How Often Do You Walk Your Dog? 3 Factors to Consider

Dog walks are longer excursions that offer your dog exercise, whereas potty breaks are short trips so your pooch can relieve itself. Dogs need a minimum of three potty breaks a day, though puppies, young dogs, and older dogs often need more breaks. While potty breaks are essential, they do not provide enough physical activity to meet a dog’s exercise needs, so pet owners should also make time for dog walks.

Regular exercise is essential for your dog’s mental and physical health. Walks benefit your dog by helping to support:

1. 1. Digestive health: Regular walks can double as potty breaks for dogs. Opportunities to poop and empty their bladders help to ensure your dog’s digestive and urinary systems are working properly.
2. 2. Joint health: Inactivity takes a toll on joints by making them less flexible and more prone to stiffness and pain. Daily walks keep your dog’s joints active and increase mobility.
3. 3. Mental stimulation: Dog owners know when their pet gets bored, they get restless, anxious, and potentially destructive. Walks provide daily exercise for your dog’s body and mind by introducing them to new locations, people, and other dogs.
4. 4. Weight loss: Obesity in dogs leads to debilitating health conditions like heart disease, osteoarthritis, hypertension, and certain types of cancer. Walking burns calories and provides the cardio exercise a dog needs to maintain high energy levels and a healthy weight.

Several factors determine how often you should walk your furry friend, including:

1. 1. Age: Dog walking needs vary depending on your pet’s age. Young dogs need more exercise than middle-aged dogs (between the ages of five and eight) and senior dogs (nine years and above).
2. 2. Breed: Your dog’s breed determines the amount of exercise they need each day. Dogs bred for work or competition, such as Labrador retrievers and German shepherds, are active dogs that need long walks of an hour or two each day. Smaller dog breeds like pugs and English bulldogs need shorter walks of twenty to thirty minutes a day.
   
3. 3. Size: Short walks of up to thirty minutes (or two fifteen-minute walks) are sufficient for small dogs like terriers, Chihuahuas, or toy poodles. Medium-sized dogs, including cocker spaniels and boxers, have more stamina for longer walks of forty to eighty minutes a day. Pet parents of large dog breeds with high energy levels—such as Australian shepherds, border collies, golden retrievers, and Great Danes—must set aside between thirty minutes and two hours a day for walks.

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