# How much exercise does your GSD get?



## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

I live in an apartment building with my husband and two Shepherds but I'm fortunate in that I have acres of field behind the building where we can walk the dogs and let them off leash. I'd say my dogs get a minimum of 2.5 hours off leash a day in addition to the training classes we have them enrolled in. I also take them to the dog park on Saturday and Sunday. I'd say for the most part, the dog owners in my building are really good at exercising their dogs but there is one particular GSD that doesn't get exercise even though her health is fine. I'm just wondering, how much exercise do your dogs get?


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## Heagler870 (Jun 27, 2009)

I don't really time mine but I try to take them out at least 3 times a day to play. When I walk them I walk for an hour or more. Usually they just get to run around a field and romp and play


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

45 minutes walk/fetch in the morning; 30 minute walk/fetch at noon; 45 minute walk/fetch around 5 p.m. Seems to be enough.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

My two get 1-2 hours of off leash hiking (very hilly) monday-friday equals out to about 4/5 miles each trip. During these hikes they both swim for approx 30 mins or so. Also on Sat/Sun I'll try to get a hike or field walk in once I wake up since I work 7p-7a fri-sun. We also have 2 acres at home completely electric fenced in which both dogs respect 100% so for I'd say 10 hours a day or so they spend in outside laying on their beds on our deck, romping around the yard and playing frisbee or catch with me and my fiance. My male will come in and out throughout the day to be with me where as my female will pout if we make her come in she'd rather sun herself on her comfy bed on the deck then spend the day inside.

On a rare occassion like terrible weather that I can't take them for hikes they will still play out in the rain(their choice) but then drive everyone in the house crazy by wanting to play ball inside.


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## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

7am - 2 mile walk/jog through the woods & 15 minute swim in the river halfway through the walk. (River runs along our walking path).

11am- Obedience training & fetch for 30-45 minutes

2 to 4pm- Plays in the house with my boyfriend or takes a nap with him

5:30pm- 2 mile walk/jog through the woods & 15 minute swim in the river halfway through the walk. Followed by socializing/training session at petsmart for 15-20 minutes.

Right before bed- Play chase around the house to get any last bit of energy out.

*I have found that the more exercise, the better listening and the less pulling on the leash. If I miss one of our daily walks, he will try and pull instead of walking at my side during the next walk and be a devil in the house until he gets walked.*


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

My older dog in the summer only gets a 2mile run and a swim session...she HATES the heat. by the end of the run too I even have to slow down so I don't push her. She swims in the lake for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. in winter that goes up a LOT.

my puppy gets a short walk three times a day and one 15-25 minute training session they both play with eachother the rest of the day..they are never in their crates unless at night when I am sleeping.


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## Melgrj7 (Jul 5, 2009)

Lloyd goes to daycare with me 3-4 days a week (which means lots of running around). And we generally do a 7 mile walk every day to every other day since I moved into the city. The walk usually involves a little off leash time at a school field as well.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

Mine get nowhere near enough.


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## MrsWoodcock (Oct 21, 2010)

vicky2200 said:


> Mine get nowhere near enough.


Mine also havent been getting enough, im just now almost completely healed up from my last 2 surgeries, so i can finally get them the excercise they need and deserve!

Today i took Ruby on a 3 hour almost 4 mile hike through mono sano mtn. VERY hilly, boulders in the way kinda walking/climbing! VERY MUCH FUN! and very exhausting mentally and physically for the dogs! went with renee and her GSD jake.

Later a 3 minute walk with both dogs .


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

alot, and it makes me tired thinkng about it LOL..

May is a bad month for me, I get stuck working long every day hours and unfortantely my dogs tend to suffer for it..Thank goodness Masi is now mature enough to forgive me my lack of hikes and outings for her..I try to make up for it after this month


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## shaner (Oct 17, 2010)

She usually gets at least 1 hour a day of off leash hiking in a wooded area. There's always other dogs there as well that she runs and plays with. Plus there's a river she goes swimming in. It's probably a 4-5 km walk for me, and she runs back and forth and side to side with other dogs, so she probably does 4 or 5 times that.

Plus we take her to the dog park on a regular basis. God knows how much exercise she gets there. 

Include all the running she does in the backyard, and I'd say she gets more than enough exercise. 

What's really sad is when we were shopping for a new house recently, every house we came across, we had to decide whether it would work for the dog or not. We bought out in the country and decided not to buy a house on a busy road so that we don't have to worry about her getting hit by fast moving cars. In the end, we ended up buying a house with an electric, invisible dog fence. It would have been too expensive to fence in over an acre of land. 

I swear, these dogs are in charge of us, not the other way around. lol


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

atleast 2 hours a day of vigorous running, swimming, trotting. 

Some of them in addition to that trot on the treadmill with a backpack for another 45 minutes on an incline.


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## weber1b (Nov 30, 2008)

We both work so it's walks in the morning and evening and some backyard time m-f. Weekends they get longer walks and some off leash fetch. Would love to do more but gotta pay for the dog food.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

4TheDawgies said:


> Some of them in addition to that trot on the treadmill with a backpack for another 45 minutes on an incline.


Ahhhhh Where would I be without the trusty treadmill?? When Lucy gets her late night zoomies, I just put her on the treadmill at 4 MPH with a 5.0 incline for 45 minutes and she's good. It's the perfect remedy for a rainy day, snow on the ground or the dark.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Lucy Dog said:


> Ahhhhh Where would I be without the trusty treadmill?? When Lucy gets her late night zoomies, I just put her on the treadmill at 4 MPH with a 5.0 incline for 45 minutes and she's good. It's the perfect remedy for a rainy day, snow on the ground or the dark.


I know right? Its super convenient for those days!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

a 3 to 5 mile walk twice a week and a
2 mile walk twice a week
i throw a ball for him 3 to 4 times a week.
my GF kicks a ball around for him to retrieve
3 times a week. we play tug 2 to 3 times a week.
when we play tug i make him jump up for the tug
a lot. we go to the dog park, sometimes 2 times a week.


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