What counts as exercise?

[EmmalinaC]

I'm just wondering what counts as exercise as most guidelines give a duration/number of sessions per day without specifying what type of exercise a dog actually needs.

We have a 6 year-old lab/spinger spaniel cross. He gets an early morning walk (park, off lead, fetching tennis balls etc) of 30-40 minutes. Then he gets a couple of pavement walks (on lead for school run or to work with me) totalling 30-40 minutes per day. We have a large garden so he also gets plenty of time outdoors. He is rarely left alone and never left cooped up in one room.

Is this enough? Does walking him on a lead count as exercise or does he need more aerobic exercise? He's in pretty good shape but would definitely like more!

How much do yours get?!

I think walking on lead has to count as exercise as presumably the dog's heart and respiratory rate will increase above its normal resting level. However I think for the type and age of dog you have got some off lead running around time is essential.

I don't count time in the garden as exercise, unless you are doing ball throwing/retrieving etc.

I have a 15month old lab and she gets anywhere between 1 and a half to three hours of exercise a day. On the one and a half hour days she is either doing a lot of retrieving balls or she is swimming and retrieving balls from the river. At least 75% of our walks I would say are off lead.

i also do quite a lot of training when I am out walking (whistle recalls and stops, waits and stays, guided retrieves etc) as that stimulates and wears out her brain as well as her body.

I walked her for 4 hours yesterday and when we got back she still plopped a tennis ball in my lap for me to throw her I think they ALWAYS want a bit more

I don't think that is enough exercise for the breed of dog or enough mental stimulation.

Adult Springer and Labs should really be getting at least 2 hours off lead exercise a day minimum.

Mine get hour and a half off lead in the early morning back for breakfast.

Training daily - obedience, agility or working trials

Daily tasks they have to do eg empty washing machine, tumble drier, tidy up toys, find keys, answer phones (not literally but fetch them when they ring etc)

Agility classes three times a week
Canix -cross training once a week

hour and a half in evening off lead

Dogs are up for anything and really should be given the opportunity to flourish and see the world in my opinion - not just a lead walk to the school gates.

The joy is you don't need a gym membership and will stay a size 10 for years!

my terrier gets 1 - 1.5 hr mostly off lead and often playing with other dogs in the morning, b3tween 10pmins and an hour training during the day, and half an hour in the evening, she could do with more tbh.

In all honesty, it is probably more than most dogs get, but I do agree that 2 hours is the minimum amount of exercise for most dogs, including a lot of off lead time.

Mine (I am ashamed to say ) get the bare minimum at the moment, due to my DH living away, 3 DC to take care off and being heavily pregnant with complications. They also have to be walked seperately really, or at least in two lots, for both training reasons and because two refuse to get on at all. So currently they get about 1 1/2 hours in the morning/day and then about another 30 minutes in the evening, but they do get lots of short training sessions in between. They do cope pretty well with that, but I know myself they are happier when they get more.

Most dogs will take as much exercise as you can give them. Our usually get a 2-10 mile run 3-4 times a week each, then 1 1/2 hours in the day, ten another 1 1/2 to 2 hours at night, plus sometimes at weekends a most-of-the-day walk in the mountains near us. Two of them are still ready to go out again after that! Once baby is out and we have moved we will be resuming that kind of schedule and hopefully starting some serious obedience/agility classes. Currently we are fabulously placed for dog walks, but far too rural for any sort of classes.

I have 2 cockers, one of which is a worker and they get an hour in the mornings off lead in the forest or out running at weekends with my OH for about 45m, then 20/30 at the park in the afternoon ball throwing (the worker, the show type tends to just mooch about!!) and then they get 15/20m lead walk around the road after tea, so this equates to about to just under 2hrs a day and they are fine with this. Sometimes they get more than this, other times it may be less but this is the benchmark. The other week we did an 18mile cycle ride with them through the forest lasting about 4hrs as we stopped for lunch and the worker was still up for another walk later on!
I like to think they are both happy, neither of them are destructive or climb the walls. I also do lots of hide and seek games mainly for the worker, I do blind retrieves with the tennis ball and hide his breakfast in the garden- he has chicken wings so easy to hide in the bushes etc.

exercise sounds like its just enough but mental stimulation could be increased. new smells are so important especially for spaniels. try hidding food in toys and going to lots of new places to investigate. bushes and woods and places like that. hope this helps

Thanks for the replies.

Realistically there is no way we could give him the kind of exercise minimu describes (sounds like you have some lucky dogs!) at least until both DCs are at school, but will definitely try to give him a bit more.

The mental stimulation thing is interesting - hadn't really thought about that. Three days a week he comes into my office which involves a trip across town and a train ride (which he adores) plus lots of fun and attention with my colleagues. It's not exactly exercise but it's definitely stimulating!

yes, thats good, meeting new people and not sitting in the same place all day.

exercising dogs mentally is just as important, your dog sounds fit enough, and this is a good way to stop him getting really bored and wishing he was on a walk