Dog Exercise

An early morning countryside footpath, the kind of route a dog needs daily

Exercise requirements vary far more between breeds than between sizes, and the commonest mistakes run in both directions — under-exercising a working dog, and over-exercising a growing puppy.

How Much, Really

There is no universal figure, but breed type gives a serviceable starting point.

Working and herding breeds — two hours or more of genuine activity daily, plus mental work. The Blue Lacy and the Karelian Bear Dog sit here, and a walk around the block does not touch it.
Gundogs — one to two hours, ideally including retrieving or scent work. The Golden Retriever is often under-exercised because its good manners disguise the need.
Terriers — an hour or more, and far more mental stimulation than their size suggests. A Jack Russell is one of the most demanding dogs on this list.
Sighthounds — surprisingly little. The Galgo needs two moderate walks and periodic access to a secure space to sprint flat out, then sleeps.
Giant and molosser breeds — moderate, steady walking. The Bullmastiff is not an endurance athlete and should not be treated as one.
Brachycephalic breeds — short, gentle, and never in heat. The Shih Tzu and other short-faced breeds cannot cool themselves efficiently.

Puppies: The Rule That Matters

Growing puppies must not be exercised like adults. Growth plates remain open until roughly twelve to eighteen months, later in giant breeds, and excessive or repetitive forced exercise during that window is associated with joint damage that does not repair.

A widely used guideline is around five minutes of formal walking per month of age, once or twice a day — so twenty minutes at four months. Free play on soft ground at the puppy's own pace is different and is fine, because a puppy left to itself stops when it is tired. What to avoid is forced repetitive work: long road walks, running alongside a bicycle, stairs, and repeated jumping.

This matters most in the large and giant breeds, where the consequences are worst and the puppies look deceptively robust.

Mental Work Counts Double

Owners trying to tire an energetic dog usually add distance, and it frequently makes things worse — a dog conditioned to run further simply becomes fitter and needs more.

Mental work is far more efficient. Twenty minutes of scent work, training or problem-solving will settle a dog more reliably than an extra hour of walking. Useful options include hiding food for the dog to find, short training sessions on new behaviours, puzzle feeders, and simply allowing long unhurried sniffing walks — a dog reading a hedgerow is working hard, even standing still.

For breeds bred to make decisions independently, giving them something to decide is the point.

Heat, Cold and Surfaces

Heat is the serious risk. Dogs cool by panting and it is far less effective than sweating. Walk early or late in hot weather, carry water, and know the signs of heatstroke — heavy distressed panting, drooling, unsteadiness, collapse. It is an emergency. Short-faced, heavy-coated, elderly and overweight dogs are at highest risk.
Test the ground with your hand. If you cannot hold the back of your hand on the pavement for seven seconds, it will burn the dog's pads.
Cold affects thin-coated, low-body-fat breeds like sighthounds, which genuinely need a coat in winter. Double-coated northern breeds do not.

Weight

A large proportion of dogs in developed countries are overweight, and it shortens life measurably while worsening every joint condition. You should be able to feel the ribs easily under a thin covering and see a waist from above.

Exercise alone rarely fixes weight; food quantity does. Guidance is available from the American Veterinary Medical Association, and further considerations are in the health guide.