What sounds fair?

[GSPmad]

While it obviously varies re: breed, genetics, age etc - what would you consider a fair amount of exercise and stimulation for a dog each day? In terms of activity, length of time, how often etc, in terms of a dog's quality of life? Opinions? 

[travis]

This is Trav and Ruby's typical day.
6.30am 30 min off lead
12.45 pm 2hour excersize,1 1/2 hr off lead,playing retrieve,swimming most days
4.15pm 1/2hr walk with kids,playing hide and seek with the kid's and ball throwing
Travis has another 20 min onlead walk late night for his last wee.
Throughout the day are with me,we play in the garden throughout the day

[SuzAndTheDiva]

It DOES vary so much from dog to dog - Honey the original couch potato - shed sleep all day if I let her, doesnt mean i do though. Our exercise routine varies and is rarely the same day to day. Depends on my routine for the day - though she nearly always has a walk before work so shes settled for the day.

[wags]

what suits one wont suit another

i dont think i cuold possibly over exercise the collies

[rooooooooby]

Hi,

I think aswell as breed, age, genetics you also have health, fitness level, current routine and feeding.

I'll be honest - William and Bonnie do not get a walk every day, sometimes not for almost a week at a time.  When they do go for a walk its usually once (rarely twice) a day between 30min and 1hr which most  times consists of driving them to park opening boot and them running.

I am in most of the day with Harry and if we do go out they're not left for more than 3hrs at a time.  They're fed a maintenance diet and are healthy / reasonably fit and settle down into "mooching mode" when they are at home.  They dont seem sad to me because they dont have walks - i dont like going on my own - its lonely.

Claire x

[Foxisle_crazy]

what suits one wont suit another

i dont think i cuold possibly over exercise the collies

Same here, Izzy gets a LOT of exercise on a week, she cant get enough! But she is also more than happy to sleep all day if she has to 

[jaydex]

My 2 go out every morning for about 1/2 hour before work, then when i get home for upto an hour n 1/2. During school holidays they may only go out once a day(cos we like our lay ins) but it would be quite a long walk, the only time they havent been out all day was weds just gone, I was just so ill I couldnt do it, an OH working till gone 8pm, the kids would have taken Kodi I suppose but I wouldnt let them take Dex, the dogs were very good but by thursday morning Kodi was eager to go out, even though Jamie did give her about a half hour play in the garden the night before. She would be climbing up the walls if she never went out for a couple of days on the trot let alone a week!
While we were in Scotland last month we went for walk which took 6 hours altogether! we were stopping and starting alot but both seemed to be fine, and when we got back to the campsite, Kodi played ball for ages. Dex seems quite happy with a plod around and little bursts of running but Kodi just loves to run and swim non stop and lurves her tennis ball

[Val]

All my dogs go out at least twice a day free running and roadwalking (old habits from showing beardies) I would not dream of not taking a dog out for a week as far as I am concerned a big part of dog ownership is walking the dogs.

Also think it's what keeps me going on the bad days when my bones hurt.

My beardies often go missing for the day like yesterday hubby set off at dawn and came back just after five  I took my little royal ones on the downs they are happy with one walk but if the beardies are around they also get two, on the odd occassion when I have been really unwell friends take the beardies out, the pekes do what comes naturally to them stay close to me on the sofa and guard me from aliens
Val

[Izzie]

My two rogues get walked everymorning off lead for about 45mins to an hour. I am going to start getting them out twice a day with a roadwalk as I have stopped doing the roadwalking

Some weekends we take them to different parks so that they get a swim too for a good hour or 2.

They do have the odd day where they dont get to go out because of me not being able to physically walk - but on those days they get extra training and extra play.

[*Nat*]

Most days Piper only gets taken out once but for at least an hour & a half! She has access to the garden and we do play ball and do clicker stuff in between - her walk time varies from day to day too, sometimes we'll go in the moring, today it was lunchtime, another day may be evening 

[TobyTeaCosy and Angela]

Again, don't know about fair, depends on the dog, Toby gets 20 minutes first thing, then an hour at lunch, either me, my mam or Alex, we do recall practice too so he gets some off the lead time, then at five he gets a short walk for a pee, then an early evening walk.  We use him as a keep fit excuse weekends.  He loves his walks, morning ones he has always turned round and headed for home wanting his breaky so a short one suits us all well.  We don't have a garden for pee time, just a yard so I prefer to take him to his pee spot at the end of the street and then start off on a walk.

Only time he'll turn down a walk is if we snuggly on the sofa and its raining out, usually early evenings! 

[rooooooooby]

Hi,

William wont go if its raining either Angela !!

As far as I am concerned there are alot worse things you could do to a dog than not walk it every day.  I dont have good enough health to walk them every day and look after Harry and do a degree and do all the driving everywhere.

I did take Bonnie out every day when I was training her and Misty went out twice a day atleast when she was here for training and to chill her down but I'm not superhuman I cant do it all the time lol !!

Claire x

[jaydex]

.  I dont have good enough health to walk them every day and look after Harry and do a degree and do all the driving everywhere.

I did take Bonnie out every day when I was training her and Misty went out twice a day atleast when she was here for training and to chill her down but I'm not superhuman I cant do it all the time lol !!

Claire x

Sorry but thats not really an excuse, we all lead busy lives Claire, we all have 1001 things to do everyday, we all work, most have kids, most drive, some are at college too, and we're not all 100% fit either, but we STILL manage to walk our dogs.  Neither is it an excuse to say you dont like walking on your own its lonely, your not on your own your with your dogs! If you cant do it yourself then at least for dogs sake get someone else to do it for you.

[kerrie and stan]

during the summer stan gets walked twice a day, early morning and evening for about 30mins to 1hr.i dont take him out during the day much as he doesnt do very well when its realy hot
during the winter he gets waliked 3 times a day the morning is ussually 1hr to 1.30hr, lunch about 30-45mins and evening aout 1 hr
at the moment hes only going out for 30 mins in the morning and 10 mins in the evening but onces hes well again we will be working up to our normal routine again

[rooooooooby]

Sorry but thats not really an excuse, we all lead busy lives Claire, we all have 1001 things to do everyday, we all work, most have kids, most drive, some are at college too, and we're not all 100% fit either, but we STILL manage to walk our dogs.  Neither is it an excuse to say you dont like walking on your own its lonely, your not on your own your with your dogs! If you cant do it yourself then at least for dogs sake get someone else to do it for you.

wanna give me the £6000 a year in dog walking fees ??