• Greyhounds are sprinters – long lead or short runs?
• Terriers are bred to sniff out vermin – on lead or off lead?
• Retrievers are bred to retrieve – on lead or exercise through fetch games?

How did you do? I hope you said off lead for all of them because they cannot function like their breeding tells them to unless they have the freedom to run, sniff or chase.

Remember, human walking speed is too slow for dogs, it’s not a natural pace to them. Your dog will benefit far more by being allowed to run free off the lead in a safe environment than they ever will from a long walk on a lead whether that’s on grass or on a pavement.

Even though being off the lead is better for your dog you must ensure your dog is trained enough so as to always come back to you when called. If your dog won’t come to you then always keep them on a lead for safety.

There are also certain breeds that need mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. If you have an active dog you should consider mental activity like agility or obedience classes. This should help keep your dog stimulated and prevent it becoming overweight, disinterested or a problem dog.

All dogs exercise requirements will vary because of their breed and size. Also, your dogs exercise requirements will change due to age.

Let’s take a look at that particular aspect.

Whilst a puppy your dog needs controlled exercise which will keep them occupied and help build strong muscles. But, if you make them twist and turn suddenly through exercise that is too hard you will injure your puppy as their joints are still developing and their bones are soft. You particularly have to be mindful of this with large breeds.

Make sure you factor in plenty of sleeping time for your puppy between exercise periods.

As your dog gets older and moves towards becoming a healthy adult build up their exercise tolerance gradually, although you may find that they determine their own exercise needs part of the time.

As your dog progresses into old age they still enjoy their exercise even if they cannot manage as much as they used to. If you want to keep your dog as mobile and fit as possible in their later years give them gentle exercise through regular short walks.

Some of us have two dogs and usually one is a young dog that we got as company for our older dog and this

Even though being off the lead is better for your dog you must ensure your dog is trained enough so as to always come back to you when called. If your dog won’t come to you then always keep them on a lead for safety.

There are also certain breeds that need mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. If you have an active dog you should consider mental activity like agility or obedience classes. This should help keep your dog stimulated and prevent it becoming overweight, disinterested or a problem dog.

All dogs exercise requirements will vary because of their breed and size. Also, your dogs exercise requirements will change due to age.

Let’s take a look at that particular aspect.

Whilst a puppy your dog needs controlled exercise which will keep them occupied and help build strong muscles. But, if you make them twist and turn suddenly through exercise that is too hard you will injure your puppy as their joints are still developing and their bones are soft. You particularly have to be mindful of this with large breeds.

Make sure you factor in plenty of sleeping time for your puppy between exercise periods.

As your dog gets older and moves towards becoming a healthy adult build up their exercise tolerance gradually, although you may find that they determine their own exercise needs part of the time.

As your dog progresses into old age they still enjoy their exercise even if they cannot manage as much as they used to. If you want to keep your dog as mobile and fit as possible in their later years give them gentle exercise through regular short walks.

Some of us have two dogs and usually one is a young dog that we got as company for our older dog and this

All dogs exercise requirements will vary because of their breed and size. Also, your dogs exercise requirements will change due to age.

Let’s take a look at that particular aspect.

Whilst a puppy your dog needs controlled exercise which will keep them occupied and help build strong muscles. But, if you make them twist and turn suddenly through exercise that is too hard you will injure your puppy as their joints are still developing and their bones are soft. You particularly have to be mindful of this with large breeds.

Make sure you factor in plenty of sleeping time for your puppy between exercise periods.

As your dog gets older and moves towards becoming a healthy adult build up their exercise tolerance gradually, although you may find that they determine their own exercise needs part of the time.

As your dog progresses into old age they still enjoy their exercise even if they cannot manage as much as they used to. If you want to keep your dog as mobile and fit as possible in their later years give them gentle exercise through regular short walks.

Some of us have two dogs and usually one is a young dog that we got as company for our older dog and this

As your dog gets older and moves towards becoming a healthy adult build up their exercise tolerance gradually, although you may find that they determine their own exercise needs part of the time.

As your dog progresses into old age they still enjoy their exercise even if they cannot manage as much as they used to. If you want to keep your dog as mobile and fit as possible in their later years give them gentle exercise through regular short walks.

Some of us have two dogs and usually one is a young dog that we got as company for our older dog and this can sometimes lead to pitfalls in our dog exercise routine. Although it is nice for our older dog to have company whilst having their exercise you have to ensure that the younger dog has had sufficient exercise and this may mean exercising the two dogs at different times.

By giving your dog the right exercise you are giving them every chance to lead a healthy and active life.