How Often Should I Walk My Dog? Understanding Your Dog’s Health

man running with his dog in forest

Dogs need physical activities as much as humans. Regular exercise keeps them fit and healthy like us. However, there are different factors to keep in mind when it comes to your pet’s well-being. Breed, size, eating habits, activity level, and age all play a significant factor. So, before you run with your dog or take them in short walks, please take time to do a little research about the recommended regular exercise methods for your canine buddies.

Luckily for you, we prepared exciting information about the best exercise recommendations for your pet in this article. If you want to maintain your dog’s energy level and keep them fit and healthy, please read on and learn the best techniques for your dog’s overall health and fitness progress.

 

Exercise Tips According to Breed

The general rule is typically walking your dog three to four times a day for at least fifteen minutes. However, this approach varies from one breed to another. So, here are some of the most useful tips according to dog experts and veterinaries:

High-Energy Level Dog Breeds

• Australian Shepherd
• Border Collie
• Irish Setter
• Dalmatian
• Labrador Retriever
• Weimaraner
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Siberian Husky
• Labrador Retriever
• Doberman

These breeds are well capable of physical activities within the general rule of three to four times a day for fifteen minutes. Whether you run with your dog or enjoy short walks, these canines have enough energy to match an active person’s lifestyle. If you are physically active, you will enjoy bonding with your pet within the time interval of high-energy level dog breeds.

Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs

• Bearded Collie
• Sheltie Sheepland
• Belgian Malinois
• Bouvier de Flanders
• Canaan Dog
• German Shepherd
• Tornjak
• Hungarian Puli
• Icelandic Sheepdog
• Maremma Sheepdog

These dogs require more physical activities compared with the high-level energy dog breed mentioned above. They are more active than most breeds and are eager to learn new things. The general rule for these types of dogs is getting them engaged in physical activity for four times a day, twenty to twenty-five minutes each. And since they are highly trainable, you can incorporate intelligence training for thirty minutes per day.

Terriers

terrier runningJack Russell
• Jagdterrier
• Cairn Terrier
• Patterdale Terrier
• Scottish Terrier
• West Highland White Terrier
• Fell Terrier
• English Toy Terrier
• Boston Terrier
• Yorkshire Terrier

These types of dogs might be smaller in stature, but they are highly trainable and physically active. Study says that they require at least one and a half hours of exercises per day. It is recommended for these types to have three twenty-to-twenty-five-minute practices per day. You can also have reserve twenty minutes of mental training with these types because they also love to learn new tricks.

Hunting Dogs

• Dalmatian
• Beagle
• Greyhound
• Pointer
• Lurcher
• Spaniels
• Cur
• Dachshund
• Chesapeake Bay Retriever
• English Setter

Hunting dogs or working dogs require at least one and a half hours of physical activities. Three sessions of walking or running exercises for about thirty minutes each are excellent for these types of dogs. A twenty-minute cognitive training is also ideal for keeping their wits on top condition.

 

The Benefits of Walking your Dogs

Keeping your dogs in shape is similar to maintaining our overall health and fitness. They need to activate their muscles to increase their range of motion and overall mobility. Like humans, inactivity may cause adverse health conditions to dogs. Keeping them physically active not only enhances their agility, but it also improves their mental alertness and discipline.

Activities for Your Dogs

Here are some of the activities that your dogs will surely enjoy:

Agility Training: Activates multiple muscles in their bodies.
Running or Walking: Enhances their cardio and promotes discipline.
Biking: Same with walking, but more intense.
Hiking: Improves your dog’s balance and coordination.
• Tricks: Improves discipline and bonding fun.
Intelligence Training: Keeps their mental alertness heightened and sharp.
Mantrailing: Improves your dog’s capability to track a person by scent.

Many activities were not included on this list because we didn’t have enough room for them. Those activities are in no way irrelevant; it’s only that we included the most common activities rather than the one that requires professional assistance.

 

Takeaway

Your dogs are not the only ones who’d benefit from walking exercises. You can also gain a lot more than you initially expect. You can improve your cardio and leg muscles whenever you’re engaged in these types of physical activities. Make sure you get a general check up by your GP before engaging to a new activity alone or with your dog. You can also learn how to determine your pet’s behaviour by their body language. It improves your bonding significantly. Another factor is that you will become an efficient dog owner. Owning a dog takes serious responsibility. Here are some tips:

• Keep them on a leash on public areas if they’re not trained yet
• Supervise your dog’s behaviour with children around
• Avoid exercising with extreme heat exposure
• Always bring fresh water and a plastic bag for poop
• Make sure you and your dog are not overfatigued

Keep this up, and we guarantee that you and your dog will have the best bonding for years.

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