Walking your four-legged friend is a daily chore, but could it help you lose weight? A study published in the journal Obesity found that dog owners walked more and got most of their physical activity with their canine companions.

Dogs are Getting Fatter Along with Their Humans

As jobs have gotten less physical and portion sizes have gone up, many people have put on extra weight—and they’re not the only ones suffering the ill effects of declining physical activity. For similar reasons, pet dogs are gaining weight as well.

Since the solution to excess weight is similar for pets as it is for humans—exercise more, eat less—the study examined whether people and their dogs could benefit from teaming up to lose weight together.

Exercising with Pets

The 2006 study, which spanned a year, examined how exercising with pet dogs affected people’s weight loss. Thirty-six human-dog duos and 56 people without pets participated in the study. The people participants were mostly women, with an average age of 45 and average Body Mass Index (BMI) of 36. They went to group counseling sessions about healthy diet and exercise habits. Dog owners fed their pets a prescription, calorie-restricted diet and were told to play actively with their dogs as much as they could. In addition, participants filled out surveys about their physical activity.

Teaming Up to Slim Down

Participants who owned dogs didn’t lose significantly more weight than those who didn’t, but they were more active. Dog owners walked more than people who didn’t have pets, which was true even before the study began. Two-thirds of dog owners’ physical activity happened during playtime with their pets.

Dogs – An Effective Social Support for Weight Loss

Exercising with your dog is helpful for the same reason that hitting the gym with friends is: social support is a great motivator. The study noted that people are more active when they have workout partners and, what’s more, dogs make more reliable partners than friends or co-workers. Your canine partner will always be ready for your evening walk, even if you would rather watch TV.

In surveys, some participants complained that the other people in their lives were either actively or passively attempting to sabotage their attempts at weight loss. Dogs, however, are always faithfully ready for playtime—and just try saying no to that pleading face when you’d rather skip your daily exercise!

How Can a Pet Dog Help with Weight Loss?

Although the study participants with dogs didn’t lose significantly more weight, a dog can still help you get in shape. If you’ve been considering getting a companion pet and would like to walk, run and play outside more, consider getting an active breed. Adopting a dog, especially one that requires plenty of time and space for activity, is a major commitment, so be sure that you can maintain your new exercise habits over the long-term.

If you already have a dog, or if you want one and it would fit your lifestyle, it could encourage you to stay more active. Although you may not lose more weight than you would alone, you will certainly find it easier to stay motivated with the support of your canine companion.

Matthew Papa has a medical background that allows him to research the field of obesity, an epidemic that affects humans as well as their pets. Interestingly, a recent peer-reviewed study estimates that more than a quarter of cats and dogs are obese.