German Shepherds Forum banner

How much exercise does your dog require each day?

206K views 109 replies 92 participants last post by  ADogCalledQuest 
#1 ·
And how do you provide it? What is your routine?

I am just trying to get a clear picture of what owning a GSD is like, as we are strongly considering getting one. Would love to hear how you deal with exercising your dog! Thanks.
 
#94 ·
I believe that lots of species-appropriate exercise keeps dogs healthy, happy and strong.

We do at least one on-leash walk a day, usually for an hour. We also do a lot of hiking, which can be anywhere from 5 to 10 km in a day. My two dogs also get lots of off leash time outside in the yard every day, play in the house and off leash play at various parks around the city.

We also do IPO training weekly (I consider this intense work outs for the dogs) and in the summer we go swimming every 2 weeks or so. Various dog sport events like lure coursing, dock diving, disc dog, etc.

I'm also starting to bike ride with Hunter and will do that into the winter pending clear roads.

We do a lot of hiking and fetch to keep the dogs tired, lean and to keep their hearts strong.

My female is still young, but Hunter can go all day long. He has crazy high endurance.

What do they actually need? I believe my two working line dogs need a lot, but both will settle in the house and go days without anything if I am sick or the weather is terrible. Though, we tend to go out training/exercising even in bad weather.

Dogs in general are animals meant to travel long distances, so hiking long distances IMO is the best exercise for dogs.
 
#95 ·
I play tug/fetch (he isn't very good at fetch though lol, so mostly tug) with Kody in the backyard for 15-20 minutes before putting on his doggie backpack with half a water bottle on each side and taking him for a mile or two walk around the neighborhood or to PetCo and back. After that, I have to work on out training to stimulate him mentally. Then if I have time later in the day I'll take him on another walk for half a mile to a mile. All this makes him manageable XD
 
#96 ·
My girl is 2, she and my dobe come with me when I ride my horse, this can be anything from one to four hours, anything from 4-5 times a week in the Summer to once a fortnight in the Winter. In addition to that I run anything from 45 minutes to an hour 1-4 times a week. She also does obedience training at our local dog training club once a week. We are lucky enough to have a paddock for them to run in on days when we don't go anywhere.
Earlier this year I had whooping cough and spent a week on the couch.. I was worried about the dogs but Norah was happy just to hang out beside me...
 
#97 ·
I have a big GSD who's 1 1/2 and he has tons of energy. I try to play fetch/ run around with him for about an hour, and then I give him a long walk. That includes some running, steep hills, and power walking; get him trotting a bit. I try to do at least 2 miles, or else he's still very energetic.
It takes a very lot to completely "wear him out"... over the summer, I had some time off, and we went on long, long walks and hikes, and lots of swimming, and he would be really tired after that. I haven't gotten him to the "completely wiped out" point in a while, but the long walk seems to at least get him to the point where he isn't all wound up and he can just sit down and relax. :)
 
#98 ·
I have the feeling that Butters is more of a low-energy dog (well, low energy for a GSD). She's 4 months right now and tuckers out nicely with our really basic physical exercise routine -

  • She gets around 2 walks a day (sometimes just 1 long walk if my health is acting up), roughly 30-40 minutes in total, occasionally more.
  • Then, we play fetch numerous times on/off throughout the day. (I've tried other games with her, and we do play tug and such within the house, but fetch is the only game that has held her interest.) Our house sits on a large, maybe 1 1/2 acre property, so we toss it as far as we can into the yard, she bolts off, brings it back, rinse and repeat. All in all, this usually results in anywhere from 20-40 minutes of exercise.

We haven't been able to do too much hiking, brisk walks, etc. due to the weather (either chilly or rainy 80% of the time) or my health, but now that spring is just around the corner we plan to make fairly frequent visits up to Mt. Rainer National Park, which is maybe a 10-minute drive from here.

We also want to take her down to the river once it's warm enough for us to join her. And in the summer we plan on buying a small pool just for her.

Obviously, I need to work on mental stimulation as well. Only problem is - as mentioned - she doesn't really like other games. The Kong bores her, she isn't interested in hide n' seek (or using her nose to sniff out treats), etc.

But, then again, I always have a happy, snoozy puppy come night time, so I suppose my routine isn't too shabby.
 
#99 ·
Rogan and Lanee will go about 3 miles everyday. We usually do a 2 mile walk in the morning and a 1 mile walk in the evening, followed by lots of play time in the yard with toys, balls, etc. But if the weather is in the toilet or I'm sick, they'll happily just sleep or work on a bone and not seem to care either way.
 
#101 ·
My girl gets 1-2 walks in the morning, ranging from 20 minutes to 30 minutes around the neighborhood with some off-leash runs around a football field a couple times a week.

In the evening, we go for longer walks and on my days off we either go for a hike or play outside.

I have missed some walks with her before in the morning and she doesn't seem too bent out of shape about it. She sleeps a lot and I'm assuming because she's five years old and the last few weeks up to her adoption date (July 2nd) were pretty stressful. She came from California and was in a shelter for a couple of weeks. So getting good rest was probably impossible.
 
#102 ·
I do one short walk in the morning and then we do a power walk that is a good 30-40 minutes. At the end of our long walk is the dog park where I let him play with other dogs for an hour and then we do the 40 minute walk home. Usually end the day with a quick pee break before bed as well. Took me awhile to learn the perfect routine to tucker my guy out.
 
#105 · (Edited)
This is a question of mine as well, since we do not have a fenced yard to allow the dogs to run. Are leashed walks enough? Using a 50 foot line? Putting up a 6x16 foot run? I like a long walk, but cannot run. I play tug and fetch and flirt pole with my dogs, and practice obedience. My first shepherd was a couch potato, whereas my second shepherd was a maniac. Hard to know what to expect when I get my new pup.
 
#106 ·
Charlie W I think you're very active! :D That's awesome. I try to give my german shepherd at least 2 hours of exercise on my days off (4 days) we probably... do like 6 hours, playing rough, flirt pole, dog beach, hikes, dog park walks my dog is 19 months old and he has lots of energy
 
#107 ·
Beau is toward the high end of moderate energy. We walk 4 urban miles most mornings, and in cooler weather walk another 2 miles or more in the afternoon. During the summer it’s far too hot for afternoon walks so this summer we’re joining a doggie gym for some afternoon activity. He runs hard at the dog park one morning a week during the summer, hoping he can get more running done at the gym. Oh, plus daily training and games at home. This is enough activity to keep him easyish to live with. Not enough to wear him out.
 
#108 ·
Maggie is walked 2 or 3x a day. plus she goes out in the yard all day since she is not crated during the day just for bed when i cant monitor her. she has 2 friends who come over almost every night to play. When she is tired she will lay down even if we are walking. She tires easily after 10 min of running. we play frisbie or fetch almost everyday. she is iffy on tug, she will grab and just hang. fold her front feet back and all her weight pull down... i try to keep her busy when shes up so she crashes and i can then get stuff done. Its hard to paint a ceiling and have a puppy want to stand in the paint or steal the stir stick!! because i had opem heart surgery 3 years ago i feel like i dont do enough with her.
 
#109 ·
Amid the mid year it's unreasonably sweltering for evening strolls so this late spring we are joining a dogie exercise center for some evening action, he runs hard at the puppy stop one morning seven days amid the mid year, trusting he can accomplish all the more running at the rec center, goodness, in addition to day by day preparing and diversions at home, this is sufficient action to keep him immature to live with, insufficient to destroy him...












Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don’t get so worked up about things
 
#110 ·
Quest is fine if we do nothing for a day if needed, but I can tell he's a bit bored if that does happen due to illness or extreme weather. Generally, two thirty minute fetch sessions per day, plus two thirty minute off leash runs with my Whippets, Greyhound, and him playing are plenty. He loves it if we do a leashed walk into the nearby neighborhood, too :) He won't pester me, though, except if he finds a ball. He's ball crazed.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top