Varying Stamina?

[Guest driser]

We're curious to know how much stamina varies among Greyhounds. If you would, please reply to this with how far your Greyhound gladly walks each day? Our Greyhound boy's stamina seems to vary greatly depending on weather, but lately he's been pooping out after a mere 15 mins and then lags behind as we make the trek home. He's only 2.5 years old so this lagging and preference to take it slow and smell the roses may be why he's our pet now and FULLY retired.

[krissy]

We usually walk 30-60 minutes for each walk, twice a day (with a third, shorter walk around the block). But we have taken him on all day hikes through some pretty tough terrain. By the end of the day he's trailing and he'll sleep all night in the tent while we cook dinner and sing campfire songs... but he's raring to go again the next morning.

[PrairieProf]

We usually walk 30-60 minutes for each walk, twice a day (with a third, shorter walk around the block). But we have taken him on all day hikes through some pretty tough terrain. By the end of the day he's trailing and he'll sleep all night in the tent while we cook dinner and sing campfire songs... but he's raring to go again the next morning.

 

Same here, generally walking/trotting briskly except for sniffing times, though our longest hikes have been a few hours. That's in mild to cold weather; in very hot weather, she'd drag after 15 minutes or so.

Edited October 16, 2011 by PrairieProf

[macoduck]

Gracie (11.5) doesn't want to go more than the 3/4 mile in our neighborhood.

Harold (12.5) is satisfied with just walking to the corner of our street.

Unfortunately no sidewalks here so it's either pavement or someone's grass.

[DesiRayMom]

Desi will be 9 in a couple of weeks....he raced for 4 years & his feet bother him, so on a GOOD day, he can do a mile,

but generally it's a half mile of just strollin & sniffin.

 

So much for my idea of adopting a retired racer to help me walk "briskly" for exercise.

But that's ok; the love in his eyes & his ability to hold down the couch make up for it.

[SkipSailors]

If he's happy, bouncy, sniffing, smiling on his walk, I wouldn't worry. If he stops, statues, plods, or drags l would start to wonder. It took us a long time to recognize a tick-borne disease in our younger fur kid.

[Guest KsFrets]

We walk on a golf course for two miles every evening. Magnus and Lisa have no trouble and would go around again if you took them... but Little Maggie is another story... If we stay on the paths, she has attitude, and is pokey and we have to pull her along. But if we go along the creek or the fence line or through the trees... she pulls us along! I think for her is a matter of boredom, and being spoiled and getting her way.

[Remolacha]

I used to walk them about 40 min around the neighborhood (no idea about mileage), but I stopped walking them in the summer a few years ago when Fletcher started getting sensitive to the heat. His arthritis is getting worse as well, so I think I'm going to have to start walking him separately from the girls, who can still go 30-40 minutes easily.

 

They are 9 1/2, 9 1/2, and 7 1/2.

 

I'd have a 2 1/2 yr old checked out if he only wants to walk 15 min, but he may just be taking retirement seriously

[GeorgeofNE]

Two miles every weekday morning (in the dark), and a bit longer on Sat. and Sun. I have to admit, he has never once indicated he is tired or wants to stop, but I am 50 with arthritis, and two miles (or a bit more) is really as far as I can go without suffering later. Oh, my dog is nine with lumbar stenosis. And he STILL has yet to run out of stamina!

[greyhead]

Our first GH started pooping out after a half-mile at age 5, shortly after he arrived. For that and other reasons, we ran a thyroid panel and found him to be hypothyroid. After that he can easily do two miles even at age almost-11 and with lumbosacral stenosis. He'd do more if we let him.

 

Our second GH had varying stamina and problems ranging from kidney issues to musculoskeletal issues to -- and this was critical to him -- Babesia. He still has the first two issues, but he's much better in the stamina department since TBD treatment, which also had involved overheating easily and slowness in recovering from exercise.

[OwnedBySummer]

We don't walk with any kind of regularity, as we don't need to (run with greyhounds up to 4 times a week). But that being said, when we do walk, it's usually only about 1.5km. The other weekend, though, out of the blue, we went for 4km and had no problem. She walks at heel unless told otherwise, so I don't get any pulling or lagging.

[Guest Swifthounds]

Stamina is something you build over time and, barring injury or infirmity, you can't work any hound up to walking just about any distance if you follow a good conditioning program.

 

Desire, however, varies by hound. My 6 year old would walk just around the block if I let him choose. He had bern that way since age 2. My 12 year old will go and go and is only limited by her LS, which she finds particularly inconvenient.

 

I consider fitness an essential part of health and longevity, so anyone who doesn't like to walk is SOL in my household.

[turbotaina]

Until his death at age 10, Turbo was happy to go as long as he could. He was having some rear end weakness, but would walk 45 minutes to an hour. The day he died, we had done a long walk in the morning. At 8, he once insisted that we go 9 miles and we did. We were both tuckered after that We normally did hour long walks and long hikes on weekends when he was healthy and his corns not bothering him too much. Hubby never walked him as far/long as I did, so the last few years of his life, he got shorter daily walks, but I gave him long walks on weekends.

 

Heyokha has a ton of energy as he's only 2, so he'll go as long as you'll let him. To keep him settled, he needs at least 45 minutes a day, and often up to 2 hours. He's a nut. Just this morning, I had him on an hour long hike on the Antietam battlefield, then we drove home and I handed him off to my husband, who took him for another 45 minute hike on the C&O Canal. He'd happy go for hours at a time, no problem.

[gazehund]

My dogs are pretty active. We are out and about every day we can weather permitting. Anywhere from 2 to 5 or more miles depending on where we go. Not much of the terrain we cover is flat. My dogs are also able to be off leash most of the time. They cover many more miles than I do.

[Guest K9_Lady]

Amy walks with me just about every morning for over an hour. I started her out with short distances. We don't walk very fast (thats because she has to stop and greet everyone else walking) and we usually walk close to 2 miles sometimes more. I have a fenced yard but Amy thinks its just for sun bathing

I enjoy walking with her and she looks forward to our walks. Well, walking with her handsome Bull Terrier buddys keeps her motivated too

I use common sense regarding heat and ice. She is 6 years old.

[BatterseaBrindl]

When we got Nixon 18 months ago - he was 5 - he start lagging after 15 minutes.

I gradually built his time up to 45- 60 minutes.

In the heat of July we only walked for 20 - 30 minutes.

 

We got Ruby in August - she is 4 - and she is a bundle of energy and has no problems keeping up. She'd actually go longer if I had the time.

 

We do all our walking - very briskly - through our hay fields/wooded trails and occasionally on the quiet gravel road.

[cleptogrey]

as long as i am moving, they move~ took them into the city today, lots of stimulation and 20 blocks. met them at the train(after i enjoyed a film at the ny film festival) then up to the trails in tarrytown- 3+ miles. if i took the leash out, they would be at the door. yesterday to town and back- 4 miles and a good play in the yard in the morning.our normal good walk is around 3-4miles, quickies almost 1.5-2miles. they also play ball daily or 2xs a day in the yard, maybe that's why they have that get up and go.of course they crash on their beds as soon as they are inside.

[TwiggysMom]

Twiggy is definitely a stamina dog. She will chase balls for hours, walk for hours, and is always ready for an adventure.

 

She is currently on chemo and 2 months post-amp (today!) and yesterday she was on her feet for about 5 hours at our group's annual reunion, ran 2 radar runs (clocked 37 mph - with only 3 legs!) and was raring to go today. She made me run to the park, was up on her feet bouncing around every time I stood up, and then chased a ball for half an hour of 1.5 hours at a greyhound playgroup this evening. Twiggy will be seven next weekend.

 

I've had 2 year old fosters, though, that have pooped out after half an hour.

 

My conclusion - stamina varies greatly among greyhounds

[Guest peacehound]

Two miles every weekday morning (in the dark), and a bit longer on Sat. and Sun. I have to admit, he has never once indicated he is tired or wants to stop, but I am 50 with arthritis, and two miles (or a bit more) is really as far as I can go without suffering later. Oh, my dog is nine with lumbar stenosis. And he STILL has yet to run out of stamina!

 

Peace is almost ten and we also walk every morning in the dark! anxiously waiting the time change, it will help a bit but then the evening walk will be dark. She walks a good 2 miles AM in about 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the number of squirrels she sees and how much she wants to sniff..in the evening she walks another 20 to 25 minutes and she has arthritis, corns and a sore shoulder..I am a stickler for walking, the vet said it is very helpful for her joints and it does seem to be the most favorite time of the day for her

[Guest Timo]

Timo starts to lag immediately after he poops, approximately ten minutes into the walk. He's 3 1/2, and he's been this way ever since we got him about 1 1/2 years ago. We go for almost a mile walk twice a day, and we practically have to drag him half way back. I tried to train him to jog with me, but he was having none of it. I truly think he's just lazy and prefers to sleep than to exercise.

Edited October 17, 2011 by Timo

[Guest BrianRke]

Diamond is 6 and we walk 3 miles 4x/week. Daytona is almost 10 so I just take him around the block. Frank is 3 but is not conditioned yet to walk more than a mile.

[Ragsysmum]

Unless there is some medical reason not to, I gradually build all my adopted and foster hounds up to walking three times a day, around 2 miles, 2 miles and 1 mile. They have all loved their walks around our local countryside and riverbank and along with meals, they are the highlight of their days.

[racindog]

My first greyhound Ivy easily ran 3 or more miles even in the summer with me! She was under a vets supervision because I wanted to make sure it was OK and we gave her extra electrolytes just to be on the safe side but she was like the energizer bunny-she just kept going and going. She just loved to run-always wanted more. Even as a tripod she continued to run run run. One day she looked back at me trying to keep up with her and said "I've only got 3 legs and you STILL can't keep up." lol

Slim used to easily run 5 miles or more in most weather except very hot. Goldie was unable to do too much running as he had an inoperable and painful bone chip in his wrist and something had been surgically done to his hips before I adopted him at 3 yoa. Vet said he couldn't tell what was done other than pins had been placed in them for some reason. The others I can't be sure as I moved to a farm and they have lots of room to run themselves. But Momma at 11 yoa and her daughter run run run for sure. Gilly Boy doesn't run much on his own but I may have to start running with him to make sure he gets enough exercise to keep out of trouble as he is a young strong exhuberant male.

Edited October 17, 2011 by racindog

[Guest greyers]

Typically we would walk 30 minutes in the am and 45-60 at night with several other short walks throughout the day to potty since we live in a condo. When Jimmy James started slowing down about a month prior to us putting him to sleep we cut all our walks down by a third or more. And sometimes seperating them so she could have longer and him even shorter. Now that it's just Prudence we are back again to the longer walks at a brisk pace.

[greyhead]

Timo starts to lag immediately after he poops, approximately ten minutes into the walk. He's 3 1/2, and he's been this way ever since we got him about 1 1/2 years ago. We go for almost a mile walk twice a day, and we practically have to drag him half way back. I tried to train him to jog with me, but he was having none of it. I truly think he's just lazy and prefers to sleep than to exercise.

That's how Shane was before we found his TBD! I'd surely test Timo.