If you are wondering how often should you walk your dog then it depends on the breed, energy level it possesses, and age.Regular walks are very necessary to keep the health and energy of the dogs in check as regular exercise and potty breaks are at the top of their lists. Many dogs even love walking to interact with new people and other dogs. If you don’t have a fenced lawn, it is even more important for you to consider how often should you walk your dog or take it for a run.A new owner of a pet dog can have their life become a little challenging with figuring out how much exercise and walking the dog actually needs. Many owners without a proper schedule of their work even employ dog walkers that have just one general rule; keeping the dog happy with frequent walks and also, mental stability. It does not matter if your new pet is a puppy or some rescued older dogs, they need their dog walks every day. However, you must have a question; how often should I walk my dog? The answer is not simple as dog walking depends on the breed, age, and size of the dog. Even the dog’s diet and any other health condition matters when it comes to the walking schedule of your pet. To prevent your pet from boredom, daily exercise of some form is necessary. Without daily dog walks, there is a chance of your pet becoming unhealthy, bored, or frustrated. Daily exercise not only helps build up the dog’s muscle tone, but it also helps keep the metabolic system and the body in top form to function properly.Dog walking provides the mental stimulation that nothing else can come close to. Excessive barking activity or chewing furniture are commonly seen factors that can indicate your puppy is not happy. Implementing a physical activity schedule in the dog’s life can do wonders. Like us humans, any dog breed in the world can suffer from obesity and weight gain. These problems can lead to many other health issues as dogs are delicate and often gets leg problems in their lives. At least some form of exercising per day can help burn those extra calories consumed during your dog’s life. Dog walking is the most beneficial for this as it could help you as much as it helps the physical health of your pet. If you see your dog is at the border of a weight limit for their breed and size, increase the length of their long walk slowly every day. Frequent walks and outside time for your dog can help in keeping it physically and mentally happy.If you enjoyed this article, why not also read answers to the questions how often do dogs need shots and how often should I take my dog to the vet here on Kidadl?How To Teach Your Dog To walk On A LeashTraining of basic leash skills should be given to all breeds, be it small and regardless of lifestyle. Being active and healthy mostly depends on the hours the dog has walked and being on a leash can control the amount of time drastically.Good leash skills are important as being an owner, you should be able to take your dog for at least one walk a day or walk in a crowded place without worrying about tangling your pet’s leash. Firstly, before thinking ‘how often should I walk my dog?’, a proper leash should be bought. A suitable collar with a good leash is as important for the dog as the dog walking. Take some treats with you for the dog as it will help to keep the training healthy and improve the behaviors of the dog. There should be a code word or a marker to click when the dog does the training right. Having a puppy or any dog that has not used a leash before, you need to keep your walking sessions shorter to mentally and physically prepare the puppy/dog. It is advisable to train your companion dog to be on one side while walking, otherwise, you will likely lose count of the number of times the dog or you trip on the leash! In the end, before deciding the answer to ‘how often should I walk my dog?’, decide which is the best leash for you and your dog or puppy. That is the first lesson to learn along with the amount of exercise required per day. The leash will also help the dog walker you employ as he or she could be new to this job and your pet.When is it too cold to walk your dog and how hot is too hot to walk your dog?If you consider the weather conditions to schedule a walk for your dog, all necessary health precautions need to be taken depending on the dog breed you have. Depending on how hot or cold the weather is, we have some recommendations.Getting to know the right temperature when to take your dog walking is crucial. To us humans, heat can drain us of all energy. Think how much worse it gets for different breeds of dogs. Dogs have wooly and furry coats that can make it worse with age. According to many reports, 89.6 F (32 C) is the highest temperature at which you should take your puppy walking. Whatever the breeds the dogs belong to, higher temperatures can take a toll on their health and can cause heat strokes while walking. They should be given some healthy activity at the house in this heat instead. Temperatures ranging from 53.6-59 F (12-15 C) are the best for the dogs to enjoy some active hours outside, whatever the breeds. Puppies can easily use the benefits of exercising and fun for hours at a stretch in this weather. There are some methods to help you judge the best time to take your puppy walking. Use your palm and keep it on the sidewalk. If you can keep it there for five seconds, the day will be good to play outside and exercise as much as the puppy wants. Higher day temperatures can easily burn the paws of our dogs. Also, there might be some health issues for the dogs if walked in this weather and they would be seen panting quite a lot if it’s too hot.Let’s now look at how to know how cold the day can be for our furry dogs to enjoy some walks. Any temperature below zero degrees celsius can be harmful to small dog breeds, all dogs with coats, and all dogs irrespective of their age, size, and health. Temperatures below 20.1 F (-6.6 C) can be fatal for dogs if taken for walks. Search for a warm area if you see the dogs shivering, whine, or slow down such as near a fireplace. If not taken care of, hypothermia or frostbite can harm the dogs. You can even let your favorite puppy wear a pet coat or teeshirt while going for walks or to play on the coldest day.Should you take your dog for a walk if they’re tired?We should go for walks with our dogs at least three to four times per day for around 15 minutes every time. However, the walks and the right amount of activity depend on the breed, age, size, and other health conditions of the dog.Generally, 30 minutes to two hours a day should be the target overall time for walks given to your dog, or even a puppy. An active hunting or retrieving breed will need fewer walks while short-nosed breeds like bulldogs will need more walks. When walking a puppy, it probably doesn’t need a lot of walks as over-exercising the puppy might bring about joint problems in the future and this will need to be taken care of. Playing fetch, running around, or walking, a healthy dog will just need 30 minutes of these to feel content. However, the minimum and the maximum temperature need to be checked before going for any of the activities discussed.It needs to be checked that not more than an hour of walks are given to the dogs to protect them from fatigue and harsh weather. It is strongly advised not to over-walk or over-exercise your dog. Research on each breed should be done thoroughly to know the maximum border for the activity they can do. Do not overexert. Do not push them to walk as tiredness can lead to other issues in the future.How To Train Your Dog To Walk Beside YouIt can be irritating for the owner to walk a dog that loves pulling on the leash but there are some ways that you can train your pet to walk with you.The first step is to buy some yummy treats for your furry friends and start walking them inside the rooms of the house. The traditional heel side is the left one, but it depends on the side you prefer to let your dog walk on. Call the dog by its name and point towards the side it needs to be. Treat the dog every time they get it right. You can also use a clicker or just say ‘yes’ to show the dog your approval. Treat him/her afterward. Do this until the dog understands that he/she needs to walk on the side you showed. Then, stop calling the name and let the dog come willingly to walk beside you.Treat the dog again. It is important to note that you should always give the treats when he/she is beside you by holding out your hand. Do not point the hand in some other direction as then the dog won’t understand the position he/she needs to come back to. Increase your pace and move in random motions to train the dog further to keep the position. The dog will get better eventually and you both can walk beside each other into the sunset!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how often do you walk your dog then why not take a look at how often do puppies poop or Hokkaido Dog Facts.
If you are wondering how often should you walk your dog then it depends on the breed, energy level it possesses, and age.
