As a pet parent, you want to ensure that your dog is happy and healthy all the time. Other than regular visits to the vet and a healthy diet, regular exercise is also important. That’s because it helps your furry best friend in toning the muscle, stimulating the brain, and keeping the metabolism and body to function well. What’s more, it also promotes good behavior while increasing socialization.
Although dogs need regular exercise, not all of them are ideal for engaging in the same level of physical activity. You need to consider many different factors, including age, size, body type, breed, and overall health. As a general rule, a dog should exercise everyday between 30 minutes and 2 hours.
For a better understanding of dogs’ exercise needs, let’s go deeper on how much exercise does a dog needs every day.
Daily Exercise for Your Puppies
Let’s start with the puppies and determine how much exercise do they need every day.
In comparison, puppies have more energy than adult dogs. This suggests that they need more exercise. As they constantly grow, they will need short play sessions or walks throughout the day. That’s because longer walks can be hard on their developing body.
Daily Exercise for Your Adults Dogs
Generally, adult dogs do not require as much attention as puppies. But, as mentioned, they need at least 30 minutes to a maximum of 2 hours of exercise every day. For exciting and fulfilling activities for you and your adult dogs, you can try relay-race games and hiking. You can also set play dates with their doggy friends.
On the other hand, if adult dogs have a medical condition like respiratory or heart issues, it’s better to seek advice from the vet first. That way, you’ll know which exercise routine is appropriate for them to stay healthy.
Daily Exercise for Your Senior Dogs
Senior dogs might not able to run the way they did during their younger age. However, they still need regular exercise to keep them healthy.
Instead of running, walking can be a good exercise for them too. Make sure to shorten these walks and at a slower pace. Besides, you can also let them swim for them to stay active. These exercises will help them to reduce any unnecessary stress on their joints. You can also talk to the vet about their daily exercise routine to get more fulfilling results.
Daily Exercise for Smaller Breeds
Smaller breeds like Yorkshire Terriers, Poodles, and Chihuahuas are known to be less active. This means that they will need a shorter exercise time.
Daily Exercise for Giant Breeds
Do not be deceived by the size and strength of giant breeds. That’s because breeds like Newfoundlands, Mastiffs, and Great Danes tend to be less energetic too. So, they might also require shorter exercise time every day.
Daily Exercise for Flat-Nosed Breeds
Brachycephalic or flat-nosed breeds like Shih Tzus, Pugs, and Bulldogs suffer from breathing and respiratory problems. That is why you need them to slow down and provide a more sedentary lifestyle.
Daily Exercise for Active Breeds
High-energy breeds include Belgian Malinois, Border Collies, Shepherds, Scent Hounds, Retrievers, and Terriers. These breeds require a lot more exercise every day. They should get roughly 60 minutes of daily physical activity to maintain their overall health and stay active.
Indoor Exercise for Dogs Everyday
Inclement weather conditions can affect the exercise routine of your dogs. Rainy days, cold days, and hot days are not ideal to go outside for long periods as it can pose health risks. So, it’s better to give them daily indoor exercise, including:
- Hide-and-Seek
This type of indoor exercise can keep your dogs moving. It also helps in stimulating their brain.
- Tug
If played properly, games of tug can help your dogs build muscle and strengthen the human-animal bond. Above all, they can experience a lot of enjoyment. So, try to give them a variety of tug toys.
- Stairs
For building the muscles of your dogs, running up and down the stairs can help. Your dogs can do this a few times and try not to push them too hard as it can be a strenuous activity for them. If you have dog breeds like Corgis, Pembroke Welsh, and Dachshunds, then they will require extra care when doing stairs exercise. That’s because these breeds have shorter legs and longer backs, making it more challenging for them to do these exercises.
- Agility
When it comes to dog exercises that are intended for agility, you might end up thinking of larger indoor spaces or outdoor courses. The good news is that your dogs can still do agility exercises with the help of your household supplies. These include ottomans, hula-hoops, boxes, and broom handles.
- Treadmill
For high-energy breeds, you can take advantage of a treadmill. Through proper, careful training, your dogs can enjoy the entire exercise routine. Although it cannot replace the outdoor walks and run, this type of exercise builds their endurance.
Tips to Start Your Dog Exercise Everyday
It is a good practice to cultivate good dog habits when they are still young. To perform a dog exercise routine, your dogs need to start slowly before the transition to longer exercises. Make sure to allow them to have a warm-up time and a cool-down period.
An easy walk around the block or to the park can be a perfect warm-up for your dogs’ muscle. This activity will also prepare them for a more serious exercise routine.
Always remember that mental stimulation is equally important as physical exercise. So, it’s a good idea to introduce them to different dog parks, new game routines and dog toys, and new running paths.
Final Thoughts
Young or old, small or big, dogs deserve to have regular exercise. Proper exercise can help them tone their muscles, improve mental stimulation, and boost body and metabolic health.
Now that you are already aware of how much exercise does a dog needs every day, you can expect that your furry best friend will stay active while maintaining his or her overall health. To read more dog related articles, do hop over to Well Pet Coach. It provides an extensive information of what you need to know about your dog. You can also check out their Facebook page for more information.
