This article was created in collaboration with QPaws.

Tracking your dog’s daily activities (training sessions, walks and behaviour) helps you train smarter, spot health problems before they become serious and understand what your dog really needs. Whether you regularly take part in canicross races or just need objective data about your dog’s health, here is how activity tracking works and why it’s worth starting to do it for your dog.

How can you track your dog’s activity?

There are different ways to get started with activity tracking:

• Wearable devices that automatically track activity and collect data throughout the day
• Mobile apps, such as Qpaws, that allow you to record and monitor activity using your phone.
• Manual logging of training sessions, and health or behaviour observations.

Why should you start tracking your dog’s activity?

Tracking your dog’s training sessions, walks and other activities can be the key to improving their performance and wellbeing. It also helps you notice changes over time, making it easier to identify and address potential health or behavioural issues before they become more serious.

Three ways activity tracking can help your dog:

• Improve performance in dog sports
• Monitor health and wellbeing
• Support behaviour training

Improve performance in dog sports

Success in dog sports is not a matter of chance. It comes from careful planning, consistent training and adapting your approach according to your dog’s progress. If you compete in canicross, bikejoring or scootering, your dog is an athlete, and all athletes need a training log.

Keeping track of every training session helps you understand your dog’s limits and build a training plan that maximises performance while reducing their risk of injury. For example, if your dog develops muscle soreness, you can review your most recent sessions to identify whether the training was too intense. The same applies to you: don’t forget to track and log your own training sessions and structured strength training that is a must when taking part in these sports.

Learn more in our article “Training at the Gym for Canicross, Bikejoring and Scootering: A Guide for the Handler”.

Overtraining can lead to injuries, fatigue and a loss of motivation, so scheduling regular recovery days is just as important as the training itself. Since all dogs are different, you can use your activity tracking to choose recovery days for your canine athlete!

Tracking also helps you identify what works best. When you notice improvements in performance, you can look back at your training log to see exactly what led to those results and keep going with this successful routine.

Finally, an activity tracker is a valuable tool when preparing for competitions as you can match your training sessions to the characteristics of your next race.

Monitor health and wellbeing

→ Joint sensitivity and chronic pain

Anyone who has cared for a dog with joint pain knows how difficult it can be to find the right balance between too much exercise and too little activity.

By tracking your dog’s movement, you can better understand their limits. If your dog becomes sore or starts limping, you can review their recent activity to identify whether they may have overdone it. This allows you to adjust their exercise routine, recovery time or, under your veterinarian’s guidance, their pain management plan.

Activity tracking is also a way to evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments. Whether you’re introducing a medication, supplement or rehabilitation program, seeing how it impacts your dog’s activity over time can help you determine whether it’s making a difference.

Your dog’s activity history can also provide valuable information for your veterinarian during both routine check-ups and emergency visits.

Consider tracking your dog’s activity if they have:

• Arthritis
• Hip or elbow dysplasia
• Recently undergone joint surgery
• Unexplained or recurring lameness
• Stiffness, especially after resting
• Signs of chronic pain

→ Other medical conditions

Activity tracking isn’t only useful for joint problems. Many medical conditions can affect your dog’s energy levels, mobility and overall wellbeing.

Monitoring your dog’s activity can help you evaluate how well treatments are working and detect any possible side effects from medication early. Just as with joint disease, the data can reveal a decline that might otherwise go unnoticed and help you better understand your dog’s capabilities and needs.

Activity tracking can be particularly helpful for dogs with:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Respiratory disease
• Epilepsy
• Cushing’s disease
• Cancer

→ Overweight dogs

Helping an overweight dog reach a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for their long-term health. Excess weight increases the risk of many diseases, places additional strain on their joints and heart, and can shorten their lifespan.

Tracking your dog’s activity throughout their weight-loss journey helps you understand which types of exercise are most effective and appropriate for them. It also helps you stay consistent with your weight-loss plan, whether it was recommended by your veterinarian or created at home.

In some cases, and with your veterinarian’s guidance, activity tracking can also help you adjust your dog’s diet to match food quantity to activity, reducing the risk of overfeeding.

→ Senior dogs

Senior dogs also benefit greatly from activity tracking. One of the biggest mistakes is assuming they should spend their retirement on the sofa. While their exercise may need to be adapted, staying active is essential for their health and wellbeing. Staying active helps maintain muscle mass which supports aging joints, promotes cardiovascular health and makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight.

Tracking your senior dog’s activity can help you notice gradual changes in mobility or endurance. A consistent decline may be an early sign that it’s time for a check-up at the vet’s, so any health issues can be identified and treated sooner.

Long-term activity data also provides an objective record of your dog’s decline over time. This can support discussions with your veterinarian, helping you make informed decisions about treatment options and preserving your dog’s quality of life.

→ Growing puppies

While puppies need to explore the world for socialization, it’s just as important to carefully manage how much exercise they get. Because puppy bones and joints are still developing, excessive or inappropriate exercise can increase the risk of injuries and developmental joint problems, including dysplasia.

What if your dog is healthy?

Activity tracking isn’t just for dogs with medical conditions, it’s also a great way to establish what is a healthy baseline for your dog. If you know what is normal for your dog, you are much more likely to notice subtle changes that could indicate the early stages of a health problem.

Health issues don’t always present as tiredness or lethargy. A dog that suddenly becomes unusually restless or hyperactive, despite getting their usual level of exercise, may be telling you that something isn’t right.

Having objective, long-term activity data can be invaluable if your dog ever needs veterinary care. Instead of relying on memory, you can show your veterinarian exactly when your dog’s activity started changing and how quickly it happened.

Support behaviour training

→ Sensitive and reactive dogs

Living with a fearful or reactive dog can be exhausting and can make even everyday walks feel challenging.

You can start tracking your daily walks to create a valuable record to help identify patterns when you include such information as :

• Duration
• Location
• Triggers encountered
• Your dog’s reactions
• Successful calm encounters or sightings
• Any other observations from the walk

All that information can help you not only track your progress but, more importantly, understand which walks are worth repeating and which are best avoided.

Tracking can be particularly useful when working with a traumatised dog, whether they’re newly adopted or have struggled for years. Progress is often so gradual that it’s easy not to notice it. Looking back over several weeks of activity records can provide objective proof of improvement, helping you stay motivated. The data can also provide your dog trainer with valuable information when planning the next steps of your dog’s rehabilitation.

An activity tracker can also help you establish a predictable daily routine. This simple aspect of behaviour management is frequently overlooked but following an established schedule often helps sensitive dogs feel more secure.

→ Under- or over-exercised dogs

The right amount of exercise is different for every dog. Tracking activity and behaviour over time can help you determine whether your dog is getting too little, too much or just the right amount of physical activity.

When a dog’s exercise and mental stimulation don’t match their individual needs, frustration, stress or boredom can develop. This may contribute to behavioural issues such as destructive behaviour, excessive barking, difficulty settling or repetitive behaviours like excessive licking.

→ Overtired puppies

Puppies need a high amount of sleep to grow and develop properly. It’s a common misconception that an overexcited puppy simply needs more exercise. In reality, overtired puppies often become even more restless and struggle to settle.

If your puppy has difficulty relaxing, review your activity log and consider reducing the amount of exercise or enrichment for a few days. Tracking their routine makes it easier to find the balance that leaves them content rather than overtired.

Ready to start? Track your dog’s activity with QPaws

Whether your goal is improving performance, managing a medical condition or simply keeping an eye on your dog’s wellbeing, tracking their activity gives you valuable insights.

If you’re ready to start tracking your dog’s activities, QPaws makes it simple.

With QPaws, you can:

• Track dog sports such as canicross, bikejoring, scooterjoring, skijoring and more.
• Log walks, hikes and other daily activities.
• Keep a health journal to record symptoms, treatments, medications and important observations.
• Review your dog’s history to identify trends, monitor progress and share useful information with your veterinarian or dog trainer.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Always consult your veterinarian about your dog’s health, exercise and treatment plans.