How much exercise does a pet need?

Exercise needs vary enormously by breed, age and energy level, and the range is wider than most owners expect. A low-energy dog — a Bulldog, a Shih Tzu, a senior Pug — may need only thirty minutes a day. A moderate-energy dog — a Beagle, a Cocker Spaniel — needs about an hour. A high-energy dog — a Labrador, a Border Collie, a Vizsla — needs about ninety minutes, and a very high-energy dog — a working Border Collie, a Husky, a Belgian Malinois — needs two hours or more, plus mental work. Cats need about thirty minutes of active play a day, ideally split into two or three short sessions. This calculator gives a daily target from the pet's type, age and energy level, plus a simple weekly plan, so you can see what the number means in practice rather than as an abstract figure.

The daily target is a mix, not a single walk. A dog that gets ninety minutes of walking and nothing else will be fitter but not necessarily happier than a dog that gets sixty minutes of walking plus training, sniffing games and play. Sniffing is exercise for a dog's brain: a ten-minute sniffy walk, where the dog is allowed to stop and investigate, can tire a dog out more than a thirty-minute march. Training is exercise too — five minutes of learning a new trick is mentally exhausting. For cats, the equivalent is play that mimics hunting: a wand toy that moves like prey, a puzzle feeder, a paper bag to pounce on. The best exercise plan is one the pet enjoys, because an enjoyed plan is one that actually happens.

Age changes everything

Puppies need less structured exercise than adults, not more. The common rule of thumb is five minutes of exercise per month of age, twice a day — so a four-month-old puppy gets about twenty minutes at a time. More than that risks damaging growing joints, especially in large and giant breeds, whose growth plates are open for over a year. Puppies also need free play and socialisation more than they need long walks. Seniors need gentler, more frequent exercise: shorter walks, more often, with swimming or gentle play instead of jumping and sprinting, because their joints are stiffer and their stamina is lower. The calculator reduces the target to about sixty percent for puppies and seventy percent for seniors, which is a starting point — your vet can refine it for your individual pet.

What happens when exercise is wrong

Too little exercise is the more common problem, and it shows as weight gain, boredom, destructive behaviour and anxiety. A dog that chews the furniture, barks all day or digs up the garden is often not badly behaved — it is under-exercised and understimulated. A cat that over-grooms, overeats or hides may be bored rather than ill. Too much exercise is also a real risk, especially for puppies, seniors, flat-faced breeds and dogs with heart or joint disease: the signs are heavy panting that does not settle, lagging behind, limping, or refusing to go further. In hot weather, all dogs need less exercise and more water, and flat-faced breeds such as Bulldogs and Pugs should not be exercised hard in heat at all, because they cannot cool themselves efficiently.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is one long walk at the weekend and nothing during the week — dogs need daily exercise, not a weekly binge, and a sudden jump in activity causes injuries. The second is exercising a puppy like an adult dog, which risks joint damage. The third is stopping exercise altogether for a senior dog, which makes stiffness and weight gain worse — seniors need gentler exercise, not none. The fourth is forgetting mental exercise: a dog that is physically tired but mentally bored will still destroy the house. The fifth is exercising in the heat of the day in summer — early morning and evening are safer, and always carry water.

When to see a vet

See your vet if your pet limps, pants heavily, lags behind, collapses, coughs during exercise, or seems in pain afterwards. See a vet before starting an exercise plan if your pet is a puppy of a large breed, a senior, flat-faced, overweight, or has a heart or joint condition. For the food to fuel the exercise, use the dog food calculator or cat food calculator; for how much water exercise requires, the dog water intake calculator.