How much exercise do you really give your dog? Also, how much exercise does your Yorkie need in order to be calm and happy and content? It honestly REALLY depends with us. There will be certain weeks where we're busy busy busy... meetups, dog park visits, pet store visits, hikes, walks, swimming, etc. However, like the last 3-4 weeks, we've honestly done VERY little. It IS kind of starting to show (he's more whiny and needy) but he's learned to just go lay down and chill for the most part. When I say very little, I mean maybe a 15 min game of fetch outdoors (we do have a giant hill, so he gets a good workout) 2-3x a week and maybe a 5 min session indoors. A couple of car rides during the week (running small errands, the bank, etc). We've been extra lazy lately. He is starting to get kind of annoying though. He will sit and stare at you, or whine, or go pick up a piece of trash or a toy laying on the ground and then look at you like "Are you going to come take it from me?" I would say his more "average" though (weather dependent) is at least 3-4 walks per week (usually ranging from 2-5 miles), a few really good runs/sprints per week (when we visit my dads fenced in yard), fetch outside with the Chuck It uphill at least 5 days a week for at least 10 minutes, a pet store visit once or twice a week, a dog park visit a few times a month, and in the summer it's swimming in the pool 3-4 days a week. I would say we average a 1/2 hour - 1 1/2 hour a day of true exercise. But again sometimes it's more. Jackson seems to have more of a need to *do something* vs actual exercise. He could go on a 7 mile hike and still not be tired. But give him 20 mins of training and he will go relax and be happy with that. Although he DOES really need a few times a week at least RUN... a lot of days I can hold him over by sticking an interactive food toy at him or take him for a car ride. Okay that was longer than I wanted it to be lol. But I'm always amazed when I dogsit and the dogs are just so content to just... lay around and do nothing. And I admit, sometimes I have a hint of jealousy. :p |
As long as there is no snow on the ground, Annie and I walk 1-1/2 miles every day. I'm trying to get her used to boots, but it is a process! :) She also gets some run time chasing and playing with the cat. She's not a big fan of playing with toys; she is most content just hanging out with me on my lap. :D |
Our first yorkie, Charlie, required a lot of real exercise when he was younger. He would jog with me and even helped me train for a 1/2 marathon--the farthest I took him was 6 miles. He was 15 pounds and very athletic. Barney and Anna do a lot of zooming through the house and they run around and play in our back yard. My husband takes them out for play time pretty much every day. But they definitely do not require the activity that Charlie did. I have tried taking Barney for a run several times, but it's just not his thing. Plus, hypocritical maybe, but it feels weird running with a tiny dog by my side. By the way, when Charlie didn't get enough exercise, he was a terror, not hyper, but constantly getting into things that he shouldn't. Miss that little turkey. |
Huey does not get nearly enough exercise because I do not get enough. This is something we are going to work on this year. He gets to chase the ball around the house for 10-15 min a couple times a day, but he mostly sleeps all day with me (when I worked the night before) and all night with hubby. He gets the zoomies a few times a weeks and runs around the house. He very rarely gets walked outside because it is steeply uphill both ways out of the driveway and I am too fat and lazy to walk him-this is changing! I truly think that he would not be sitting here barking at me with a toy between his feet right now if I allowed him to run off his energy more. So, gonna get up, get showered and go walk my dog! :D |
Rasta and I do about 2 miles of jogging a day as long as it's not raining outside. It's nice to have an exercise buddy considering our other dog (bulldog) gets tired just walking around the block. |
The weather has reduced the quantity and length of our outings. I know my poor guys aren't getting enough right now. We try to do a mile or two in walks outdoors each day before I freeze. Throughout the day, I spend 10 -15 minutes here and there playing fetch in the house with them, or doing sprints, tricks. We take them in the car almost everywhere we go and do shorter walks. Does barking in the car count as aerobic activity? :D |
Magnus used to get about 30-40 min walks every night but since my car accident back in late October, the only "walk" he's been getting is 5-10 min potty walks. I do try to play with him inside though but I know it's not enough. Unfortunately, this caused BOTH of us to gain weight so we're looking quite plump. LOL |
In winter, we do one 20-30 minute outdoor walk a day. A mile at most. In summer, two walks. Twice a week, summer and winter, we substitute the one hour meetup at the park. 9 year old Eddie will refuse winter walks, so he'll do 4-5 walks most weeks. If his weight's good and he doesn't seem restless, I'm OK with that. If his weight goes up, I insist he walk everyday. It hasn't been a problem lately. I think you're right about other activities substituting for walks. We do nosework around the house 20-30 minutes every day. Eddie especially insists on that when he skips walks. One on one time seems to help, whether it's training or therapy work at the hospital. If we miss a walk for some reason, I try to take them for a car ride or to Petco etc. where they can walk around. |
right now....not so much! in door playing and running laps when they are really spunky. Mine do not like the cold or the rain so they much prefer to be lazy by the pellet stove. in the summer 45 min walks once a day. |
Huey got more exercize than usual today, running up and down the stairs to keep away from the evil vacuum and evil swiffer and evil floor steamer... |
No near enuff.... but camping season IS coming!!! :D |
Tibbe is a dog that demands his exercise or he just won't settle down. He's pestering me and baiting me and chattering away at me, growling under his breath, etc., until I give in and get up and walk him or chase him(even on a cane at times) all over the house a few rounds or take him through his training commands a dozen times or more, whether I feel like it or not. Once he's had his first exercise session and a few treats and his water, he'll settle down for a nice nap, griping at me until I squeeze over and he gets right beside me on the couch pillow with no room left to even breathe and that's how he prefers to nap! Once he wakes up again, it's outside to chase the leaves and squirrels and anything that's moving in the yard or alley. He'll run around outside like a nut just for the joy of running, I guess. He's constantly trying to get me involved in his backyard play and sometimes it even works for a minute or two but if I can't, he'll keep on playing on his own. I'm very fortunate in that. But he loves his training sessions and his walks outside the most - the long walks which I'm not always up to so I have to improvise and get him doing his jumps over a stick balanced between his bottom doggie step and a basket about 6" off the floor and setting up a little den "agility" course where he runs, first running in and out of his crate beside the couch, up his doggie steps, up onto the couch and jumping into the window sill behind the couch and back down the onto the couch, the doggie steps and back on the floor, going around in a big circle again and jumping over his stick again and again, then back in and out of his crate, up the doggie steps to the couch, etc. This little "agility" course much wears him out after a few rounds of it. We almost always get in a few rounds of his going through his obedience training and doing his little tricks, rolling over and sitting up and begging, sitting, etc. - which is his favorite thing in the world to do. So he manages to get in some fairly good exercise though I doubt it's always enough for him, I'm often down on the ice pack, taking medicine and using Icy Hot by the time we're done. |
Lol Oh winter time and cold and snow....so want green grass back. Zoey loved it outdoors but inside.......we live in a tri level so we have main floor with kitchen an dining which is "hers" . But now she is 8 months and has earned more freedom rights of running . She likes to chase her balls up AND down the 2 flights of short stairs. Crouching like a cat in wait at top of stairs , you throw ball up and she leaps up and catches it, brings it back an rolls it back down the stairs to me to do over again. Or sometimes just runs it down to me for a little lap time. Loves to chase them downstairs too and across the room too , to return to your lap for a do over. Sooo funny. Likes to shake the crap out of the banister toy on elastic too, she just goes crazy with it! |
I have heard it said on the infamous Animal Planet and by other so called animal experts that if you do not want to be bothered with having to do a lot of exercising then get a toy sized dog. I would like to scream at them whenever I hear it. Except for about 4 months out of the year Gracie gets at least 2 fairly long walks a day. She also spends a lot of time with me out in the yard investigating all the scents and sounds out there. A few games of fetch is a must. This time of year indoor fetch and chase games are her major forms of exercise. She misses the outdoors but when I open the door and she feels the cold and sees the snow she gladly backs up away from that icy beast that has taken over her world. It is an extra effort to keep her content but she is my responsibility, besides I would not want to be locked up and bored either. When people complain about their dogs misbehavior 9 times out of 10 they are not giving their pet the physical and mental stimulation they need. How can anyone expect a healthy animal to become a couch potato? |
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