Exercising your Dog – How little can you get away with?

If you don’t want to exercise a dog then why have one? I see articles all the time espousing the health benefits of owning a dog—especially for seniors. Yet we all know people who own dogs but do not exercise them nearly enough, if at all.

This is not good for the dog, or the owner. Especially for the dog, who often ends up at the dog pound because the dog is too destructive, chewing shoes or pillows, scratching doors, digging holes in the yard, jumping the fence to escape, or dogs that are too loud, barking and whining constantly.

• A couple from my work has a one-year-old lab-pit bull mix, an old bulldog, and two young children. They have no time to exercise the young dog, or even train it. I’m afraid this dog may be on borrowed time.

• An overweight neighbor just got a one-year-old lab. He says she’s a great companion, but we can see the dog is putting on weight and is not getting enough exercise.  I wonder what will happen once winter comes and there is ice on the sidewalk. I recommended to him that he take her to obedience class in the winter as a great way to tire the dog out.

 “A tired dog is a good dog,” is an old saying that I’ve always tried to stick to. Click here to see the benefits of a tired dog.

It works. I’ve never had a destructive dog—ever. But I’ve always given my dog top priority for exercise. , I even took up agility lessons for one of my springer spaniels.  Plus my dogs received lots of obedience training.

Advice to people considering a dog

• 2 hours of exercise per day for a young dog  
• 1 hour each day for an older one.
• Not all at one time, but broken up between several
  walks, runs, ball playing or other exercise.
• Also provide mental stimulation with training,
  tricks, or games.

If you can’t exercise your dog that much, then get a senior dog, or a low energy dog.

Dogs are great motivators—they encourage you to take them out, to do something with them when they are bored. They get you outside and moving.

Dogs provide great health benefits—emotional, physical, and mental benefits.

• A survey of almost 700 people showed that people
  with dogs spent almost four hours per week walking their pets according to
  researchers at Liverpool’s Institute of Veterinary Science. This was in
  addition to other types of exercise (Tufts,
  August 2019).
  • This is a lot less than my recommended amount,
    but still shows the time needed for exercising your dog.
• Walking outdoors has a greater effect on mental
  well-being than indoor exercise according to a study published in Environmental
  Science & Technology (Tufts,
  August 2019).
  • Even walking in the cold and wet (not the
    pouring rain) makes me feel better than exercising at the gym.
• Social benefits also occur from walking your
  dog. Buffy doesn’t like to go on long walks so sometimes I put her in a
  stroller. Tonight three people stopped to pet her.
  • Dogs can also provide great companionship for
    senior citizens—but not always.

Get a dog that fits your lifestyle, whether it is a couch potato or an exercise fiend. Also consider the dog’s age, health, energy level, and breed. Develop a backup plan in case you are not able to properly exercise your active dog due to an illness or injury.

Your dogs will change their activity needs as they age, just like us. A young puppy only needs short bursts of activity, while a six-month to three year-old dog typically needs the most activity. Middle aged dogs are often content with less exercise. Senior dogs are prone to injury if you exercise them too much.

A dog’s temperament also has a lot do with their exercise needs. Buffy, my blind ten-year-old cocker spaniel has to be strongly encouraged to even walk around the block. I would like to do a lot more, so I have her ride in a stroller, which she loves!

How much exercise do you give your dog? What is her age and breed?