Hi everyone, Just wanted to do a quick canvas of opinion for the following reason ..... Our Dexter has been dropping a bit of weight recently.....Im wanting to check I'm getting the excercise food balance right before we start considering anything else( there's a blood issue back track going on at the moment but I'm hoping that the weight loss is just coincidence) I weigh his food out according to guidelines and reduce his evening meal based on chicken he's had through the day so he has no extras whatsoever. He has 45 minutes-an hour walk in the morning,the same at tea time and half an hour before bed. Total 2.5 hours .....for the last 3 few weeks this has been brisk lead walking with a few off lead runs this last week. On Thursday he weighed 23.5 kgs ,yesterday he weighed 22.7 kgs...that's nearly a kilo in 2 days :-\...he was 25 kgs( his heaviest) in August but we were away for half the month and he only had lead walks during that period and not as brisk as when I trot along with him. In the hope that it's just he needs feeding up,especially after the miserable couple of weeks he's had I've upped his food slightly and I'm just going to give him 3 periods of 30 minute exercise So my question is...how much excercise generally do your dogs get....I know that's quite a hard thing to quantify and it will vary .....but really interested to hear and let me know what you think about what I'm doing ...thanks guys,hope you are all having a lovely weekend x
Re: Amounts of excercise Well..poor Simba is likely the least exercised of the lot so I'll start. :-\ He gets 3 on-lead walks a day. In the morning it's about 15 mins, at lunch about 30 mins, and the evening walk is generally around 40 mins - 1 hour. I try to take him to the dog park about 2-3x a week, where he can run off-lead and play with other dogs, so that takes the place of the evening walk on those days. Other than that he can go out and run around the yard whenever he wants, but as he doesn't really like to go outside much, that doesn't add up to more than about half-hour a day or so(??) I know he needs more but as I can't take him off-lead except at the dog park it's the best I can do at the moment. My Total Recall has gone off the rails due to an extremely busy October but will get back on track next week. Dexter has been under stress the last few weeks, that's likely the cause if the weight loss. But it's good you're aware of it and can ask the vet when you see him.
Re: Amounts of excercise He probably just needs a bit of extra food (music to a Labrador's ears, eh?). Obi gets: Monday: 40 min walk and 8 hours daycare (mad running about) Tuesday: 40 min walk Wednesday: 40 min walk and 8 hours daycare Thursday: 30 min walk then dog walkers come and give him another 60 min group walk plus 60 mins playtime at dog park Friday: 40 min walk Sat: 1 hour walk and/or visit to dog park where he may run or may just sniff stuff Sun: 30 min playtime at dog club, 1 hour obedience class, then later 1 hour flyball (running and jumping) Scattered throughout the week are short obedience training sessions. For food he gets daily: 250g BARF pattie (mushed up raw stuff) or about the same in raw meaty bones (chicken wings, legs or thighs or lamb neck or similar) 1 tin sardines A bit of human breakfast cereal A bit of human dinner (maybe a tablespoon) Small handful of kibble as treats Peanut butter Kong (a few teaspoons of peanut butter) On Sundays when we have two classes he'd also have, in treats, the equivalent of a couple of bbq'd chicken thighs or a medium sized steak in training treats. Some days he will also get a pig's ear or similar. He is 56cm at the shoulder and weighs about 26 to 26.5kg these days.
Re: Amounts of excercise We average about two and a half to three hours a day but the intensity of exercise varies a lot day to day. This morning we've only had forty minutes but most of that Bess was tearing around the park with a spaniel friend. Yesterday morning we went for a couple of hours but apart from a few runs for the ball Bess spent most of the time just sniffing and walking. Food wise if Bess seems to be getting a bit tubby I decrease her food and vice versa if she seems too thin. Alice
Re: Amounts of excercise Gosh, I think we are a bit mean all round ;D Lilly gets 30-40 mins walk in the morning - sometimes on an extendi-lead, sometimes off lead depending how dark it is at the time. Then probably a 40-60 min walk in the afternoon/evening most days - usually this is off lead in the woods or field, sometimes the beach. Some days she just gets a quick 10mins down the road and back. Doesn't spend much time out in the garden unless she needs a toilet stop or she has a bone (latter probably just once a month on average) Once a fortnight roughly she gets a hydrotherapy swim - thats 20 mins swimming. Until recently we had training once a week when she had a post training romp of around 40-60 mins including some pond-swimming. She gets her breakfast and tea kibble (measured amount) and more recently she has been getting less daytime treats as our training schedule is WAY off, but always gets 4-5 gravy bones at night courtesy of OH : Training wise at the moment she mostly just gets her kibble which she LOVES but otherwise we use anything that's different or she hasn't had for a while including fish treats, cheese, sausage. She sometimes gets left-overs from our meals - bit of tuna fish, bit of our roast, licks out the steak pie tray etc but not every day. Lilly is a slim long-legged girl at around 25kg. Not sure if this helps.
Re: Amounts of excercise Poor Charlie, at 8 months he gets practically nothing compared to all this, even with my relaxed attitude to the 5 min rule. Now worried he might be bored silly...although we try to do a fair bit of clicker, play and socialisation adventures too. I'm going to see whether I can take him swimming in London, like Lilly, that could be in addition to what he already gets, as it won't put pressure on his developing joints.
Re: Amounts of excercise Hiya, I was just wondering when do we stop using the five minute rule? Murphy is only just 6 months so is meant to have only half an hour but it varies a lot day to day. What age do they need all the exercise you all do? Thanks
Re: Amounts of excercise Thanks everybody for the detailed replies ....I'm upping his food for sure.....Obi is the excercise Meister ;D does his weight stay pretty stable Rachael? He's been missing out on his steamed chicken treats because beyond practising his heel work he hasn't been doing any training while he has had stitches in and the cone on.....( cone still on whilst unsupervised..scab knocked off a bit on Friday and there was bleeding aaagggghh! Put us back another couple of days) I don't think he is being over exercised now I've read your posts....I'll keep,to our routine and just increase his food. Frankie I stuck pretty close to the 5 minute rule up to 12 months....although I wasn't set rigid about it.Dexter is 13 months now....and I still don't let him jump in or out the car ...he is only a little dinky dot though and he is quite light compared to some of the big guys so I can manage him...he's only small framed too.....I'll try and measure him later. I think the 1 kg weight loss in the 2 days is what has worried me and the fact the vet mentioned he has been steadily losing since August.....( this does coincide with me upping his excercise though)it's a symptom of this Erlichia he's been diagnosed of which I want to see less symptoms...not more ??? X
Re: Amounts of excercise I would say that Obi's weight fluctuates quite a lot. When we were going to the vet regularly (bite wound) he'd get weighed each time and varied by up to a kilo sometimes. I would say that he puts on weight easily but also loses it easily. If we have a lot of training during the week or if they have a rainy day at daycare (which means they are indoors and have lots of extra treats to keep them a bit quieter!) then he definitely gets a little bit of extra cuddle factor. We drop his food a bit and he responds quickly to that. It's a case of monitoring and hovering about an average. Hope that things stabilise with Dexter. It doesn't sound like he is getting too much exercise to me I'd like to give Obi more if I could but other aspects of life get in the way....
Re: Amounts of excercise Ya, like I said, poor Simba....well doing the best we can here, and I guess he's not suffering too badly.... :
Re: Amounts of excercise With three walks a day and several trips to the dog park each week Simba is most definitely not suffering
Re: Amounts of excercise I agree Lisa,Simba gets plenty ,didn't want to make anyone feel worried about what they are doing at all .Dexter can't have any unsupervised time outside in the garden/yard as he now just takes a running leap at the wall and is over onto the golf course to hunt down next doors cats I must do something about that : but now I have got past the panic of him doing it and the fear of him disappearing ,I just get over after him and can pick him up and plonk him back over the wall ;D because he can't jump back !!..once he's got it out of his system he mills around and behaves but I could never let him out there to disappear over unobserved.....no fences allowed by the community rules in answer to what you are all thinking even though we own our house
Re: Amounts of excercise [quote author=Dexter link=topic=3144.msg33590#msg33590 date=1383552256] no fences allowed by the community rules in answer to what you are all thinking [/quote] I was thinking "I bet there is some rule that stops her putting up a fence".
Re: Amounts of excercise [quote author=JulieT link=topic=3144.msg33592#msg33592 date=1383552941] [quote author=Dexter link=topic=3144.msg33590#msg33590 date=1383552256] no fences allowed by the community rules in answer to what you are all thinking [/quote] I was thinking "I bet there is some rule that stops her putting up a fence". [/quote] I think what I am thinking is probably not polite to type on here. Oh dear Angela......
Re: Amounts of excercise [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=3144.msg33452#msg33452 date=1383475209] Once a fortnight roughly she gets a hydrotherapy swim - thats 20 mins swimming. [/quote] A swim for Charlie (now he does swim) would be a perfect thing to add to his routine - it wouldn't increase the worry about too much exercise on young joints, and it would be something different. There is a suitable pond on the common where other owners have told me they let their dogs swim but it's still empty right now (it dries up in the summer). He splashed around in the muddy water at the bottom, looking hopeful...but there was no way enough water to swim. I'm searching like mad for a dog hydro place that will allow him fun swims. Gosh, it's difficult. I would have thought there were loads in London....but no...if anyone knows of a place within striking distance of West London please do let me know.
Re: Amounts of excercise Is it maybe something to ask your vet Julie? They may know as they may well refer dogs for therapy.
