How much exercise do labradors require?
A friend of mine asked if I can spend time with her 1 year old labrador retriever while she is working. And I really like to walk, so I was thinking I could take her for walks, but I wasn't sure how much they require. I had a friend with a great dane and I remember that she was told not exercise her too much as it wasnt good for that particular breed. How much is too much for a lab?
Thanks.
Update:Thanks everyone. You've helped a lot! :)
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Remember that these dogs were bred to hunt birds all day long, running, walking and swimming! This dog can probably outlast you, no matter how long you decide to walk. Labs need lots of exercise, so I'd say 30 minutes to an hour, if you can spare the time. Awesome idea. If the dog pulls terribly, try a gentle leader by Promise (find at a vet's or Petsmart) or try the EasyWalk harness also by Promise System.
Depends on the line. Sporting line labs need about an hour and a a half of activity every day while show line dogs should get between an thirty minutes and two hours. I wouldn't worry about over walking a lab, unless it has a medical condition. Most labs that I know will go for hours and hours, even though most don't necessarily need to. I will say that the dog will absolutely love any time that you spend with it, if its anything like a normal lab.
They were a breed bred to hunt birds, fish and small animals, running around in the forest all day for 8-14 hours a day of almost constant running! That's a lot. Now it should be about 2-3 walks a day, 1-2 hours each. 1-1 1/2 if it is running. So anywhere from 2-6 hours a day of walks!
You should try taking her to a park where she can run off-leash all he wants, play fetch, play frisbee, do whatever she likes! You don't even have to spend all those hours walking her, you can play games like fetch and so forth in the yard or at the park.
~Hope this helps!
Two to three long walks a day, plus off leash exercise. My lab mix gets three walks a day: morning, afternoon and evening. By long I mean 20-40 minutes (depending on how many the dog is getting).
2-3 times a day
If you can walk or run the distance, your dog should be able to run 3 times that.
i would say 30min-45min walks per day would do. outside time to run freely is always great too! :)