Transcription
In this video, we are going to break down exactly what type of exercise your dog needs to reduce anxiety symptoms and build real confidence and real happiness. Because science shows that not all movement affects the brain the same way and choosing the wrong exercise can make anxiety worse instead of better.
But first, we need to understand why movement even matters. We all know how important movement is for our dogs. We all have heard it before, but I think we still don't fully understand and grasp the significance of movement. And it is directly linked to the lifestyle of wolves.
The territory of wolves in Europe, but also America, can be as big as 60,000 acres. That's about the size of Washington DC. to patrol the territory. And because it is so big, wolves basically have to be on the move all the time, it takes them about 10 days to patrol an area as big as 60,000 acres. And that also means that they can travel up to 400 miles per month. And in addition to patrolling, the hunting strategy for all wolves includes something called hounding, meaning they follow their prey, the large prey animals, until they're really exhausted before they attack.
Many aspects of the canine anatomy has not changed or has changed only very little compared to wolves despite all the breeding differences. Of course, there's huge variety in dog breeds and there are some breeds that have been built for speed like the greyhound and there are breeds that have been built for strength like the pitbull terrier. But over all dogs remain endurance athletes and there are other elements in their anatomy that point to why they are endurance athletes. For example, they do not have type 2B muscle fibers. That means that the muscles always use oxygen and do not get tired in normal outdoor conditions. And they also have a somewhat flexible lumbar spine. Some are a little bit more straight and rigid than others. But overall, the flexibility allows for different movement patterns like sprinting, light trotting, and because they do not have something like the clavicle that attaches the shoulder joint to the rest of the spine or bone structure. Of course, it also allows for higher agility, flexibility, and adaptability to different terrains.
Now, if we actually look at how much nowadays pet dogs move, if we compare that to, for example, free roaming village dogs, they move a little less than 100 miles per month, which has largely to do with the influence of humans. Of course, they settle down where humans are because it's easier access to and safer access to food, and that is probably not a bad thing. But if you compare this to pet dogs, they move less than 30 miles per month. That is about 95% less compared to wolves. Despite having an anatomy, a muscle anatomy, a bone anatomy made for endurance. And that is also because of human influence because they are now living with us. They're in our living rooms. They're at home when we go to work. And they might get a yard, but not long walks.
But again, movement for animals, like us humans, like dogs, like wolves, movement is the only meaningful way to engage with life and to stay alive. And evolution has not changed in that sense. The purpose of the brain is to produce movement. And how the brain does it is by rewarding movements that mimic or similar to the intensities that are more likely to guarantee survival. And what that means is what we're going to see in a second.
So what happens in the brain when animals move? One of the molecules that is being released when an animal moves is what it's called endocannabinoids. They are the endogenous feel-good molecules. It kind of puts an animal, as humans too, in a state of bliss and happiness. And in a study published in 2012, researchers measured the levels of endocannabinoids after 30 minutes of treadmill running in humans as well as in dogs and in ferrets. And what they observed is yes, of course, it was elevated in humans, but it was also elevated in dogs. And what that means is that dogs basically get something similar to a runner's high. The runner's high is associated with a significant increase in endocannabinoids. In humans, it is also correlating with a positive effect, which means the higher the level of endocannabinoids, the better you feel. You cannot ask dogs how they feel, but we can assume that it has a similar positive effect.
And they used ferrets because ferrets are not made for endurance. They do not have the need to travel 400 miles a month or patrol the territory. So, they do not actually have an increase in endocannabinoids after running for 30 minutes. And something else that is really important, researchers also tested whether they see the same increase in endocannabinoids after walking, not running, not trotting, but just a leisure walk. And they did not see an increase. Meaning it has to be movement that is similar to the intensities that are most beneficial for survival. And in the case of dogs, it would be something similar to trotting.
But it doesn't explain exactly yet how running or trotting for 30 minutes, for example, reduces anxiety symptoms. To answer that, we have to look at the brain a little bit closer. The limbic system is a combination of brain areas like the cerebral cortex, the hypothalamus, the amygdala, hippocampus, and they all are responsible for regulating emotional states, but also regulating the stress response. And all of these areas express high levels of receptors for endocannabinoids. Meaning these endogenous feel-good hormones bind to neurons in those areas. And what studies have shown is that when they bind to these areas, anxiety symptoms decrease in humans and rodents animal models, but the feeling of contentment and being brave increases.
And another good way to think about the effects of certain molecules is when you can when you take them completely away. What does it do to the brain and to behavior and to the emotions? And we know that because there has been a drug that is now banned called Rimonabant. I'm probably not pronouncing it correctly, but it is known to reduce appetite. And in a clinical trial with subjects that were given that drug to reduce appetite, they also have seen an increased level of anxiety, depression, and they even had cases of suicide.
And I think it's now pretty clear that just walking is a little bit too slow for dogs to get this runner's high and to actually reduce anxiety symptoms. But what about sprinting? Well, there is a few studies that show that circulating endocannabinoids indeed the concentration of those molecules indeed shown an intensity dependent response. Meaning the higher the intensity, the more cannabinoids are being released. However, that drops off once the movement and the exercise reaches a very high intensity like sprints. The most significant increase has been associated with moderate intensities. So walking as a very low and sprinting as a very high intensity exercise does not release endocannabinoids the same way as trotting, for example. And yes, the evidence comes from a limited set of studies, but they have been very consistent. And if you relate this to evolution, it does make sense. If you have to cover 60,000 acres of territory or if you have to hound large prey and wait until they're exhausted, you're not going to sprint after them. You have to be able to hold your moderate trotting speed for a very long time. And this is exactly what the brain rewards and reinforces by releasing those endocannabinoids.
So what does that mean for you and your dog? You have a couple of options how you can give your dog the 20 to 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise. Of course, you have your walk. Now, here you have to be careful that if you have to put your dog in the heel and the dog has to walk in your pace and speed, it is likely going to be too slow. So, I do like to put my dog on a flexi lead so my dog has the option to zigzag around me and pick a speed that is a little bit more moderately intense and a little faster than my own speed. And of course, you have your hikes. Same here. If you can put your dog off leash, put a long flexi lead or long line on your dog so you can allow for a little bit more diverse movement. I do think that social play, not just the the classic fetch where the dog goes into high intensity predatory mode, but social play is mimicking the moderate intensity. It's going to be hard to play for 30 minutes or 20 minutes at a time, but it is definitely an option. And then of course you have running. If you have to put your dog on a treadmill, make sure that you actually use the trotting speed. Ideally, you use nature green exercise, meaning you run with your dog outside. Build up to 30 minutes moderate intensity. If your dog is not used to it, don't start with 20 or 30 minutes right away. Your dog has to build up the muscles and the endurance to do so, otherwise it becomes aversive.
And I like to include diversity of movement as much as I can. Meaning giving my dog the freedom to maybe hold and pause for a moment to sniff, but also zigzag around, jump over tree logs, go a little faster, go a little bit slower. Start with once a week if you are not used to and if you feel like this is going to be too much and build up to three to four times a week. If your dog is anxious, is timid, shows symptoms of anxiety, you will want to track anxiety symptoms from week one, day one up until 6 weeks. These exercise induced effects do not happen overnight. They are not like drugs. The brain and the body has to adjust over time. Track anxiety symptoms over up to 6 weeks.
And for a little bit more inspiration, here's some B-roll of my dogs.