How often should someone walk their dog? This is a question I hear very often. Walking your dog is very important for your dogs health, and his mental well-being. In fact, walking them or taking them for an outing at a park or a trail may be the most important part of their day!
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The amount of times your dog should be walked varies depending on many factors. These factors include:
- Breed -Breeds have different bladder sizes and energy levels (eg. Sporting Breeds)
- Size-Usually larger dogs need longer walks than smaller dogs
- Age-As your dog gets older, the energy level will also decline and their walk won't need to be as long or intense.
- Health Issues/Illnesses-Take some pointers from your vet. If your vet says the dog should only go out once or twice a day for 10 minutes, then do so.
- Energy Levels-Higher energy levels=More walks
- Diet-This affects their digestion. Some diets require elimination more often.
- Injuries-If they hurt their paw or another part of their body, sometimes a shorter walk is recommended.
If your dog has anxiety problems, and hyper activity, usually the solution is to take them on longer, more intense walks where they can socialize with other dogs. Socialization and good exercise will make sure your dogs are always happy and problem free! Usually here at K9X, we do one very intense 2 hour hike. After that the dogs are absolutely exhausted and mentally exercised as well, which gives us a great opportunity to play some games and get in some quality training time!
For most people, if they don't have the time for long tough hikes, we recommend 30 minutes, 3 times a day for the average dog!