Need advice for exercising my Yorkie - YorkieTalk.com Forums

kyancer · 05-15-2008, 07:07 PM

I think that I haven't been exercising my Yorkie enough. How often do you walk your Yorkie? What length of time do you consider to be a "good" walk. I really can only walk mine once a day. What other games do you play with your Yorkie to give him exercise? Right now we mostly do fetch in the house. How many times a day do you actively "play" with your Yorkie during a formal play time? Thanks for any advice?

LuvmyYorkies2 · 05-15-2008, 07:18 PM

First wanted to say hello...I'm also in Maryland...Southern Maryland....

I have 3 yorkies. I live in a townhome, no fence. I take them on 3 to 4 walks a day. Once in the morning b4 I leave for work, again when I get home from work and the last time before bedtime(I'm a night owl so it's usually anywhere from 9PM to 10:30PM). Sometimes they get an extra walk on the weekends in the evenings. Other times, I may just go out front for extra play time, throwing the ball or a toy around or we'll just sit around on the porch if it's a nice day. They also have eachother to play with in the house and me and my 2 sons will play with them throughout the day in the house as well. They have their own toy basket they can reach so they'll go get toys whenever they want(of course there's toys all over too)! lol

I'm thinking at least 2 walks a day is good or playing fetch or something with them a few times would be sufficient. I know I probably do more than they need but they enjoy it and as long as I have the time, I like doing it for them. I know Yorkies aren't known to need extensive amounts of exercise though.

Oh and as far as the length of time, our walks can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. Shorter of course on colder or not so nice days...

kyancer · 05-16-2008, 06:33 AM

That's great to meet another person from Maryland on here! I also live in a townhome with no fence. There are dogs that live on either side of us and sit in the backyard and bark ALL DAY LONG. My little guy is pretty freaked out by other dogs and gets so stressed out in the backyard that I stopped taking him out there. I thought about getting a retractable leash for out front so I could throw a toy for him outside at night. My husband really doesn't want me walking him by myself after dark. Luckily it is staying light out longer now. I pretty much walk him around the block, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes. I should probably increase the area we walk so it's a bit longer. I got a book that gives ideas of 50 games to play with dogs. We've been doing fetch for a long time, but it didn't last long because he doesn't like to give up his toy

. But, the book helped me learn how to start teaching him to play fetch and I tried it last night and he really enjoyed it. So, I just need to start having more play times with him. I don't have any other dogs (he's all I can handle

), and he doesn't seem to like other dogs either.

One more question...do you crate your dogs while you are gone? How long do you leave them for per day?

Yorkieforme · 05-16-2008, 07:02 AM

Hi,

I take mine on a walk in the park only when it is nice out...she is small at 6 months
(2.7 lbs) and hates the cool weather...but I throw a ball around in the back yard and that gets her going..she will run around as fast as she can...it is so funny to watch her and she makes a rrrrr sound when she does it....
What is the name of the book with the games? I would be very interested in reading that one...
Thanks :-)

kyancer · 05-16-2008, 07:24 AM

Here is the book:

Amazon.com: 50 Games to Play with Your Dog:...
And, here is another one I got. I haven't looked at it much since we are just now learning the basics with a trainer. But, I think it will be a lot of fun!

Amazon.com: 101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step...
We just did the fetch game again and he is really getting the hang of it! It is so much fun, and he is so cute

. I really think this kind of play interaction is what he needs. This is my first dog, so I'm still learning! But, I think a lot of his annoying behavioral issues might stem from not being played with/exercised enough. I think he is bored and that's why he is always nipping at our pant legs and barking at us. Glad I'm finally figuring it out! He is acting much better already. I did play with him before, but we only did about one short play time and one short walk.

Mom to Hot Rod · 05-16-2008, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyancer

That's great to meet another person from Maryland on here! I also live in a townhome with no fence. There are dogs that live on either side of us and sit in the backyard and bark ALL DAY LONG. My little guy is pretty freaked out by other dogs and gets so stressed out in the backyard that I stopped taking him out there. I thought about getting a retractable leash for out front so I could throw a toy for him outside at night. My husband really doesn't want me walking him by myself after dark. Luckily it is staying light out longer now. I pretty much walk him around the block, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes. I should probably increase the area we walk so it's a bit longer. I got a book that gives ideas of 50 games to play with dogs. We've been doing fetch for a long time, but it didn't last long because he doesn't like to give up his toy

. But, the book helped me learn how to start teaching him to play fetch and I tried it last night and he really enjoyed it. So, I just need to start having more play times with him. I don't have any other dogs (he's all I can handle

), and he doesn't seem to like other dogs either.

One more question...do you crate your dogs while you are gone? How long do you leave them for per day?

Hi there, I'm another Marylander. I am able to take Hot Rod out several times a day. I live in a small developement and we walk almost to the front and back sometimes 2-3 times in a day. Probably about 1 - 1 1/2 miles total. We play fetch with him every night and I now that it is nice out, I have him in the garden with me. He's usually ready to crash about 10:30 pm. That is also when I start our bedtime ritual.

We did the crate thing at first but then we got an x-pen. Best thing! He has his crate, food/water and pee pad in it. I have just started to leave him out when I run errands. My dining room and stairs are still blocked off to him. Good Luck. The other thing about the xpen, I know that he can go potty if I can't get back in time.

LuvmyYorkies2 · 05-16-2008, 07:18 PM

I'm probably not the best to ask about crating...I'm one of the "softies". Mine are not crated

. Well, Diva, my oldest, who will be 2 at the end of May, was crated in the beginning. I got her when she was 15 weeks old and crated her when I wasn't home...other than that, she was out...and slept with me at night too. Now she has free roam of the house....I got Foxxy when she was 15 weeks old(she'll be 1 next week), I just never crated her....I just felt bad having her crated and Diva running around so I tried the pp pads...that's what I use now. Foxxy and Diva are both now fully trained..neither will go in the house(well there have been an accident here and there when they were sick and had diaharrea but they went on the pads..phew)...so I guess I just lucked out....Now I won't say there weren't accidents while they were still in "potty training" mode but that comes with the territory. Just pick a method adnd stick with it...It seems like forever but it's so rewarding when it's over with. Now diva's pup Duchess....well...that's another story...we're still working on her

she's 7 mths. She's having more accidents than Diva & Foxxy did but is now doing well with the pp pads and going outside.

kyancer · 05-17-2008, 04:26 PM

Sebastian is only trained on the main level (I have a 3 level townhome). He still thinks the basement is his personal toilet

. So, he has free roam of the main level, but I still have to keep an eye on him and take him out really often or he will have the occasional accident. So, he gets crated when I'm doing something where I can't keep a close eye on him. His crate is actually more like a playpen. I got one for a really big dog and he has learned over time to not go potty in there. It's his little den and safe haven from my toddlers

. He stays in it mostly when I leave the house, and overnight to sleep. But, he also takes naps in there on his own (I always leave the door open for him). I am a softie though and always feel bad when I have to put him in there. At least he seems to like it.

Yorkiedaze · 05-17-2008, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyancer

I think that I haven't been exercising my Yorkie enough. How often do you walk your Yorkie? What length of time do you consider to be a "good" walk. I really can only walk mine once a day. What other games do you play with your Yorkie to give him exercise? Right now we mostly do fetch in the house. How many times a day do you actively "play" with your Yorkie during a formal play time? Thanks for any advice?

Start out with only a few blocks for a couple of weeks and then just add a block each week. I would walk in early morning and evening when it's cooler. Their pads can actually peel if they are walked too far first time out or on hot asphalt. Invest in a treadmill if you don't have one so you both can walk on rainy days and during the winter when it's just too cold to get out.

LoveMyJake · 05-25-2008, 12:18 AM

We don't have sidewalks where we live, but we have a huge backyard and woods behind that. We do our walking there twice a day for about 30 min. each time. They also run and play in the yard several times a day. I have two, so they keep each other busy playing all the time also. They LOVE toys!!

Fetch is a GREAT way to exercise your dog, and you can do that indoors, no matter what the weather.

I also like to "challenge" my boys by hiding toys and having them find them. They love that game.

I also like toys that challenge them a bit. Hide-A-Squirrel is a great one!

daniellealberta · 05-26-2008, 02:53 PM

Spike and I go to the off-leash park once a day for 40 minutes or so. I do about a 1 mile loop, he probably does twice that after he's sniffed everything he wants to and met all the other dogs. I find he gets much more exercise at the dog park rather than going on walks on his leash around the neighbourhood.

Whenever I'm home, he's usually playing with me, chasing his toys and playing fetch while I watch TV!

MindysMommy · 06-15-2009, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyancer

I think that I haven't been exercising my Yorkie enough. How often do you walk your Yorkie? What length of time do you consider to be a "good" walk. I really can only walk mine once a day. What other games do you play with your Yorkie to give him exercise? Right now we mostly do fetch in the house. How many times a day do you actively "play" with your Yorkie during a formal play time? Thanks for any advice?

I have a 5 1/2 month old Morkie named Mindy. She weighs 5.5 lbs. We walk to the icecream stand in our neighborhood which is about a mile away. We sit, drink water and she even gets a few licks of vanilla icecream when I am finished. When we get home, she drinks a little bit lays down for only 2 minutes and then is back looking for mischief!

This doesnt seem to be too much for her. I have never seen my puppy tired yet! Just judge your distance upon weather, and your dogs reaction!!! Have fun with your baby!

Buster Bailey · 06-15-2009, 09:26 AM

Buster & Bailey get about a 2 mile walk each evening. I sometimes walk them in the mornings for about 30 minutes, but have not been consistent on that (too rainy, too cold, too tired, etc...) - we went this morning though! I actually just started rollerblading with them too for about 10 minutes each time and they LOVE that (since I let them go pretty much as fast as they want). Since I have the 2 of them, they play together all the time, and we play tug-of-war with them quite a bit (it's their favorite!). We have not been able to get them to play fetch very much, but I know that's a really good way for them to get exercise. Whenever we're at home, they run all over the house, and on weekends they are out & about with me wherever I go. We have a lot of steps (4 levels) so that gets them exercise too.

MyDuke · 06-24-2009, 05:29 PM

I'm on the same boat, Duke and I live in an apt with no backyard or any fenced in area. I take Duke out for a walk once a day when I get home from work for about 45min or so, I also play catch with him after we eat dinner for about 45min-1hr also.
I do wish that I can take him out more but I'm hoping that the playing catch makes up for it.
I do take Duke to the little dog park when I can but bc we live in the metro NY area, I have to take him on the train with me and it's a trip...

nneessaa · 06-25-2009, 06:59 AM

My Scruffers gets 2-3 hours of exercise per day. I do pet sitting and dog walking so he always gets dragged along. Scruffs came to me as a crazy, high strung, constant energy dog. It took about two months of exercising daily to get him to calm down. He is now super calm and he is just an overall mellow dog.

I think that they should get a minimum of 1 hour of exercise outside of your house/yard. I believe all dogs should be walked no matter their size. Just makes them happier dogs.

05-15-2008, 07:07 PM	#1
kyancer Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 237	Need advice for exercising my Yorkie I think that I haven't been exercising my Yorkie enough. How often do you walk your Yorkie? What length of time do you consider to be a "good" walk. I really can only walk mine once a day. What other games do you play with your Yorkie to give him exercise? Right now we mostly do fetch in the house. How many times a day do you actively "play" with your Yorkie during a formal play time? Thanks for any advice? __________________ Kristina Mommy to Sebastian

05-15-2008, 07:18 PM	#2
LuvmyYorkies2 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 1,739	First wanted to say hello...I'm also in Maryland...Southern Maryland.... I have 3 yorkies. I live in a townhome, no fence. I take them on 3 to 4 walks a day. Once in the morning b4 I leave for work, again when I get home from work and the last time before bedtime(I'm a night owl so it's usually anywhere from 9PM to 10:30PM). Sometimes they get an extra walk on the weekends in the evenings. Other times, I may just go out front for extra play time, throwing the ball or a toy around or we'll just sit around on the porch if it's a nice day. They also have eachother to play with in the house and me and my 2 sons will play with them throughout the day in the house as well. They have their own toy basket they can reach so they'll go get toys whenever they want(of course there's toys all over too)! lol I'm thinking at least 2 walks a day is good or playing fetch or something with them a few times would be sufficient. I know I probably do more than they need but they enjoy it and as long as I have the time, I like doing it for them. I know Yorkies aren't known to need extensive amounts of exercise though. Oh and as far as the length of time, our walks can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. Shorter of course on colder or not so nice days... __________________ Yolanda I Love My Girls Diva & Foxxy & Lexi Last edited by LuvmyYorkies2; 05-15-2008 at 07:19 PM.

05-16-2008, 06:33 AM	#3
kyancer Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 237	That's great to meet another person from Maryland on here! I also live in a townhome with no fence. There are dogs that live on either side of us and sit in the backyard and bark ALL DAY LONG. My little guy is pretty freaked out by other dogs and gets so stressed out in the backyard that I stopped taking him out there. I thought about getting a retractable leash for out front so I could throw a toy for him outside at night. My husband really doesn't want me walking him by myself after dark. Luckily it is staying light out longer now. I pretty much walk him around the block, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes. I should probably increase the area we walk so it's a bit longer. I got a book that gives ideas of 50 games to play with dogs. We've been doing fetch for a long time, but it didn't last long because he doesn't like to give up his toy . But, the book helped me learn how to start teaching him to play fetch and I tried it last night and he really enjoyed it. So, I just need to start having more play times with him. I don't have any other dogs (he's all I can handle ), and he doesn't seem to like other dogs either. One more question...do you crate your dogs while you are gone? How long do you leave them for per day? __________________ Kristina Mommy to Sebastian Last edited by kyancer; 05-16-2008 at 06:34 AM.

05-16-2008, 07:02 AM	#4
Yorkieforme YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Windsor, Ontario Canada Posts: 1,138 Blog Entries: 1	Hi, I take mine on a walk in the park only when it is nice out...she is small at 6 months (2.7 lbs) and hates the cool weather...but I throw a ball around in the back yard and that gets her going..she will run around as fast as she can...it is so funny to watch her and she makes a rrrrr sound when she does it.... What is the name of the book with the games? I would be very interested in reading that one... Thanks :-) __________________ Natalie & KiKi

05-16-2008, 07:24 AM	#5
kyancer Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 237	Here is the book: Amazon.com: 50 Games to Play with Your Dog:... And, here is another one I got. I haven't looked at it much since we are just now learning the basics with a trainer. But, I think it will be a lot of fun! Amazon.com: 101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step... We just did the fetch game again and he is really getting the hang of it! It is so much fun, and he is so cute . I really think this kind of play interaction is what he needs. This is my first dog, so I'm still learning! But, I think a lot of his annoying behavioral issues might stem from not being played with/exercised enough. I think he is bored and that's why he is always nipping at our pant legs and barking at us. Glad I'm finally figuring it out! He is acting much better already. I did play with him before, but we only did about one short play time and one short walk. __________________ Kristina Mommy to Sebastian Last edited by kyancer; 05-16-2008 at 07:27 AM.

05-16-2008, 07:18 PM	#7
LuvmyYorkies2 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 1,739	I'm probably not the best to ask about crating...I'm one of the "softies". Mine are not crated. Well, Diva, my oldest, who will be 2 at the end of May, was crated in the beginning. I got her when she was 15 weeks old and crated her when I wasn't home...other than that, she was out...and slept with me at night too. Now she has free roam of the house....I got Foxxy when she was 15 weeks old(she'll be 1 next week), I just never crated her....I just felt bad having her crated and Diva running around so I tried the pp pads...that's what I use now. Foxxy and Diva are both now fully trained..neither will go in the house(well there have been an accident here and there when they were sick and had diaharrea but they went on the pads..phew)...so I guess I just lucked out....Now I won't say there weren't accidents while they were still in "potty training" mode but that comes with the territory. Just pick a method adnd stick with it...It seems like forever but it's so rewarding when it's over with. Now diva's pup Duchess....well...that's another story...we're still working on her she's 7 mths. She's having more accidents than Diva & Foxxy did but is now doing well with the pp pads and going outside. __________________ Yolanda I Love My Girls Diva & Foxxy & Lexi

05-17-2008, 04:26 PM	#8
kyancer Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 237	Sebastian is only trained on the main level (I have a 3 level townhome). He still thinks the basement is his personal toilet . So, he has free roam of the main level, but I still have to keep an eye on him and take him out really often or he will have the occasional accident. So, he gets crated when I'm doing something where I can't keep a close eye on him. His crate is actually more like a playpen. I got one for a really big dog and he has learned over time to not go potty in there. It's his little den and safe haven from my toddlers . He stays in it mostly when I leave the house, and overnight to sleep. But, he also takes naps in there on his own (I always leave the door open for him). I am a softie though and always feel bad when I have to put him in there. At least he seems to like it. __________________ Kristina Mommy to Sebastian

05-25-2008, 12:18 AM	#10
LoveMyJake I love Jackson too! Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,905	We don't have sidewalks where we live, but we have a huge backyard and woods behind that. We do our walking there twice a day for about 30 min. each time. They also run and play in the yard several times a day. I have two, so they keep each other busy playing all the time also. They LOVE toys!! Fetch is a GREAT way to exercise your dog, and you can do that indoors, no matter what the weather. I also like to "challenge" my boys by hiding toys and having them find them. They love that game. I also like toys that challenge them a bit. Hide-A-Squirrel is a great one! __________________ Selina, mommy to Jake and Jackson. RIP baby Lily Coming soon: Gracie

05-26-2008, 02:53 PM	#11
daniellealberta Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alberta Posts: 186	Spike and I go to the off-leash park once a day for 40 minutes or so. I do about a 1 mile loop, he probably does twice that after he's sniffed everything he wants to and met all the other dogs. I find he gets much more exercise at the dog park rather than going on walks on his leash around the neighbourhood. Whenever I'm home, he's usually playing with me, chasing his toys and playing fetch while I watch TV!

06-15-2009, 09:26 AM	#13
Buster Bailey Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Southwest MN Posts: 188	Buster & Bailey get about a 2 mile walk each evening. I sometimes walk them in the mornings for about 30 minutes, but have not been consistent on that (too rainy, too cold, too tired, etc...) - we went this morning though! I actually just started rollerblading with them too for about 10 minutes each time and they LOVE that (since I let them go pretty much as fast as they want). Since I have the 2 of them, they play together all the time, and we play tug-of-war with them quite a bit (it's their favorite!). We have not been able to get them to play fetch very much, but I know that's a really good way for them to get exercise. Whenever we're at home, they run all over the house, and on weekends they are out & about with me wherever I go. We have a lot of steps (4 levels) so that gets them exercise too. __________________ Buster & Bailey's Mom

06-24-2009, 05:29 PM	#14
MyDuke YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: NJ & NY Posts: 356	I'm on the same boat, Duke and I live in an apt with no backyard or any fenced in area. I take Duke out for a walk once a day when I get home from work for about 45min or so, I also play catch with him after we eat dinner for about 45min-1hr also. I do wish that I can take him out more but I'm hoping that the playing catch makes up for it. I do take Duke to the little dog park when I can but bc we live in the metro NY area, I have to take him on the train with me and it's a trip... __________________ Owned by a Yorkie name Duke

06-25-2009, 06:59 AM	#15
nneessaa YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cupertino, CA, USA Posts: 516	My Scruffers gets 2-3 hours of exercise per day. I do pet sitting and dog walking so he always gets dragged along. Scruffs came to me as a crazy, high strung, constant energy dog. It took about two months of exercising daily to get him to calm down. He is now super calm and he is just an overall mellow dog. I think that they should get a minimum of 1 hour of exercise outside of your house/yard. I believe all dogs should be walked no matter their size. Just makes them happier dogs. __________________ Vanessa & Scruffs (2 year old Yorkie) RIP My Little Neu (16 year old Cocker Spaniel)