Is walking my dog a good way to exercise?

Walking your dog is a great way to get in some exercise.  Dogs love to walk, but in order to gain benefit from the walk, you want to make sure your dog doesn't meander and just sniff around.  You want your walk to be at a good pace.  You can use the perceived exertion menthod to determine if you are walking fast enough.  You should be at about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being very intense and not being able to carry on a conversation.  Walking you dog is an easy way to help you reach the recommended goal of 10,000 steps per day.

Walking the dog is a good way to exercise, however, you have to be cognizant of your dog's fitness level.  If your dog is not used to walking or running any distance, then you need to work your dog up to a certain distance, just like you have to work yourself up.