Walking Dogs (how much, lab, English Mastiff, vet)
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I've heard different opinions on this but is there such a thing as exercising dogs too much?
My dogs are 11 months and 3 1/2, full of energy.
We'll walk around 4-6 miles in the morning. Actually, they are mostly running through the forest.
Most of the time, they come home and they're worn out and they'll sleep for awhile but if I or my s/o go out for more walking, they are right along with us.
The puppy walked 11 miles today. He's sleeping now but I don't want to give them a heart attack or anything like that. We also have neighborhood dogs come with us and one of them is 12 years old. Not sure how much she can take but her owners seem to like her walking with us.
Didn't mean to make this so long but I would appreciate opinions.
I've heard different opinions on this but is there such a thing as exercising dogs too much?
My dogs are 11 months and 3 1/2, full of energy.
We'll walk around 4-6 miles in the morning. Actually, they are mostly running through the forest.
Most of the time, they come home and they're worn out and they'll sleep for awhile but if I or my s/o go out for more walking, they are right along with us.
The puppy walked 11 miles today. He's sleeping now but I don't want to give them a heart attack or anything like that. We also have neighborhood dogs come with us and one of them is 12 years old. Not sure how much she can take but her owners seem to like her walking with us.
Didn't mean to make this so long but I would appreciate opinions.
Yes, there is!
But it's going to depend on the age and breed of your dog, as well as the type of activity/exercise.
Take my dog for example:
English mastiffs are NOT meant to be jogging companions or endurance athletes because it's too hard on their joints considering the body mass they have to carry. A ~30 min walk twice daily is usually more than sufficient for an adult dog. Anything too long or too vigorous is hard on their bodies. For a mastiff puppy, owners have to carefully guage exercise as well as restrict hard play. This is because these dogs experience vigorous growth spurts and are susceptible to injuries from too much stress on their joints. Again, they have to support a lot of weight. Owners have to be careful about exercising these dogs too much until atleast 2 years of age.
What makes it hard is that mastiffs are also very eager to please and are velcro dogs. They won't show pain and will try to keep up until they no longer can, at which point they just plop down on the ground and won't budge. Anyone with a mastiff puppy knows: never walk the pup farther than you can carry home. I think I accidentally walked my pup too much the other evening (~1-2 mi) because she was acting a bit stiff the next day, showing no interest in going for walks, and slept much more than usual.
The point is, you have to tailor the exercise to the age and breed requirements of your dog. 11 miles might be fine if your dog is very athletic and can go for hours before they tire out (although I still think that's a lot for an 11 mo old pup). On the other hand, that would be overkill for giant breeds or brachycephalic (pushed-in face) breeds. If your dog shows any signs of soreness or stiffness the next day, definitely back off. If you know the breed or breed mix of your dog, see what is recommended, and definitely consult your vet.
Last edited by vemureaux; 09-25-2008 at 11:09 PM..
For an Active Herding breed thats a drop in the bucket!! But yes you do have to watch pups. Carry lots of water and a leash to slow them down. My dogs use to go on trail rides with us. Most lasted 12 hrs! But pups under 2 yrs old & not fit stayed home....
depends on the dog!
my dog is out running at my parents farm for 12 hours plus if allowed and still ready to go(herding breed!) but my moms cocker spaniel has a 1 hour limit to her romping. He's 3 and she's 5.
Both our dogs are lab mixes and it seems to take a lot to tire them out. Normally, we take them out once a day to run/romp around. Usually around 4-6 miles in the morning and they come home and sleep until around 4PM and stay pretty calm through the night.
Some days, I or my s/o walk more and the dogs are always ready to come with us whether tired or not.
To me, they do seem stiff the next day for a little while and then they seem okay.
The older neighbors dog most of the time paces herself but in the beginning, she would try to keep up with my dogs.
Thanks to you all for your responses. I'll check with the vet also.
That's interesting about mastiffs too. I always had it in my mind that larger dogs were the best exercise buddies.
I've heard different opinions on this but is there such a thing as exercising dogs too much?
My dogs are 11 months and 3 1/2, full of energy.
We'll walk around 4-6 miles in the morning. Actually, they are mostly running through the forest.
Most of the time, they come home and they're worn out and they'll sleep for awhile but if I or my s/o go out for more walking, they are right along with us.
The puppy walked 11 miles today. He's sleeping now but I don't want to give them a heart attack or anything like that. We also have neighborhood dogs come with us and one of them is 12 years old. Not sure how much she can take but her owners seem to like her walking with us.
Didn't mean to make this so long but I would appreciate opinions.
Thankyou Amazonchix. I just read it and some helpful information.
Fortunately, in my area, it doesn't get hot. We do have gravel roads though. They do okay on them but prefer to walk/run through the trees and forest. I think they know there limits as far as that goes but don't seem to know the limits on walking and running.
A strange thing is neither of them seem to want to drink water while we're out walking. They drink when we get home.
They seem stiff at times. I was thinking about adding more oil to there food but didn't want them to have too much of that either.
They also get rub downs especially around the hip area.
Have you had them XRayed for HD? This to could determan their activity level. Mixes Do get HD but mostly go unreported or unchecked as most people think it only in Purebreds...
I'm not sure what HD is but why would someone want to xray dogs to see what kind of activity level they have?
I already know mine have a high activity level; I just didn't want to overdo it on the exercise and walking.
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