessions short and playful, skip repetitive jumping and save longer runs until your vet clears it. My guide on how much exercise a dog needs covers this in more detail.

Senior dogs do best with shorter, softer outings and more rest. Watch how they move the next day.

Flat-faced breeds like pugs, French bulldogs, bulldogs and boxers can overheat and struggle to breathe quickly. Keep their sessions easy and cool.

Heat and Paws

Do the seven-second test: press the back of your hand on the pavement. If you can’t hold it there for seven seconds, it’s too hot for paws. Train early or late in the day, stick to shade and grass and bring water for both of you.

Follow local leash laws and park rules, and always pick up after your dog.

The Warm-Up: Five Minutes Together

Walk easily for three minutes and let your dog sniff. Then add arm circles, gentle leg swings while holding a fence or bench, and a few slow bodyweight squats.

This gives your dog time to loosen up and settle, and it gets your hips and knees ready for the strength work.

12 Moves for Workouts with Your Dog

These moves are grouped into cardio, strength stops and play. Pick six to eight for a session, or follow the sample routine further down.

Cardio on the Move

1. Brisk walk intervals. Walk fast for two minutes, then easy for one. Repeat four to six times. Fast means you can talk but not sing.
2. Hill or stair repeats. Find a gentle hill and walk briskly up and easily down three to five times. Skip this for puppies and seniors.
3. March and swing. For one minute, march with high knees and a strong arm swing at your dog’s pace.
4. Lateral shuffle walk. On a quiet path, side-step for 20 steps each way while your dog walks beside you on a loose leash.

Strength Stops at a Bench or Open Space

Ask your dog to sit or lie down before each set. This turns the workout into bonding exercises and training practice at the same time.

1. Bodyweight squats. Feet shoulder-width apart, sit back like you’re reaching for a chair, then stand. Do 10 to 15 reps.
2. Walking lunges. Take 8 to 10 steps per leg with a slow, controlled lower. Keep the leash short and slack so your dog stays out of your path.
3. Step-ups at a bench. Step up with one foot, stand tall, step down. Do 8 to 10 per leg. Use a low, stable step if balance is an issue.
4. Incline push-ups. Hands on the bench, body in a straight line. Do 8 to 12 reps.
5. Bench plank. Hold a plank with forearms or hands on the bench for 20 to 40 seconds while your dog practices a stay.
6. Calf raises. Rise onto your toes and lower slowly for 15 to 20 reps. Hold the bench for balance.

Play That Works You Both

1. Fetch sprints for you. Throw the toy, then jog or stride a few steps after your dog instead of standing still. Keep throws low and rolling to protect your dog’s joints. Do five to eight rounds.
2. Tug with a strong stance. Hold a sturdy tug toy in a half-squat with your core braced and pull steadily, not in sharp jerks. Let your dog win sometimes and stop if play gets too excited.

For more ideas on making the walk itself harder, see my guide to walking your dog for exercise.

Sample 25-Minute Routine

Here’s how a full session fits together.

Two or three sessions a week, on top of your normal daily walks, is plenty to start. If you want a more structured strength plan, my strength training guide builds on the same moves.

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Exercises to Do with Your Dog at Home

Bad weather happens. On those days, you can still get a short session in.

• Squats and lunges in the living room while your dog practices sit and stay.
• Hide-and-seek with a toy or treat, where you walk briskly from room to room hiding it.
• Floor stretches after your session, which pair well with my yoga for beginners at home routine.
• Gentle tug in a clear space, away from furniture and slippery floors.

Keep it short. Indoor play is great for your dog’s brain, but it doesn’t replace time outside.

Is Playing with Your Dog Exercise?

For your dog, yes. Fetch, tug and chasing a toy are real exercise. For you, it depends on how much you move.

Standing in the yard tossing a ball is mostly light activity. Moving with your dog, jogging a few steps after throws, playing tug in a half-squat or walking briskly between games turns play into exercise for you too.

Coaching Notes from a NASM Trainer

A few form cues I give most often:

• Keep the leash short and loose during strength moves. A tight leash can pull you off balance.
• Knees track over toes. In squats, lunges and step-ups, don’t let your knees cave inward.
• Brace before you pull. In tug, tighten your core first so your lower back isn’t doing the work.
• Progress slowly. Add a few reps or one more round each week, not everything at once.

This routine works for anyone. If you’re a guy looking for more structured training plans, my Men’s Fitness section has programs built for men at every stage.

Signs to Stop the Session

Stop and rest if your dog lags behind, lies down, pants heavily, drools a lot, limps or seems wobbly. Offer water and shade. If limping, stiffness, vomiting, breathing trouble or collapse shows up, stop and call your vet.

Stop for yourself too if you feel chest pain, dizziness or sharp joint pain.

Your This-Week Plan

Pick two days for the 25-minute routine. Start with one round of strength moves and four walking intervals, then add a second round by the end of the week if you both feel good.

On your other days, keep the normal walks easy. For more ways to build an active life with your dog, head to my Dogs and Active Living guide.

Quick Questions

Curious why this matters beyond fitness? Read about the health benefits of owning a dog and how dogs and mental health connect.

The Bottom Line

The best workouts with your dog build on the walk: brisk intervals, a few strength stops at a bench and short bursts of play. Twenty-five minutes, two or three times a week, works your legs, core and cardio.

Let your dog’s age, breed and the weather set the limits, warm up together and stop at the first sign of trouble. Done that way, your dog becomes the most reliable training partner you’ll have.

This article is for general education and isn’t medical or veterinary advice. If you have a heart condition, joint problems, balance issues or a recent injury, talk with your doctor before starting a new routine, and ask your vet before increasing your dog’s exercise, especially for puppies, seniors, overweight dogs and flat-faced breeds.

Stop and get medical care for chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath or a fall with possible injury. If your dog limps, collapses, vomits or struggles to breathe during exercise, stop and call your vet. This article is not a substitute for professional care.