Relationship Between Dog Size, Yard Size And Exercise?

[Dory the Doted One]

I've had big dogs in small yards, small dogs in big yards, big dogs on big blocks and little dogs on big blocks.

I exercise my dogs according to their need rather than the size of my yard. Cos the big dogs were lazy ratbags and would only do something if I was doing something.

Dory is much the same. She doesn't get walked as much as I would like to. But she does have a very varied lifestyle as she goes with me everywhere and is always

experiencing new things.

[melinda10786]

We have a cocker spaniel puppy, and our yard that he has to tear around in would be about 250 sq m (probably more, I'm not good at guessing!), he also has access to our garage when we're at work, which is the entire level under the house. I don't know if he sleeps all day, probably a good chance, but we just had new neighbours move in the other side of us with two staffy crosses so I would think there may be some exercise at least for the first week, sniffing at the fence line. ;) We also have dogs the other side, which he chases up and down the fence.

We walk him a minimum of once a day in the morning for about half an hour, and my partner plays with him when he gets home from work for at least over an hour either playing fetch or chasing each other around the yard like mad children.. He does get two walks, morning and night on the weekend, and depending on what happens during the week, will get another one at night then as well.

He also runs round the house like an idiot at night time effectively wearing himself out well before we want him to sleep!

[Montage]

We don't have a huge backyard for our SBT's, it's about 15m long by 6m wide. They get walked regularly when it's not too hot.

[Swizzlestick]

4 Whippets, 1 JRT, 1 Afghan Hound

10 acres

They all get aroud 3 hrs of free running each day, otherwise it's just weekends that they leave the property (ie walking on lead).

[Mystiqview]

Four BCs here. The block is fairly large. But large house situated in the middle of the block. They only have a back yard. When I am away they are locked in runs. When I am home they are inside with my partner and I. We go camping/4wd often, and take them camping with us where we can. If not, I have a really good friend who is generally happy to housesit for me.

On good days (namely cooler) one or two may come on the run with me (I have a mobile grooming business).

Two of my BC's are lounge lizzards (one is 3 years and one is 18 months). The male has been taught to bark by the neighbour's Amstaffs. One is a puppy, and the other can be active, but is also happy to lie around. If Faith barks, you take notice!

My dogs may get to the offlead park a couple times a week. They are afforded a LOT of people time.

My dogs cannot run or play in the yard without those dogs down the back fence barking and trying to tear it apart to get to my guys.

I don't normally say this.. but one of them need the green dream. It is very aggressive, has jumped her fence, is entire, the owner does nothing with them and there is only a 3 foot fence between them an us as they are housing commission. I have a large clump of wood by the clothes line incase that mongrel does jump my fence. (my own protection).

Blue will bark a bit particularly if those dogs are down the fence. He will go up and tell them off. When we first moved in here, you never heard from my guys. So he normally comes on the run with me. At times, I have put a bark collar on him.

When at home.. you never hear a peep from my dogs.

[perrin]

We have a dally and live on 20 acres. I hardly walk her although we do walk down to the dam of an evening and sometimes on hot days we will go several times.

She prefers to either lay in side on the floor or on the veranda near the door so she can see what everyone is doing.

She is kind of lazy though. We sometimes drive partway to school and walk down to the school and back which she loves. But when it is too hot she stays home.

[newfsie]

We would like to walk our dogs daily away from our property, but we at least take them out into the paddock to the large dam for a swim daily. They are indoors when we are indoors and out when we are out. we lead a very active outdoor life on a small property

And we leave them in the house when we go to work or in a kennel room/run, depending on the weather

[Staranais]

I think it is less about the size of your yard and more about the interaction you have with them.

I agree too. My dog has a medium sized yard which she enjoys, but even if she had hundreds of acres, she'd still go nutty with boredom if I didn't do things with her several times a day (especially since she has no other dog to play with at home - there's just me to entertain her). She wears tracks around the lawn pacing when I'm not there, but it doesn't tire her out at all, she's still ready to go whenever I get home.

Having said that, I think she'd probably be pretty miserable (and make me pretty miserable) in an apartment.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Staranais

[OSoSwift]

I have the two Whippets and an aged Stafford.

We have 2000 acres and 5 acres around the house

They have dog runs which are 5m X 5metres and that now has sttatched to it a 10m X 12 m grass 7 foot high fenced area full of toys. Which they play with for a good hour of more if they are in there.

The Stafford sleeps, rolls in the grass and sunbakes, eats and that is his day.

The Whips pretty much go where I do. If I am inside they are. When they are outside tehy chase each other runa round with dogs toys and play chasey with each other. I throw toys as they both love chasing them and bring them back. I got for an lead walk with the a few times a week, through the far. We go to training in town once or twice a week. We go to the beach where they are off lead, swim and fetch their ball for as long as you throw it. I do obedience training at home around every second day. Sometimes I will take them to town for a stroll to get the mail or something but due to the amount of off lead dogs I do not walk in town often.

Most of their exercise is around the house yard but they do zoomies and bog laps of the house at speed so use a fair area to run around.

They also get taken for a race through the farm or bunny hunting when it is cooler and there are less snakes.

[huski]

When we first got my Siberian, we had a big yard, but fast forward to now and we have a biggish house but a pretty small yard. My dogs don't get walked every day, but I do something with them everyday - Daisy is out at training at least twice a week not including when I take her to the park for a training session etc. I was a bit worried about how they'd go in such a small yard but they are fine, they spend 90% of the time inside the house anyway!

I walk Micha the most, for a few reasons, especially because he doesn't go out to training as much as Daisy does. When I walk him we'll walk for at least half an hour but I have to be careful how far we go with his arthritis.

Edited January 26, 2011 by huski