Length of Walks

RubesMom · 05-16-2007, 10:26 PM

I am interested in knowing how long/how often everyone walks their dogs. I see a lot of people recommending "long walks" but I want to know what exactly that means to all of you. Of course, different dogs have different needs depending on their activity levels and ages. I live with my mom and I walk her lab mix at least 3 miles per day, sometimes 5. My own dog is a Saint who is 5 months old and I need to keep his walks pretty short (15 minutes at a time) until he's a bit older. So, what kind of dog do you have and how far do you walk it each day?

Tankstar · 05-16-2007, 10:33 PM

I have a collie. Our walks differ from day to day. Some days its just a walk to the park for some off leash play (About 30mins), others its a long, long, long hike in the woods at the dog park (I'm talking 3+ hours)Today he didnt get his walk, it was hailing and pouring all day long. I didnt want to go out in it, and neither did he. But normally I would say our walk time is atleast a hour a day. We dont do walks really though, we either go to the dog park, the school field, or one of the many old corn fields around here so he can run freely, I hate keeping him on a 6 foot leash. It isnt fun for him or I.

SunSiberians · 05-16-2007, 10:36 PM

I have two Siberian Huskies and we walk 1.5 hours in the morning and walk 1-3 hours in the evenings. Or our even walks are replaced by a bikejoring that lasts about 30mins to an hour.

sheltiemom · 05-17-2007, 01:28 AM

I walk my shelties for about 20 minutes a day. Some days we go for two walks, other days, like today, we don't walk at all. If the weather is nice on the weekend we go for a mini hike(more like a walk in the woods, for a change of scenery) and a swim in the lake (them, not me). Right now they get tired before I do, but I am prepared to exercise them more as they get older if need be. I don't really stress over it though. They seem just as happy as long as I interact with them in some way - they like to play fetch, obedience training, or sitting next to me chewing a bone - they're not hard to please..

briteday · 05-17-2007, 01:30 AM

No less than 30 minutes AM and PM. If I have the time for a nice long walk we might go 3-4 miles. But my dogs are very small so 3 miles is a pretty good hike for them. About halfway through the 3 mile walk is a park where I can turn them loose, or at least let them run free in the tennis court area. They also have a 1/2 acre pasture to run in every day at home. Depending on what is nesting, burrowing, or climbing a tree there can be oodles of exercise out there too!

Lorina · 05-17-2007, 07:32 AM

Typically about an hour a day, about 15-20 minutes in the morning and 30-45 minutes in the evening, sometimes an extra walk in the afternoon when I don't have work. I don't consider those a very "long" walk, but since my dog has three inch legs, it's plenty for him.

RonE · 05-17-2007, 07:41 AM

Here are the two extremes from my own experience.

Our lab walked about six miles nearly every day. The first summer we had him, he and I both lost about 20 pounds. He kept it off.

My 95-year-old mother uses a walker. She takes her older Shih Tzu for walks ranging from about 20 feet to, maybe, 100 yards. Both seem perfectly happy with the arrangement.

I don't believe it would be possible to walk Esther far-enough in a 24-hour period, so we suppliment with lots of ball-chasing and, when possible, swimming. Chasing tennis balls into Lake Michigan with 4-ft waves is very aerobic.

Tess&Coco · 05-17-2007, 09:10 AM

We have one outing a day which involves any or all the following elemets:

swimming in river, lake or sea (depending on whether we are visiting the coast)
finding and fetching tennis balls, in long grass, water etc
frolicking in the woods (in a variety of different locations)
running in the park (again several different ones)
practising heel work (Coco only, Tess beyond redemption)

On work days this is around an hour. Weekends usually longer, but 1-6 hours depending on other demands.

bluesbarby · 05-17-2007, 11:03 AM

My part shih tzu, part bichon, part poodle, Riley takes one walk a day for about 30 minutes. That's mainly to get him trained on a leash. Then we spend an hour running around the backyard chasing balls and just spinning. (spinning is my word for when he runs around me in circles) On weekends we take bike rides down to the beach but he spends most of his time in a backpack.

Snowshoe · 05-17-2007, 11:12 AM

Orchid gets walked about 4 miles every other day, and two miles every other day.

I have no idea how long we stay out, because we usually end up meeting people or playing ball.

If she doesn't get a walk, she's really hard to handle.

RonE · 05-17-2007, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowshoe

If she doesn't get a walk, she's really hard to handle.

You mean a bored keeshond is a force of nature??

That makes me feel better.

The other night, it was pouring rain. On top of that, I was throwing up sick. Esther and I were alone here and she didn't get her usual evening fetch session. Neither of us got much sleep that night.