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| Your pup needs at least 3 hours of vigorous exercise daily. |
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A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG
All dogs need vigorous daily exercise after 4-5 months of age. They need a lot of it, and they need it daily.
Most breeds do pretty well with 2 full hours of running daily but many breeds require 4 hours or more, especially as they enter adolescence (6-18 months old).
If you currently take 2-3 daily runs or long brisk walks, this won’t be a problem for you. But if your life is more sedentary, or you’re a “weekend warrior”, be advised that you must either change your lifestyle or be prepared for your pup to develop serious behavioral problems within a few months.
Putting your pup outside to run in a fenced yard is NOT an adequate substitute, for two main reasons. First, your pup will not exercise adequately in a fenced yard. He will more likely run for 5 minutes and then burn off his remaining energy practicing one of the following increasingly problematic habits:
· Sitting by the door barking to be let back in
· Pacing the fence
· Barking or aggressing at passing cars and pedestrians.
· Eating rocks
· Chewing trees
· Digging holes in the ground
Even worse, if you don’t exercise him adequately, your pup will find a way to burn off his energy inside your house one or more of the following ways:
· Chewing your furniture, drapes, rugs, etc.
· Barking at the window (some dogs will injure themselves jumping right through the glass)
· Stealing inappropriate items to get a “chase game” with you
· Destroying doors by pawing at them continually
· Barking at you incessantly
· Becoming aggressive with visitors
If you don’t have the time to get your pup out for 2-3 brisk long walks every day, hire a pet sitter to do so for you. Or better yet, look for a reputable dog daycare in your area where he’ll get vigorous exercise as well as supervised dog socialization.
The owner of a hound mix in one of my obedience classes once lamented to me that she felt as if she was “cheating” by tiring her dog out in dog daycare before class. I assured her, and I assure you, that exercising your dog is not cheating.
Exercising your dog gives him his ultimate happiness and allows him to learn and behave like the dog you want him to be. NOT exercising your dog is cheating him out of the life he was meant to have. NOT exercising your dog forces him to find another (usually unacceptable) energy outlet. NOT exercising your dog means obedience training will be an almost impossible task for him, and for you.
Exercise your dog. Vigorously. Daily. And forever.
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