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.

In fact, dogs love to go for walks (or runs). So you can count on your dog to provide you with motivation to get out there and take that walk you’ve been putting off.

The exercise is good for not just you, but your dog too. The last time we took our dog to the vet, we were told that she needed to lose a few pounds too. The vet then asked us how much exercise she got. I said since we live out in the country, she’s free to go run around as much as she wants to on our property. But he told us that isn’t the same as taking the dog out fo daily exercise like a walk.

So a few month’s ago the daily walks with our dog and my husband started. I go along on the walks but I don’t actually hold the leash because our dog doesn’t really walk, she pulls on the leash like an Alaskan sled dog because she wants to go faster and smell more things. I have a hard time controlling the dog when she’s in the mood to pull on the leash like that, which is most of the time and she’s not a huge dog, she weighs less than 50 pounds but she’s strong enough to nearly pull my husband off his feet if he’s not paying attention when she sees a rabbit or squirrel that she thinks needs to be chased.

At first the walks were only a mile in duration. Now my husband and dog, her name is Montana, walk three to four miles a day, walking for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. There are days my husband does not feel like going for a walk. But, Montana knows the routine at our house. After my husband walks in the door at night and has eaten she knows it is time for a walk. That’s when Montana starts to act like she glued to my husband. She follows him around the house, dancing around him, licking his hand when she can, wagging her tail, and looking at him in that happy “we are going for a walk now aren’t we” way.

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.

At this point you’re probably wondering if we saw any results. We did. The dog lost two pounds by taking her nightly walks. My husband lost 10 pounds without making any changes to what or how much he eats. I lost even more than that but I also make some changes to what I ate.

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 all this talk about the benefits of having a dog has pushed you over the edge now and you’re ready to get one, head on down to your local animal shelter and think about adoptiong a dog in need of a loving home.