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Dogs need exercise every day, and each dog is going to need a different amount of exercise based upon their individual situations. Puppies need more exercise than adult dogs, and dogs that have different health conditions or ailments are going to need different amounts of exercise in order to manage their weight, keep their heart strong, and keep in good physical health. Walking with you does not work out a dog’s entire body, but instead works out mainly the front legs due to the fact that when walking dogs carry about 85% of their weight on their front paws. This changes when they begin to run at their own pace their gate changing in order to shift more towards their rear legs in order to push forward. This is why walking is simply not enough for many dog breeds, because they are not bred to walk all the time. Instead, they were bred to move up and down hills, and move at faster paces during short bursts (think foraging for food and hunting other smaller animals.) Dogs walking alongside us as we exercise by walking are not being served what they need, as we almost always choose the types of paths that we prefer, like flat pavement surfaces lacking hills and uneven ground. While walking is fine for socialization, thinking that it is enough exercise to keep your dog healthy and in good condition is simply not true. Ask any veterinarian how much exercise that a dog should be getting every day, and you will probably be surprised that the answer is almost always far more than you have ever dreamed of providing. In almost every case unless you are spending at least two hours every day walking your dog at a moderate pace, then your dog isn’t even getting the bare minimum of exercise. Most dogs need at least a few hours of walking at your pace every day, and at least 30 minutes spent running at their pace. Even medium sized dogs will generally run at a pace nearly twice what a human will, and energetic dogs will run at almost 20 miles per hour. The fastest human being runs at roughly 23 miles per hour, so that you understand just how difficult it is to run a dog adequately alongside us.

In order to get a general idea of how much exercise your dog needs, we are including the following list of generalities by breed that serve as daily exercise suggestions. Each case will be different and should be suggested by a veterinarian who has examined your dog in person but for generalities and ideas of about how much exercise you will need to provide to your dog in order to avoid health issues, the following list can act as a guide.

Bichon Frise 20 minutes walking daily + indoor play daily

Lhasa Apso 20 minutes walking daily + indoor play daily

Pug 20 minutes walking daily + indoor play daily

Shih Tzu 20 minutes walking daily + indoor play daily

Miniature Dachshund 20-40 minutes walking daily

Yorkshire Terrier 20-40 minutes walking daily

English Bulldog 20-40 minutes walking daily + 30 minutes strenuous running every 7 days

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel 40-60 minutes walking daily + 30 minutes strenuous running every 7 days

Cairn Terrier 40-60 minutes walking daily + 30 minutes strenuous running every 7 days

Cocker Spaniel 40-60 minutes walking daily + 30 minutes strenuous running every 7 days

Great Dane 40-60 minutes walking daily + 30 minutes strenuous running every 7 days

Miniature Schnauzer 40-60 minutes walking daily + 30 minutes strenuous running every 7 days

Toy/Miniature Poodles 40-60 minutes walking daily + 30 minutes strenuous running every 7 days

Shetland Sheepdog 40-60 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running every 3 days

Bassett Hound 60-80 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running every 3 days

Tibetan Terrier 60-80 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running every 3 days

Whippet 60-80 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

West Highland Terrier 60-80 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Golden Retriever 80-100 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Siberian Husky 80-100 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Border Terrier 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Staffordshire Bull Terrier 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Border Collie 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Dalmatian 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

German Shepherd 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

English Springer Spaniel 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Labrador Retriever 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Rottweiler 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

Weimaraner 100-120 minutes walking daily up and downhill + 30 minutes strenuous running daily

About RUN DAWG

Ray and Jen began rescuing and rehabilitating dogs 25 years ago. Through exercise, diet and mental stimulations, they have found success at helping dogs that were abandoned for behavior issues as well as medical cases. Now they have created RUN DAWG to bring this service to Las Vegas.

RUN DAWG
10329 Grizzly Forest Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89178

T: 702-857-5755
E: info@rundawg.com