# How often and how long do you exercise your dog?



## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

I feel so bad for not being able to give her the exercise she needs every day...


and she does look at me with deep sad eyes. 

I don't drive so I can't take her any where to walk, she hasn't been tested so I'm afraid I might not be able to control her walking in our neighborhood...there're cats everywhere.
and I'm NOT strong enough to pull her back if she does attack! I'm only 105lb!

so brainstorm! what other exercise can i give her in the back yard?


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## coppermare (Jun 25, 2010)

Play fetch, tug o war, a springpole, a swimming pool. But I think you should really have some obedience classes for her. It shouldn't matter how much you weigh she should be listening to your voice not your strentgh. Then you could take her for those walks without worry.


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## gamer (Feb 1, 2010)

So far since Riley was in such bad shape we are only walking 4 miles a day 2 in the am 2 in the pm and go to the dog park a few days a week (he is a GSD not apbt) I also in the afternoon take him to chase rabbits in a field near by.


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

coppermare said:


> Play fetch, tug o war, a springpole, a swimming pool. But I think you should really have some obedience classes for her. It shouldn't matter how much you weigh she should be listening to your voice not your strentgh. Then you could take her for those walks without worry.


I've had her for about a month now. she follows me everywhere i go and she pretty much listens and obeys most of the time but there was one time our neighbor's pit barked at her she pulled me over without a warning..scare the *&&%%$ outta me!

I gotta calm down...man!

thanks for the ideas! fetch sounds great in the back yard


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

gamer said:


> So far since Riley was in such bad shape we are only walking 4 miles a day 2 in the am 2 in the pm and go to the dog park a few days a week (he is a GSD not apbt) I also in the afternoon take him to chase rabbits in a field near by.


4 miles is better than nothing!

rabbit chasing sounds so fun! haha!

my first pitbull boy used to chase/fight with a deer and a horse..it was NOT entertaining at all!


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## Xiahko (Feb 24, 2010)

Wait...They need exercise? 

haha j/k. I try and take Bruno for a walk at least 30 min or more a day. Last few days I haven't taken him out,cause I've been feeling ill.
But I play with him inside,and let him do those pit bull butt tucks in the house.


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## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

This year I've been running them 4-5 nights a week around 5km. Unfortunately I've been injured for the last month or so and we're all so fat! I've been better this week though so we're slowly getting back into it.


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## Brooke (Apr 7, 2010)

Socrates and I hike for 1-2 hours a day and he plays with his egge for 20-30 minutes each day. Sometimes we change it up and do some flirt pole work or play fetch with his zinger. We play tug o war pretty often too. 

I agree on the obedience. I would start working with her on proper leash behavior and obedience ASAP. When we first got Socrates it was the middle of winter and there were plenty of occasions that I ended up with my legs 2 feet apart being dragged down an icy sidewalk...and that wasn't even when he was running after anything. Now, he never ever pulls unless he sees a squirrel or rabbit and even then he usually pays attention to me. If you work with her you will be able to get her to behave on walks but if you don't work with her on it then you will never get there. 

A flirt pole is a great way to tire them out. Also, if she isn't interested in balls for fetch (Socrates couldnt care less) then try the kong zinger. Other good toys for exercise are the egge, boomer ball, and jolly ball. Another plus is that if you start training with her that will tire her out too.


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## Mcleod15 (Jul 17, 2009)

My dog Red gets worked pretty good through out the week. 2+ miles(varies) a day during the week, when the weekend hits we go to 6+ miles(spend several hours out) fri - sunday, and these exercises take place over country terrian. his time out and work out intensity varies with the temperature, he weighs 59lbs if the temperature is around 95-100 degrees with the heat index over 100 we don't do 6+ plus mile but maybe 3ish depending on what I see in him. I have gone along time with him 100 degree just depends on how he holds up that particular day. And if the temperature is low we go all day long. Keeping my dog in shape and exercised to the degree he needs to be takes up a huge portion of my time threw out the week.

Then some times I switch it up, we will only do 1 mile but we will do it in about 4 and half minutes. So its a fast pace workout.

I like flirtpoles you can work a dog good with one, if they have the drive that is.


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## dylroche1 (Mar 14, 2010)

thats too bad you cant walk him.. me and diesel walk about 2 miles everyday he loves it.. and ill play fetch with him in the back yard... he also LOVES when i play with the laser outside or the flashlight he goes crazy and wont stop chasing them he literally can go for like an hour of running around chasing them lol its hilarious.. and he makes these little high pitched squeaks when hes running cause hes going so hard.. lol


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

Vendetta is a lucky girl I have just over 7 acres. She gets 30 minutes of fetch in the morning, she gets to run while my son does chore in the afternoon for about an hour, he then has fetch again around 3pm for 30-40 minutes. When I get home she gets to go to the lake for 45 minutes or so then again some more fetch in the yard. This happens everyday. I sometimes switch it up and we work on tracking or agility. Once a week I take her walking around Walker while my son has Tae kwon Do.


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## Wingman (Oct 21, 2009)

I just play fetch with Savannah two to three times a day. The length depends on how hot it is outside, but usually 10-15 minutes at a time. You just gotta make sure you don't overheat your pup and cause a heatstroke.


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## rottieruff (Jul 2, 2010)

I try to walk Abby for about an hour to two hours a day. All dogs need to be walked and exercised. To the OP, you cannot fear your dog (pitbull or any dog for that matter) because of what they might do. Your dog will pick up on you as being weak and will not look to you for leadership. Sounds like you need some more obedience training where you can get your dog to respect you. Consider Rally-O or Agility. This can teach your dog to focus on you and will stimulate your dog physically and mentally.


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## Elvisfink (Oct 13, 2008)

dylroche1 said:


> thats too bad you cant walk him.. me and diesel walk about 2 miles everyday he loves it.. and ill play fetch with him in the back yard... he also LOVES when i play with the laser outside or the flashlight he goes crazy and wont stop chasing them he literally can go for like an hour of running around chasing them lol its hilarious.. and he makes these little high pitched squeaks when hes running cause hes going so hard.. lol


You should *never* use a lazer or flashlight to play with a dog. They can become obsessive about chasing lights and shadows, to the point of becoming compulsive about it, running around the yard or home, not being able to relax. It can cause a dog to enter into a state of almost permanent anxiety. Just a little FYI.

To the OP: You should invest in a good trainer so you can take your dog out for walks. Your weight won't be an issue with a well trained dog. In the mean time you can always use a Flirt Pole and a Spring Pole. They require little space and can give a dog a good workout in a short period of time.


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

Xiahko said:


> Wait...They need exercise?
> 
> haha j/k. I try and take Bruno for a walk at least 30 min or more a day. Last few days I haven't taken him out,cause I've been feeling ill.
> But I play with him inside,and let him do those pit bull butt tucks in the house.


LOL what's a butt tucks?

btw hope you'll get to feeling better!


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

aus_staffy said:


> This year I've been running them 4-5 nights a week around 5km. Unfortunately I've been injured for the last month or so and we're all so fat! I've been better this week though so we're slowly getting back into it.


wow...I'm a physically lazy person lol I can't imagine myself running 1km let alone 5! I'm glad you're better  take it easy!


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

Brooke said:


> Socrates and I hike for 1-2 hours a day and he plays with his egge for 20-30 minutes each day. Sometimes we change it up and do some flirt pole work or play fetch with his zinger. We play tug o war pretty often too.
> 
> I agree on the obedience. I would start working with her on proper leash behavior and obedience ASAP. When we first got Socrates it was the middle of winter and there were plenty of occasions that I ended up with my legs 2 feet apart being dragged down an icy sidewalk...and that wasn't even when he was running after anything. Now, he never ever pulls unless he sees a squirrel or rabbit and even then he usually pays attention to me. If you work with her you will be able to get her to behave on walks but if you don't work with her on it then you will never get there.
> 
> A flirt pole is a great way to tire them out. Also, if she isn't interested in balls for fetch (Socrates couldnt care less) then try the kong zinger. Other good toys for exercise are the egge, boomer ball, and jolly ball. Another plus is that if you start training with her that will tire her out too.


she's pretty obedient most of the time, we still don't know each other that well even though we love each other like crazy..she ONLY drags me when she sees a cat, I take her out to the back yard and she can see our neighbor's two dogs just from plain sight through the wire fence, I try to walk in between so she doesn't get to lead me. that works well. but she does NOT try to drag me, which I'm super proud of. I guess she took some serious beatings before, she barely does anything naughty or, what can i say, she knows better. one time she jumped on the bed without me inviting her, and I came in the room said, off! she immediately got off and acted like I was going to beat her  with her head lowered and eyes blinking...i felt so bad that she has this automatic reaction...
I just bought her a big bone, she's been working SO hard! and some tennis balls to play with. thanks for all the recommendations I'll try to make her work out at least 30 min a day.


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

Mcleod15 said:


> My dog Red gets worked pretty good through out the week. 2+ miles(varies) a day during the week, when the weekend hits we go to 6+ miles(spend several hours out) fri - sunday, and these exercises take place over country terrian. his time out and work out intensity varies with the temperature, he weighs 59lbs if the temperature is around 95-100 degrees with the heat index over 100 we don't do 6+ plus mile but maybe 3ish depending on what I see in him. I have gone along time with him 100 degree just depends on how he holds up that particular day. And if the temperature is low we go all day long. Keeping my dog in shape and exercised to the degree he needs to be takes up a huge portion of my time threw out the week.
> 
> Then some times I switch it up, we will only do 1 mile but we will do it in about 4 and half minutes. So its a fast pace workout.
> 
> I like flirtpoles you can work a dog good with one, if they have the drive that is.


thanks! I played flirtpoles with my cat while back in China, he NEVER got tired of it, he could play all night long if allowed. but I never thought a dog would like that too! 
I admire you for what you do, sounds like it's not only a big portion of your time, also patience and spirit. but that's the joy we get when we see we're working as one. right?


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

dylroche1 said:


> thats too bad you cant walk him.. me and diesel walk about 2 miles everyday he loves it.. and ill play fetch with him in the back yard... he also LOVES when i play with the laser outside or the flashlight he goes crazy and wont stop chasing them he literally can go for like an hour of running around chasing them lol its hilarious.. and he makes these little high pitched squeaks when hes running cause hes going so hard.. lol


u know what, that's funny because we used to let our first pit play laser too..but he went too crazy over it we had to cut it off completely. we couldn't even mention the word laser, we had to spell it like he was a baby. lol

hahahahaha maybe he's singing? " I love running, i love running, lah lah lah"


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

MY MIKADO said:


> Vendetta is a lucky girl I have just over 7 acres. She gets 30 minutes of fetch in the morning, she gets to run while my son does chore in the afternoon for about an hour, he then has fetch again around 3pm for 30-40 minutes. When I get home she gets to go to the lake for 45 minutes or so then again some more fetch in the yard. This happens everyday. I sometimes switch it up and we work on tracking or agility. Once a week I take her walking around Walker while my son has Tae kwon Do.


yes she is a lucky girl! we have some land in the country too but we're living in the city right now..a medium size back yard is nothing!
Sugar isn't such a big fan of fetch, don't know why..i wish she was. that would be easier for me. but we're still learning about each other. eventually I'll find out what she likes or dislikes, then we'll all be happy! haha


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

Wingman said:


> I just play fetch with Savannah two to three times a day. The length depends on how hot it is outside, but usually 10-15 minutes at a time. You just gotta make sure you don't overheat your pup and cause a heatstroke.


i agree, pitbulls have snub nose so they're really sensitive to heat(and cold)..I keep fresh cold water for her if playing outside..but lately, it's burning like a furnace here in TX I don't even wanna go out!


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## rebeccayhb (Jul 23, 2010)

Elvisfink said:


> You should *never* use a lazer or flashlight to play with a dog. They can become obsessive about chasing lights and shadows, to the point of becoming compulsive about it, running around the yard or home, not being able to relax. It can cause a dog to enter into a state of almost permanent anxiety. Just a little FYI.
> 
> To the OP: You should invest in a good trainer so you can take your dog out for walks. Your weight won't be an issue with a well trained dog. In the mean time you can always use a Flirt Pole and a Spring Pole. They require little space and can give a dog a good workout in a short period of time.


thanks! she's not a "wild horse" maybe I didn't make myself clear..she doesn't drag me except when she sees a cat, but last week i took her to the front yard to smell around she was walking a little ahead of me, and then she stopped, I looked up there was a cat! but she didn't try to jump or pull. she was just really focused on smelling that direction.
my husband and I will take her to walk in parks some time when the weather gets cooler, it's too hot for people to walk!


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