How Much Exercise Does Your Dog Need to Stay Healthy and Happy

Does your dog need a lot of exercise? How much is enough? How much is too much?

There's an easy answer that works for all breeds, but before you can answer the question “how much exercise does my dog need?”, you first have to ask another question: “what kind of dog do I have?”.

Most dogs only need two 30-minute walks a day.

The average dog requires 30 minutes of exercise every day — including walking, playing fetch or doing tricks — according to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

But one walk around the block is usually not enough for most dogs- especially if they stay in the house all day.

Here are some guidelines that may help you decide how much exercise your dog needs, based on their size.

Small Dog Breeds: 5-10 minutes of walking/running/playing per day for every 5kg of body weight (1 minute for every 2 kg).

Medium Dog Breeds: 10-20 minutes of walking/running/playing per day for every 5kg of body weight (2 minutes for every 2kg).

Large Dog Breeds: 20-30 minutes of walking/running/playing per day for every 5kg of body weight (3 minutes for every 2kg).

Some breeds were built for exercise.

There are a number of factors that can affect the amount of exercise your dog needs, including age, breed, size and personnality.

Some dogs are more active than others — German shepherds, Labrador retrievers or Cattle dogs are breeds that tend to be more energetic than other breeds. If you have a high-energy dog, it may take more effort on your part to ensure they get enough exercise.
An active dog will be more engaged with people and other dogs. Keeping them active will make them less likely to develop bad habits such as chewing or barking because they're bored.

If your dog is overweight, you may need to increase the amount of exercise he gets each day.

Finally, while dogs need a lot of exercise to stay healthy, you should monitor the intensity of your dogs workout depending on their age and breed. A senior dog's activity level will considerably diminish in comparison to their puppy days.

Ways to keep your dog active

Not all breeds are built for all activities, so be sure to pick the one that suits your pup!

For example, short-snouted friends such as pugs shouldn’t participate in endurance activities and need more frequent breaks while Whippets suit short, intense bursts of activity.

Luckily, they are a number of activities you can do to keep your dog physically entertained.

• Tug-of-war
• Fetch
• Swimming - great for senior dogs as it is gentle on joints.
• Hiking
• Going to the dog park
• Agility obstacles
• Obedience classes
• Running up and down stairs

My dog refuses to exercise

Is your dog a couch potatoe? Don't worry! The key to encourage them to exercise is to keep it fun!

There are many indoor activities you can do such as mind games, scent work or hide & seek.

You can also let your dog choose your walk route! let their curiosity lead the way.

It can be hard to figure out what's best for your pet, but if you take a look at your dog's behavior, you'll have a much better idea of what they need.
Do they seem restless when they're just sitting around? Do they have trouble sleeping, or do they sleep all day? Do they focus on one thing—a toy, food bowl, or other object—for more than a few minutes? If so, they may be bored and in need of some exercise!

We know that exercise is important for both humans and dogs. It's a great way to build a bond with your dog, and also keeps them healthy.

Tell us, what activity is your dog's favourite?

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The Doggy Grub blog is dedicated to helping dogs and their owners achieve happier, healthier lives, changing the way we feed our dogs one bowl at a time! If you would like to know more about our fresh food head to Doggy Grub