Most dogs can handle 5 km (3 miles) without extra training but need at least a month to get up to 20 km. Walks above 5 km should always be followed by a light rest day. If you go too far too quickly you could cause all sorts of muscle, tendon, ligament, joint or bone problems.
Some need 1-2 hours of exercise per day, others need more than 2 hours, and some – mostly working breeds – need significantly more, plus mental stimulation throughout the day.
The short answer: at least 30-45 minutes. The longer answer: Ideally longer! If you've got a healthy, active dog, shoot for at least 60 minutes a day. Walking is important for physical and mental exercise.
Most dogs can tolerate 20-30 minute dog walks on a daily basis if they have a relatively good body condition. Some dogs in great physical health can tolerate walks up to 2 hours or go hiking for hours at a time.
As a rule, no more than an hour of playtime or exercise, including walks, should be given to your pet each day. During the COVID-19 “stay at home” order, we have to also be mindful of how many family members are walking or playing with our pet and for how long. Get to know your pet's favorite forms of exercise.
A dog in good general shape can enjoy a 15 to 30 minute walk daily. Most breeds may need routine walks several times per day. Moreover, dogs with excellent health can enjoy long walks of up to two or more hours. Some will even hike with their owners for a couple of hours.
Most dogs can handle 5 km (3 miles) without extra training but need at least a month to get up to 20 km. Walks above 5 km should always be followed by a light rest day. If you go too far too quickly you could cause all sorts of muscle, tendon, ligament, joint or bone problems.
Their activity levels depend on various factors that make up their breed and genetic and physical composition. Although activity levels range from dog to dog, you can over-exercise your dog. Like humans, over-exercising can lead to decreased activity levels, energy, and overall harm than good.
Most dogs love them and they can be a wonderful part of our day. That being said, it is not necessary to take a walk every single day. Many dog caretakers feel like they are failing their dogs if they skip a daily walk. In fact, it is usually nothing to worry about, and sometimes it's exactly what your dog needs!
Exercise enables a healthy body
In addition to helping your dog maintain a healthy weight and muscle mass, and keeping her cardiovascular system in shape, regular physical activity will help keep her happy. If you want to prolong her life, consider prolonging those evening walks, and maybe even kick it up to a jog.
“Sometimes a good, solid 10-minute walk might be better than 20 minutes of playing ball in the backyard.” Most dogs would spend their days playing fetch or tugging a rope toy, but Hughes says that dogs need physical and mental stimulation to avoid boredom or unwanted behavior.
Avoid the heat of the day – it's best to walk your dog either first thing in the morning or later in the day. Keep walks shorter than normal, your dog needs to get out but not for too long.
That being said, if a dog is good on a leash and/or seems like they could really use a good walk (puppies, large breed, etc), I'll either jog with them and get in 2 miles in 30 mins or I'll extend the walk by 10-15 mins or so. In short: 30 minutes should equal 1-2 miles for 90% of dogs.
Recommended Exercise for Small Dogs – Under 10kg
In general medium-sized dogs need at least an hour of exercise a day. You could split this into a couple of 30 minute walks every day, depending on your routine and your dog's energy.
As a general rule, it's recommended to walk your dog 3 – 4 times per day for at least 15 minutes.
A dog that is just walked will enjoy it but won't necessarily get tired just from the walking. To tire out a dog on a walk it needs to be mentally stimulated as well as physically exercised. When you walk your dog I suggest that you just take ten minutes during the walk and focus on your dog.
One of the biggest benefits of dog walking is strengthening muscles and bones (of both you and your dog), and which can lead to long, happy lives for both of you! Walking is a fantastic low-impact activity that is excellent for joint strength as well. You do have to make sure to train your dog to walk on a leash.
Hunting and herding breeds like German Short-haired pointers, Jack Russells, Border Collies and Kelpies tend to suit long distances (over 10km), while Greyhounds, Pitbulls and Golden Retrievers suit middle distances (less than 10km).
In Conclusion. To conclude, many dogs are capable of hiking up to 30 miles per day, but the average dog should stick to a maximum of 5 to 10 miles.
According to Pawsitively Intrepid, an average-sized dog in good shape should be able to take a 5-10 mile hike in his stride. After proper conditioning, he can probably up that total to 20 or more miles in a day. Really avid 4-legged hikers in great condition can make 25 to 30 miles look easy.
While 45 minutes or more is ideal, a 30- minute walk is usually an achievable goal for most dog owners and will help to keep your dog fit and well balanced. For puppies, a walk that lasts 15 minutes is recommended until they are fully grown so that they do not damage their joints by doing long walks.
A rule of thumb is a puppy can walk five minutes for every month of age starting at eight weeks. So a two-month-old puppy can walk about 10 minutes. And a three-month-old can walk for 15 minutes; and a four-month-old for 20 minutes. And so forth.
Planning on walking dogs in hot weather? It's generally safe in temperatures of up to 19°C (68°F) but be careful when the mercury rises above this. Even at temperatures as low as 20°C (70°F) dogs are at risk of heat stroke. Heat stroke in dogs is essentially a high temperature not caused by a fever.