Hi there first time quesiton, so be kind! Tara is nearly 8 months old as is a real Heinz 57 mixture. She is about border collie size. We live in a hot climate so I can only walk her early mornings this time of the year (I'm not happy at walking late at night) so she just gets one walk and our garden is not very big so there isn't any opportunity for her to have a good run. She has to walk on her lead at present cos there is no where safe to let her run (although after next month I'll be able to run her free on the beach). Right, my question is how long a walk should I be giving her? I've read so much about 5 minutes for each month of age but 40 minutes really doesn't tire her out. Some people seem to swear that more than that will cause bad joint trouble in later years and then other people seem to rubbish that idea. Could I have your opinions on how long a walk I should be giving her? eta Just noticed title error, should be How long a walk of course
Depending on the breed, some dogs need more exercise than others. I have a shepherd/Rottweiler mix and a white Labrador. I walk them together about 45 mins, to a baseball diamond in my area. I am able to let them run free because of this, but the Labrador will be exhausted on the walk home, and the mix still has energy for days. You need to just find what works for your pet. Maybe some agility classes? Or long hikes on your days off? Maybe start making the walks 15 mins longer each time, until you see what works for you . Hope I could help!!
Thanks for the reply. I took your advice and walked an extra 15 minutes today which meant we could take in a little park where the gardener said she could run off the lead while there was no one else there, so she had ten minutes of madness, which was lovely to see, and then we had a sedate walk back after a little quiet sit down and a drink. She is still asleep
There aren't any classes here in Agadir but I don't work so I'll be delighted to walk her further. I was just concerned about this 'five minute per month' rule because I'd hate to be causing her any joint problems in the future.
