How much to do you walk your dog

smurfjed

I have a 7 year old Golden Retriever and I just got him a FitBark (Fitbit for dogs). It shows that to have an average Active lifestyle he has to walk 7200 "Bark Points" a day,  so far the furthest that we have gone in the last week was 8kms and that was only 6300 Bark points.
So I'm just wondering how far do people actually walk their dogs, 9-10 kms a day seems to be an awful lot and its time consuming.
Whats the solution?

Kimbot

Big dogs need plenty of excercise. My old fella used to get brought on a 10+km walk twice a day with a few shorts walks to the shops etc in between.

pilly

smurfjed wrote: »

I have a 7 year old Golden Retriever and I just got him a FitBark (Fitbit for dogs). It shows that to have an average Active lifestyle he has to walk 7200 "Bark Points" a day, so far the furthest that we have gone in the last week was 8kms and that was only 6300 Bark points.
So I'm just wondering how far do people actually walk their dogs, 9-10 kms a day seems to be an awful lot and its time consuming.
Whats the solution?

Does he not doing any other walking apart from when you bring him out? Lazy begger. :pac::pac:

smurfjed

He walks around the garden but has no interest in staying out there.
10K twice a day, where do you get the time?

pilly

smurfjed wrote: »

He walks around the garden but has no interest in staying out there.
10K twice a day, where do you get the time?

What about throwing a ball for him. I used to have a Golden Labrador and she would run for a ball all day long.

smurfjed

Yep i take a hurley and knock a ball around for him, but after 5 chases he is just happy to jump back into the truck for the air conditioning.

I guess that i naively thought that he was getting enough exercise, its only since i got this gadget that i started to question if he actually was getting enough.
Last time at the vet he was 38kgs, which for his size was considered OK, but heavy.

pilly

smurfjed wrote: »

Yep i take a hurley and knock a ball around for him, but after 5 chases he is just happy to jump back into the truck for the air conditioning.

I guess that i naively thought that he was getting enough exercise, its only since i got this gadget that i started to question if he actually was getting enough.
Last time at the vet he was 38kgs, which for his size was considered OK, but heavy.

He is 7 though. Does that device take into account his age? 38kgs is a little heavy but you could put him on a diet also. :pac:

smurfjed

Nope, changing the date of birth only appears to change the health index and not the walking requirement.

Kimbot

smurfjed wrote: »

He walks around the garden but has no interest in staying out there.
10K twice a day, where do you get the time?

I used to bring him for one of the walks when I got up in the morning and the other as soon as I got home. He was a german shepard with a tonne of energy haha

Knine

jonnycivic wrote: »

Big dogs need plenty of excercise. My old fella used to get brought on a 10+km walk twice a day with a few shorts walks to the shops etc in between.

Not entirely true. Some giant breeds don't tolerate lots of exercise & my terriers will take as much as I can give them & still want more. A common misconception.

VonVix

I do about 10k with my dogs 3 times a week, I'd love to walk them more but I genuinely find it stressful (loose, uncontrolled dogs on walks to be specific), we do lots of obedience work + fetch + working with a flirtpole, so they get mental and physical exercise in other ways as well.

Would love to get a Fitbark (or similar) for my three!

smurfjed

working with a flirtpole

Whats is this?

pilly

He's absolutely gorgeous.

VonVix

smurfjed wrote: »

Whats is this?

Here's a video example, easier to show than to explain. Just a warning, this might be loud! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FNvsdFOJIg

I have the flirtpole in the video, I also have a lunge whip (yes, the kind you use for horses) that I use mostly with my GSD as he can get more running out of it. He loves it.

You do need a good "drop" and "leave it" to make the most of it though, otherwise dog and human can get frustrated.

tk123

Knine wrote: »

Not entirely true. Some giant breeds don't tolerate lots of exercise & my terriers will take as much as I can give them & still want more. A common misconception.

+1 My two are very relaxed and don't need the legs walked off them like some other dogs we know... who don't know how to settle down or are fed junk food and are hyper lol!

Bailey (also 7) is injured atm and afraid to go out when the evenings are dark so atm he's getting 45 mins mostly off lead in the mornings and if I'm working from home I can get him out in the evening while it's still bright so another 45-60 mins. My girl is 3 and gets a second walk in the evenings but we go over to the grass and play ball for about 30 mins and then a quick walk around the block - rather than trudging around the area on a boring walk because she much prefers playing with me instead - quality vs quantity. At the weekend we go for a longer walk in the mornings maybe 90 mins then a shorter one around the block in the evenings and that's all they want!

peasant

Our oldies (16 & 14 & 13) don't get walked at all...they get let out back and potter around by themselves before they want in to sleep some more.

The young fella (2.5) doesn't get walked either, we go on excursions instead, weather and time permitting.

The difference between a walk and an excursion you ask?

A walk is a set route (long or short) usually at a set time designed to empty and tire the dog.
An excursion is a trip to different spots including a long or short walk where the dog (for the most part) determines the pace, sees new things, meets new people/dogs and gets to read a lot of pee-mails

All of them are lean and fit (relative for their age), in no way overwrought and easy to have around.

During the day they are not alone though, there is always someone at home, so they are at all times part of family life.

Vizzy

smurfjed wrote: »

I have a 7 year old Golden Retriever and I just got him a FitBark (Fitbit for dogs). It shows that to have an average Active lifestyle he has to walk 7200 "Bark Points" a day,  so far the furthest that we have gone in the last week was 8kms and that was only 6300 Bark points.
So I'm just wondering how far do people actually walk their dogs, 9-10 kms a day seems to be an awful lot and its time consuming.
Whats the solution?

This !!

cocker5

My nearly 12 year old cocker gets 6km 5 nights a week on normal lead and once over the weekend a 10k plus hike on extendable lead.

At the monent he loves it, flys around .. it's great it gets us all Out in the fresh air.

He will start slowing down in sure soon but until then he's out and about quiet a lot.

borderlinemeath

TBH I'd be wary of following something like that too literally. You have a 38kg dog who is nearing senior years. Id be worried about inflaming any arthritic joints and causing pain by overwalking. I'd be more inclined to cut back on food and slim down a few kgs and then she may be more inclined to play or be more active on walks. Also I'd be avoiding pounding pavements and going to a park/beach/field setting and let the dog go at their own pace on grass/sand.

I know my older girl wouldn't be able to do the distance her younger companions do, she trots along beside me while they're off running through the sea. While she'll do any distance I ask, I know that she'll be stiff and suffer that evening or the following days if I overdo it.

tk123

borderlinemeath wrote: »

TBH I'd be wary of following something like that too literally. You have a 38kg dog who is nearing senior years. Id be worried about inflaming any arthritic joints and causing pain by overwalking. I'd be more inclined to cut back on food and slim down a few kgs and then she may be more inclined to play or be more active on walks. Also I'd be avoiding pounding pavements and going to a park/beach/field setting and let the dog go at their own pace on grass/sand.

I know my older girl wouldn't be able to do the distance her younger companions do, she trots along beside me while they're off running through the sea. While she'll do any distance I ask, I know that she'll be stiff and suffer that evening or the following days if I overdo it.

+1 I was going to say the same thing!

Yes he's a gundog but he's not say a spaniel or setter off flushing out game - his job would be to relax until you shot something and then go and get it and relax again lol!!
I was also going to suggest having bloods taken if you're having problems getting weight off and checking his thyroid levels? Retrievers are prone to hypothyroidism so it could be making him sluggish and making him hold onto the weight. My boy is hypo

pilly

borderlinemeath wrote: »

TBH I'd be wary of following something like that too literally. You have a 38kg dog who is nearing senior years. Id be worried about inflaming any arthritic joints and causing pain by overwalking. I'd be more inclined to cut back on food and slim down a few kgs and then she may be more inclined to play or be more active on walks. Also I'd be avoiding pounding pavements and going to a park/beach/field setting and let the dog go at their own pace on grass/sand.

I know my older girl wouldn't be able to do the distance her younger companions do, she trots along beside me while they're off running through the sea. While she'll do any distance I ask, I know that she'll be stiff and suffer that evening or the following days if I overdo it.

Good point. I was thinking earlier that my mams Lab suffers with arthritis and she walks slower than I do! She's 10 now and I think trying to make her walk even 5k is almost cruel. She actually sits down half way through a walk. :pac:

smurfjed

I live in a warm dry climate, so arthritis only started to affect my previous Labs when they were 12/13 and both lived until they were 16/17
I don't have a situation of a lazy dog but a lazy owner, we thought that he was getting sufficient mental stimulation and physical exercise, but after this thread, I'm not sure if we were right.
Had great intentions of taking him to the beach today but got a red emissions light in my truck before we left, so have to have that looked at before i drive out of the city.

Choc Chip

I think it was TK mentioned quality not quantity - mine currently do far less exercise than in the summer when I was training for a half marathon (we're in hibernation ) but tbh I notice very little difference whether I run the legs of them compared to the more limited winter months.

Even on long run days, a ten mile run won't have given their brain that much to do and they'll still want a little off-lead potter to sniff and wee on things and attempt to find something disgusting to eat (dung spread on fields was this week's favourite). In winter, they couldn't care less about the lower mileage (as long as it's wound down slowly) and they'll be just as tired after some training and a trip to somewhere novel like a new forest walk with loads of interesting smells.

I think what I'm trying to say is that as long as you're getting out, I wouldn't worry hugely about mileage. Mine would far more enjoy an hour pottering about a field than chasing after me for 5 miles. Having said that, it might be different for other people.

Oh - and if you are upping his exercise, do it slowly and watch out for soreness/ stiffness (as you would for a human athlete). One of mine would follow me all day despite any pain she was in, so watch out for any difference in gait.

Choc Chip

I think it was TK mentioned quality not quantity - mine currently do far less exercise than in the summer when I was training for a half marathon (we're in hibernation ) but tbh I notice very little difference whether I run the legs of them compared to the more limited winter months.

Even on long run days, a ten mile run won't have given their brain that much to do and they'll still want a little off-lead potter to sniff and wee on things and attempt to find something disgusting to eat (dung spread on fields was this week's favourite). In winter, they couldn't care less about the lower mileage (as long as it's wound down slowly) and they'll be just as tired after some training and a trip to somewhere novel like a new forest walk with loads of interesting smells.

I think what I'm trying to say is that as long as you're getting out, I wouldn't worry hugely about mileage. Mine would far more enjoy an hour pottering about a field than chasing after me for 5 miles. Having said that, it might be different for other people.

Oh - and if you are upping his exercise, do it slowly and watch out for soreness/ stiffness (as you would for a human athlete). One of mine would follow me all day despite any pain she was in, so watch out for any difference in gait.

borderlinemeath

smurfjed wrote: »

I live in a warm dry climate, so arthritis only started to affect my previous Labs when they were 12/13 and both lived until they were 16/17
I don't have a situation of a lazy dog but a lazy owner, we thought that he was getting sufficient mental stimulation and physical exercise, but after this thread, I'm not sure if we were right.
Had great intentions of taking him to the beach today but got a red emissions light in my truck before we left, so have to have that looked at before i drive out of the city.

Rub it in why don't you:D

The climate helps, but different dogs can be affected at different ages, diseases like hip dysplasia are hereditary and can cause arthritis so it's not a given that your GR will last to the same age pain free.

And sorry for referring to him as her in the earlier post! That'll teach me for speed reading:o

CFlat

Vizzy wrote: »

This !!

Jaysus Vizzy can your dog ride a bike? That's fantastic, the best I can do with mine is getting him to use a skateboard!


While dog walking is of course important for your pet, it's also about the bond between u and your dog when you grab the led and he knows you're going to bring him out and s/he jumps around the place like a mad thing.

I walk on the Curragh with my dogs for between 50/60 mins(most days) but they're of the lead so I may walk 4 kms in that time but they will have done 12 maybe 16 cause they run like mad away from me and then come back and so on so on. If your dog is happy then that's all that matters.

If you can walk your dog 20 clicks a day then do it and if you can't, you can't. Don't beat yourself up about it.

I've a had a few Great Danes in the past and I agree that you should absolutely not over exercise them I think it's do with their enlarged heart.

deadlybuzzman

How athletic the dog is obviously has to be taken into account (you wouldn't exercise a Pug the same way you could a Terrier of the same size for example)
Depending on how energetic our dog is I'll either bring her to the beach with two tennis balls and a throwing stick and have her do basically sprint drills followed by a decent walk or if she doesn't need to go as hard, we'll go on a forest walk and I'll let her tow me up and down hills for 5-8 km

smurfjed

Truck fixed so we got to the beach, Fitbark device obviously doesn't know that its in the water, but it appears to track the distance moved as steps.

Temperature was a very nice 26C

pilly

smurfjed wrote: »

Truck fixed so we got to the beach, Fitbark device obviously doesn't know that its in the water, but it appears to track the distance moved as steps.

Temperature was a very nice 26C

Okay, I officially hate you now!!

Still love the doggie though.

loconnor1001

First of all, OMG I can't believe they have fit bits for dogs, and what a cutie!! My oldie (15) goes for about a 15 minute walk in the morning - in fairness that would probably equal out to a 5 minute walk for someone else. My younger one (about the same age as yours) plays ball 82000299282 times a day, would be interesting to see how many "steps" she gets doing that though!

smurfjed

@pilly...... just for you...

He was wearing a body harness attached to the seatbelt before anyone asks.