What's your Labrador's exercise schedule?

[BoogleMcGroogle]

We have a Lab puppy arriving soon. From my reading, I'd understood them to be an active breed, and that we would need to plan for at least 90 minutes of exercise per day during their young adult years. We we going to do this by splitting the walks between us , a long walk at weekends (we normally do 8-10km) and by using a dog walking/ pack walk service 3 days per week. We might look into gundog training, as he's a working type. We live rurally, so much of this would be off-lead.

However, several experienced owners I've spoken to have suggested that their (perfectly healthy) Labs don't have much more than 60 minutes per day. This would be mostly rural exercise, not ambling about the park and several work their dogs at the weekend.

I'm just wondering what an appropriate exercise schedule for a young, active Lab. Of course, I'll seek advice from our trainer too, but I'd like to hear people's experiences.

hey guys

I don't have a Labrador but I do think it's important not to be tricked into walking your dog for miles and miles everyday. All long walks will do is give you a fit dog that needs more and more in order to tire them out. A variety of walks (training walks, groups, off-lead adventures and slow, sniffy walks for example) is probably the best to way to go about it, combined with brain work too.

I have a working breed (beagle) and he gets anything from one to three hours a day, though generally it falls more towards the one hour mark.

Until he was one, we stuck to the "five minute rule". I know people will come on and say there's no science behind it but I didn't want to put too much pressure on his growing joints. So when he was four months, he got twenty minutes twice a day, at six months, thirty minutes etc.

Hours of exercise isn't always the right way to go about tiring out a dog!

Thanks vanillaandhoney that's a really helpful answer. So, variety is the key. And I've heard others say mentioning not wanting 'too' fit a dog. Our neighbour's gundogs are lazy toads, but still manage whole days out when needed.

Remember it's the sniffing smells etc that wears them out as much as/more than physical movement. Like humans they need to use their brains and overweight is by over feeding rather than lack of exercise. Exercise is for fitness IYSWIM.

My dog will sleep all day if home but happily go for a walk whether 30 minutes or 6 hours!!

@BoogleMcGroogle

Thanks vanillaandhoney that's a really helpful answer. So, variety is the key. And I've heard others say mentioning not wanting 'too' fit a dog. Our neighbour's gundogs are lazy toads, but still manage whole days out when needed.

I'm glad it helped!

Mine can easily go all day, but recently he had an injury and had to skip three days of walks, and honestly he was absolutely fine. I'm a dog walker and he comes with me everyday but I pretty much never take him longer than two hours - mainly because he doesn't seem any more tired after four hours than he does after two

Our 9year old lab has at least three walks a day that, in total, amount to about two hours. We usually head out for the day at the weekend, so we might be walking for longer then. She especially loves swimming, which helps keep her fit. I agree with pp, variety is the key! Enjoy your puppy.

I love walking my dogs so they do get about 2 hours walking exercise everyday. Our walks are the down time of the day our mindfulness exercise. They are also working dogs so have more time for brain work as well.

I like to have fit dogs and I dont like the idea of dogs having to have long hikes at the weekend if they are not used to exercise . I think that is really bad for their joints and cause injuries.

And hour and half will not give you a mega fit labrador it will give you a healthy labrador. They will need brain work as well but this can be added to their walk or done separately.

The 5 min rule is well and truely debunked. Your dog will need appropriate exercise as a puppy and walking and running is fine if it is self regulated. No running up and down stairs, or slippery floors and jumping on furniture no ball throwing or twisting and turning.

Ours is nine months old and gets twenty minutes twice a day.

She does get extra training time in five or ten minute slots above that. In practice though I wouldn’t think she often gets over an hour a day.

There are no plans to increase work and she gets older.