If you really want to be successful losing weight, you need to exercise. That’s the reality. It’s one commonality you’ll hear from people who have lost weight and kept it off. But getting motivated to take that walk isn’t always easy. Fortunately dogs don’t have problems with motivation.

Dogs love to go for walks. Even if you are not feeling motivated and up to a daily walk, your dog is still more than happy to follow you around with those puppy dog eyes waiting for you to give in and go.

At our dog’s last vet visit, we were told our dog needed to lose a few pounds and were asked about how much exercise she got. Although we live in the country on several acres of land where our dog has the freedom to romp and play at will; our vet pointed out it’s not the same as giving her daily exercise like a walk or run would. And, he only half-jokingly pointed out as he patted my husband’s found stomach, it a daily walk with the dog wouldn’t do my husband any harm either.

So my husband, I, and the dog started to take a daily walk. I go along on these walks, but I don’t actually hold the leash. Our dog doesn’t actually belive in going for a “walk.” Instead, she prefers to go for a “drag.” We think she’d make a great sled dog since she always wants tension in her leash and will pull and pull and pull. It hurts my arm just to hold the leash so I make my husband do it.

We started slow with our first walks being just one mile. That’s important to remember – start slow. You don’t want to overdo it at first so just take it easy and start where you can. Now we take the dog on three or four mile walks just about every night. And the dog isn’t about to let us off the hook when we don’t feel like going. She just keeps on waiting right by the dog reminding us that it’s time to go for a walk.

We do our best not to miss any nights since the dog has become accustomed to the routine (and so have we). We only skip a night if the weather is particularly bad.

Has all that walking helped? It sure has. When our dog got her shots last week she had lost two pounds. My husband has lost nearly 10 pounds over the last three months by going on the daily walks. He hasn’t made any modifications to his diet or added any other exercise. Just the walking itself has resulted in the weight loss for him.

Now I’m not going to tell you to get a dog just so that you can have someone to make you walk every night, but if you have a dog, then take advantage of your exercise partner. It’s good for both of you.

And, if you have been wanting to get a dog anyway and are ready for the commitment of caring for a dog and giving it the exercise it needs, then visit your local pound and talk to them about adopting a dog who needs a loving home.