How Much Exercise Does A Labrador Need-Part 2

cristina February 24, 2017 4 Comments

 

 

So…as I told you in my first Labrador Exercise post… there are a few more things about how much exercise does a Labrador need. One question that a friend asked me was…how do I know my Labrador is exercised enough, and how can I understand if he is overweight?

 

How do I know if my Labrador has had enough exercise

 

I can assure you that it is not difficult to know if your furry friend is happy and he has had enough exercise.

First of all, if you see him agitated, chewing everything (shoes, wood), running like a  bullet in the house and generally destroying things (pillows, clothes, sofa) you can obviously see that he needs more exercise, he needs to play, run and walk.

Also, if your dog barks a lot it is a sign that he needs more exercise.

Another sign that you didn’t exercise your best friend enough is when he starts to put on a little extra weight, even if you don’t over feed him.

So…if your dog is relaxed, he looks athletic and is happy, you are doing a great job:)

I can assure you that you can not notice if he needs more walks:) he will let you know 🙂

But…this is the point:), it is important to have fun with your Labrador, swim, walk, play….And to be honest it is the most pleasant way for you to workout:), sharing this pleasure with your best friend, your companion, your furry baby:)

 

Some things to be careful of

 

As I said in the first part of the post, you have to be careful to not make your puppy very tired or to over exercise a senior dog.

So to make it clear…when you DON’T have to exercise your dog is when he is a puppy, elderly, not well (sick and in pain), after a surgery (or any injury), or very overweight.

How you do know if he is overweight? A male labrador should weight between 65 to 80 pounds (30 to 36 Kgs) and a female 55 to70 pounds (25 to 32 Kgs).

 

How far to walk?

 

This again is one of the questions you have, my friends:). If your dog is not a puppy or a senior and if this is the only exercise your dog haves, you will need to walk him about 3 km per day. But if you also use some retriever exercise in your walk or some different games, you can walk him even less.

Ok, there is no need for the 3 km to be all together in one walk. You can share it out in the morning and night, depending on your program.

Now, if you provide him hard exercise such as swimming, running 20 minutes per day, this is ok to keep him healthy but if you can add to those 20 minutes, one hour of relaxed walk…you will have a very happy Labrador, satisfied, relaxed, fit and healthy.

Of course, if your play with your Labrador enough in your garden, fetching, retrieving exercises, you don’t need such long walks every time.

As we said, an elderly Labrador needs attention. This doesn’t mean you walk them less. You just change the type of exercise. For elderly Labradors a good swim or a relaxed walk is enough.

 

Recommendations

 

You have to know that Labradors are very curious and they also need mental challenges. So the games with your Labrador fetch and retrieving exercises will make him think that he is working. He loves working. So it is better to combine your walks with different games.

Another piece of advice is to take your Labrador for walks in different places. He likes to discover things 🙂

So…I think I have I told you what you have to know about exercising your Labrador but of course, things are different from dog to dog so if you have any questions please let me help. Leave a comment or your question and I am there.

Thanks for reading and have fun with your Labradors 🙂 Don’t forget, you are very lucky having them in your life:)

Cristina

 

For further reading about your furry babies choose below