Puppy yoga is a growing fitness trend that originated in the USA and the UK. While puppies roam freely around the studio, the participants do their exercises, and petting and cuddling is openly encouraged. However, the trend has faced criticism from animal rights activists, particularly for the way it has been popularised through social media.
© Rodica / stock.adobe.com
At puppy yoga sessions, adorable young puppies romp around the studio. However, this practice has drawn criticism from animal welfare advocates.
From Vienna to Paris, from London to Munich: Puppy yoga is conquering Europe’s major cities. The new fitness trend is offered in special studios where participants meet to practise together. What’s different about it is that while the yogis do their asanas such as the shoulder stand, camel pose or boat pose, cute puppies are prancing around the room.
The puppies romping around between the yoga mats are intended to touch the hearts of the participants, put them in a good mood and thus get the ‘Qi’, the life energy, flowing.
Puppy yoga providers typically include cuddling, stroking, photographing and filming the animals as part of the concept. Which hardly comes as a surprise: After all, their soft fur, puppy-dog eyes and their little snouts are simply irresistible.
Puppy yoga combines two topics that already work well on social media: Yoga (or wellness) and cute puppies. As a result, yogis who share photos and videos from these one-of-a-kind sessions on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms are hoping to attract plenty of views and likes.
While the participants are still selecting the best snaps for their posts, the puppies are usually given a short break before the next class begins – as they usually require lots of sleep.
In the end, the cute puppies could end up napping during the yoga class instead of serving the yogis as photoworthy subjects and cuddling objects.
Puppy yoga emerged a few years ago in the USA and the UK. Since 2023, photos and videos of the new fitness trend have been increasingly circulating on the social media. Many influencers and athletes have already tried puppy yoga, including the FC Bayern Munich soccer players.
Television, magazines and newspapers are constantly reporting on this cute fitness trend. The result: new providers are cropping up and new studios are being opened, especially in major cities.
Yoga with puppies brings benefits to its human participants. In addition to soothing stretching and breathing exercises, it also does something for the heart – as well as providing content for social media.
People with anxiety disorders in particular can experience an improvement in their symptoms with yoga classes with puppies. After all, contact with animals can indeed be beneficial as the therapeutic benefits of animal-assisted treatments have long been recognised.
And what about the four-legged mini-yogis? By taking part in the yoga class, puppies become familiar with different environmental stimuli, which would help them to become well socialised. At least that’s what the providers of puppy yoga say. Is it true? Animal rights activists have their doubts.
Animal welfare activists emphasise that every puppy is unique. While some may actually enjoy the constant petting during puppy yoga, others are more likely to be frightened or overwhelmed. For sensitive puppies, taking part in a yoga class can mean total sensory overload.
If the puppies learn that they can’t rely on their caregiver in situations like these, it can hinder their socialisation. Animal welfare advocates also warn that the young dogs could injure themselves if they wander around the moving participants during the yoga session.
In general, many animal lovers reject the commercial use of animals as sports equipment or for entertainment purposes. This is because the focus would always be on their benefits for humans, not on animal welfare.
To protect animals from exploitation, there are animal welfare laws in place. In Germany, for example, the Animal Welfare Act stipulates that anyone using puppies for commercial purposes must obtain a licence from the relevant authority (§ 11 TierSchG). Many puppy yoga providers do not have this licence – and as a result, some yoga classes in Stuttgart have already been banned by the local veterinary office.
Many puppy yoga providers claim that they do not breed dogs themselves. Instead, they work with breeders whose animals they borrow for their yoga classes at just a few weeks old. This means the puppies often endure a stressful car journey before even entering the yoga room, where they may take part in one or more classes back-to-back.
While most providers claim to work exclusively with reputable breeders and to visit the breeding facilities in advance, it cannot be entirely ruled out that puppies from questionable sources are also used in puppy yoga – including those from so-called “puppy farms” operated by the notorious puppy mafia.
Animal rights activists also fear that social media hypes such as puppy yoga will further fuel the already high demand for cute puppies. Modern breeds such as Pugs, Pomeranians and French Bulldogs are particularly affected, as they often suffer from characteristics resulting from cruel breeding practices.
Animal welfare advocates have long urged dog lovers to adopt from shelters rather than buy puppies from breeders. However, trends like puppy yoga seem to undermine these efforts: they drive up demand for cute puppies of specific breeds, while animal shelters are often so overcrowded that they are forced to stop taking in new animals.
By the way, puppy yoga with shelter dogs is not exactly an option. Many facilities simply don’t have the staff to drive the four-legged friends to the yoga studio and pick them up again afterwards. In addition, many animal rights activists take a critical view of this new fitness trend for the reasons already mentioned.
Puppy yoga should not be confused with dog yoga, which has been established for years. Including your own (adult) dog at home in your personal yoga practice is not a problem from an animal welfare point of view – as long as its needs are respected.
If you would like to try puppy yoga, you should definitely find out more in advance. Where do the puppies come from? How long are they used per day and how many rest breaks are they allowed? If you have any doubts about whether the puppies are being treated well in a yoga studio, you should refrain from taking part – for the sake of the puppies.
"A life without a pug is possible, but pointless," Loriot once said. I would unreservedly agree and add: "A life without horse, cat and rabbit as well!" My heart beats for all animals big and small and I have the great fortune to be able to write about my passion as a freelance author. With my articles I would like to raise awareness for animal welfare and give useful tips to animal lovers.
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