Exercising Your Hound

[Guest Firedancer]

I'm curious as to how much everybody exercises their hounds? We do not have a fenced in yard so I make sure to take Dancer on daily walks. We go for a short one in the morning before I go to work (5 min.) to go potty. My husband is in and out throughout the day so she is taken out to potty several more times. When I get home from work I like to take her for at least a mile walk. At about the mile mark she is lagging behind me and panting. Anything more than that she is panting even harder and slowly walking. I make sure to to walk her before dinner or at least an hour after she eats. I know greys are sprinters so I'm wondering if a mile is too much for her or if I should be concerned about her health. Any thoughts?

[Shaysmom]

How long have you had her? How old is she? Sometimes it does take them a bit of time to build up endurance for walks. When we first got Seamus, he would collapse on the grass panting whenever he got tired. That went on all summer but in a few months he was just fine. Normal for us now are walks of 45 minutes to an hour, which he does no problem and loves. If they are older, their stamina may not be as sharp as a young dog either but unless it is really warm, they should be able to handle a normal walk.

[Feisty49]

Lagging and panting can be a function of heat. I notice you're in FL. Most Greyhounds don't do well in the heat. I live in Upstate New York but my girl is already negatively responding to temps which are only in the 50s but with a hot sun and a higher humidity than in winter, she pants quickly on a walk.

 

If it's not because she's hot, maybe she needs to work up to a mile. When she goes out for a potty, does she get a good walk in or is it a matter of finding somewhere green and then returning to the house? I walk Annie twice a day for at least half an hour (depends on time of day, temperature, humidity, sunny or cloudy) so she's getting in more than 2 miles a day.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Feisty49

[OwnedBySummer]

I see you're in Florida. Isn't it awfully hot to be walking him before dinner? In the summer up here in Canada, I wouldn't walk a greyhound then and I assume it's even hotter down there at that time. Early morning/late evening if it's hot out.

 

I can't really comment on the walking, Summer doesn't get walked regularly as we have a back yard that she and I play in several times a day. Plus greyhound playdates on the weekend and sometimes during the week. When we DO walk her, I tend to take her 1 to 1.5km and DH takes her a bit farther (and faster).

[Walliered]

Lady lagged and panted for a long time. Finally, Charleston said she had two rupture disks on her spine. They operated and removed the disks and she is like a new dog.

 

Oh and I live outside of Savannah and we get up before daylight in the summer and walk. Right now we walk by 7:00am. Not only does the heat bother them, but the humidity factors in.

[Guest Firedancer]

Dancer is 4 years old. We've had her for almost 6 months now. I haven't walked her in the heat of day, but of course we are quite humid here in sunny Florida. The temps have been quite comfortable since we've had her. It's usually around 75-80. If the heat and humidity are factors for her then I'm really nervous about the summertime. The temps in the evenings or early morning are around 75 with high humidity all the time. I guess we'll have to go for shorter walks. We'll try that and if that doesn't work then I will take her in to the vet to make sure nothing physical is going on. Thanks for all the advice.

[Guest widowcali]

I used to walk my girlies (before fenced quarter acre yard) 4 times a day. Am and right when I got home from work potty walkies were about 10 minutes. The before work and before bed potty walkies were about 20.

 

I made the mistake of thinking that my 6 year old former racers would like to attend a canine 1m/5k. We did the 1 mile. At about the quarter mile mark they started lagging.

 

By the half mile walk we were being paced by a 3 legged chihuahua.

 

When we finished at the 1 mile mark I was getting some serious stink eye and, as soon as we got to the grassy area where the doggy bowls were, they collapsed like they had just finished the Bhaatan death march!

 

Needless to say that WE NEVER DID THAT AGAIN!! Now I do the canine charity walks all my my lonesome while they guard the carpet or the bed.

 

I should also add that this was in Arizona. In February.

[Guest Doggone]

I've noticed that Autumn doesn't handle heat well (panting, etc.) so if it's a warm day, we go out early. As it is, we generally do about a mile; that's about her limit (she's 7, and that may be why). The rest of her breaks are taken in my small back yard.

Once in a great while, she'll actually sprint for a bit in the tiny yard, but for the most part, she's definitely taking her retirement seriously .

Since summers can be brutal here, we'll stay on this early morning walking schedule, since it doesn't cool down much after sunset.

 

I've only had her about six weeks, so I'm not sure if she'll have more endurance in cool weather. I hope so, because she really seems to enjoy going out .

Edited April 20, 2013 by Doggone

[RedHead]

It really depends on the dog AND the heat. They will let you know when they are tired. We do a minimum of 4 miles (6km) per day here, and now that the snow has melted we have been doing 4-5 mile runs and hikes, plus another mile or two in the morning before work. When I first got him he could only do about 15 minutes. I know when the real heat hits though, a mile or so will be max, they are VERY sensitive to it, it slows them right down.

Edited April 20, 2013 by RedHead

[Beachbum1]

Find yourself a Lowe's and go shopping. It's cool and clean in there and they all seem to be dog friendly.

[Greydawg]

As a fellow Floridian, we have the following routine during the week...

 

7-ish am... 20-30 minute walk

Midday... a shorter "tinkle walk" (on the hottest summer days, the boyz don't want to go too far from the a/c!)

5-ish pm... 20-30 minute walk

9-ish pm... a 15 minute last call "tink-and-a-stink" walk

 

The weekends usually involve longer walks. And beloved car-rides, too!

 

[Guest Clawsandpaws]

I also live in Fl and don't have a yard. I walk Dudley a few times a day, and take him to the park every day (around 7:30 am).

 

When Dudley and I walk during the hottest parts of the day (In South East Fl, that's almost any time between sunrise and sunset) we walk in shady paths. I also get him to play a lot during the day, chasing me, playing with stuffies and even training sessions.

[Guest june]

Would love to see pictures of your girlie.

[Sambuca]

It depends on the weather for us. My dogs can walk for hours if its not too hot. I'm not a very fast walker, but not slow either. If its even a little warm, Sailor lags way behind. If I want to walk when it's hot out, I bring them to areas that have water access so they can go swimming and drink when they start getting too warm.

[Guest OPointyDog]

Ours get walked 2 x per day. Morning is about 20-30 minutes, and evening more like 45-50, with a total of 2-3 miles daily. We had our first warm day today in quite awhile (73F) and Zoe was dragging along behind me acting like she was on a death march. As soon as we got back into the house, she started racing around, so I know it's at least partly stubbornness. Mika could walk forever, I'm pretty sure, and never gets tired of looking for inappropriate things to eat or pee on.

[Guest WhiteWave]

As soon as the temps hit 80, Ronon refuses to go outside. It is a fight to get him to go out to pee. It is too hot to walk during those times. Early morning and evening after sun goes down!

 

You can increase the walks in the "winter" when the temps aren't so high!

 

I would just walk later. I use these clipped to their collars for added security at night:http://www.petflow.com/product/led-power/pet-safety-led-light--max-3-per-household-

[Guest kkaiser104]

Teddi is very sensitive to the heat. We go hiking 4x a week until the temps hit 80 in the early morning (before 10 or so), and then we just do short walks or trips to the dog park with a pool available. Teddi pants a lot after the temps hit 70 or so. When we do go to the dog park in the summer, we go really early, really late, or cover him in water (not super cold) several times throughout our time there. Greys can be really sensitive to heat because they don't have as much "insulation" as other dogs.

[philospher77]

Make sure you check the sidewalk temperature once it starts getting hot out. Concrete stays toasty for quite some time after the sun goes off it, and that can factor into how willing a dog is to walk on it.

[Guest Isabella]

I used to walk my girlies (before fenced quarter acre yard) 4 times a day. Am and right when I got home from work potty walkies were about 10 minutes. The before work and before bed potty walkies were about 20.

 

I made the mistake of thinking that my 6 year old former racers would like to attend a canine 1m/5k. We did the 1 mile. At about the quarter mile mark they started lagging.

 

By the half mile walk we were being paced by a 3 legged chihuahua.

 

When we finished at the 1 mile mark I was getting some serious stink eye and, as soon as we got to the grassy area where the doggy bowls were, they collapsed like they had just finished the Bhaatan death march!

 

Needless to say that WE NEVER DID THAT AGAIN!! Now I do the canine charity walks all my my lonesome while they guard the carpet or the bed.

 

I should also add that this was in Arizona. In February.

[BatterseaBrindl]

70 would be too hot for Ruby to walk for more than 15 minutes.

The boys are a bit more tolerant, but in the summer we only go out early in the morning..... as in 6:30 am....and keep our walks to 30 minutes or less.

[Feisty49]

Dancer is 4 years old. We've had her for almost 6 months now. I haven't walked her in the heat of day, but of course we are quite humid here in sunny Florida. The temps have been quite comfortable since we've had her. It's usually around 75-80. If the heat and humidity are factors for her then I'm really nervous about the summertime. The temps in the evenings or early morning are around 75 with high humidity all the time. I guess we'll have to go for shorter walks. We'll try that and if that doesn't work then I will take her in to the vet to make sure nothing physical is going on. Thanks for all the advice.

 

My Annie would be melting at 75-80. OK... she'd be panting and dragging tail within a quarter mile, even if the humidity was low. At 75 degrees, with the sun out, it's just too hot for my girl. She doesn't know it's too hot, and never wants to come back in the house, but when she's panting and her head is hanging and she's walking at a speed of less than a mile an hour, I know it's too hot for her. My suggestion is avoid long walks at temps over 65 and when the sun is high in the sky.

[GreyhoundGirl]

We don't have a fence so we walk 3x/day for 10-15 minutes rain, heat, snow, shine or blizzard because no matter how fast Mason is to do his business Molly takes her sweet time (and don't think this doesn't tick Mason and I off in bad weather ).

 

Molly regularly walks 2-3 miles with me in nice weather multiple times a week and loves it. I just took Mason and Molly in 50ish degree weather and while they were both panting Molly could have kept going. Mason stopped at the 2 mile mark and was DONE..refused to keep going until I turned around to go to the car. He's also more sensitive to the heat; I don't think I'd take him if it were over 75 degrees at all.

 

He needs to work up to long distance walking whereas Molly was more than happy to hit the ground running and walk forever.

[forevergrey]

I'm in NYC no back yard here either. I take my guys out early in the morning at around 7-8AM for one hour, we go to the park and another one hour park walk at night. They also get two short potty walks around the block in mid day and before bed time. They seem to be fine with this. Every once in a while I take them to a small of leash area to run around for a few min. but it's not a legal dog park so access is limited. I did have to build up to these long walks but now they are fine. I also try to do things like hiking or take them to the beach but these outings are not very frequent.

[Guest undergreysspell]

I also live in FL and don't really have a problem. We walk the dogs a mile in the early morning before it gets too hot and again at night when the sun is going down. It usually rains every afternoon so that does cool things down a bit. In the middle of the day they mainly stay inside although they usually like to be outside while I do my yard work in the mornings. I do have a 5 acre fenced yard however and that makes it much easier. As far as the walks go I think it's just what the dog gets used to and as long as you keep it early morning and later in the evening you'll get through the summer ok. Be very careful about asphalt - it gets extremely hot.

[krissy]

In the summer we just avoid walking at midday... which doesn't happen anyway since I work. I walk early morning and then around dinner time when I get home. In the summer we sometimes do 2 hour brisk hikes with a friend and her dog. It might be a bit warm when we start but it's getting cool by the time we get back. Summit loves it.