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What is everyone's routine for exercising?

3K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  AllAmericanPUP 
#1 ·
Currently this is our routine for Lucy.

Wife wakes up at 5:30am and takes Lucy on a 2 mile walk
After walk and eating, Lucy is crated until about 3:30pm
Myself and/or the wife walk Lucy another 2 miles in the afternoon.

Since Lucy is 9 months and seemed to want more stimulation and exercise, we decided to add a backpack with about 5lbs in it. We change it up when it comes to her actually carrying it. Sometimes we make her wear it once a day and sometimes both walks.

She absolutely gets more excited about walks when it involves the backpack. I don't know if we will be able to continue with the backpack once it gets really hot here. During the summer, the afternoon walk will probably be in 90 degree weather. I will have to see how she adjusts to the heat.

So what is everyone else doing to exercise their dogs?
 
#2 ·
In the morning I take Lucy and Digger for a 1/2 hour walk, I go home at lunch and they run around in the back yard, I usually play ball with them for 10 minutes or so after lunch. When I get home I tie up lucy and tease her with the flirt pole, which is very tiring. Then I do about 15 minutes of Obedience work. Then I either go for a horse back ride, and she comes, or I take her for a walk.
 
#3 ·
I let the dogs out of their crates around 7:15 and let them romp around the backyard for 15 minutes or so while I'm getting ready for work. My husband works retail, so his hours are never the same. I almost always come home for my lunch break at 11 and throw toys around the backyard for the dogs to chase. Lately, I've been giving them some time with the flirt pole in the middle of the day. They love it. They must count down the seconds to lunch time. :) If it's nice outside when I get off work, I let the dogs run around in the backyard for an hour or so. Yeah, I'm the nerd who loves nothing more than watching her dogs play. Haha! Before dinner, we all go on a 1.5 mile walk. Or, we go on a walk whenever my husband gets home from work. I admit to being horribly lazy about exercising my dogs on days when the weather is bad. :oops:
 
#4 ·
My dogs are playing in the yard all day long. They are both healthy and active, and according to the vet, they both have great physiques. So I think this excerise is sufficient and suits our needs. They play quite vigorously too. They are WORN out by the day's end, and often sleep solidly for 8-10 hours. They don't even wake up to pee.
 
#5 ·
LuvaBULL said:
My dogs are playing in the yard all day long. They are both healthy and active, and according to the vet, they both have great physiques. So I think this excerise is sufficient and suits our needs. They play quite vigorously too. They are WORN out by the day's end, and often sleep solidly for 8-10 hours. They don't even wake up to pee.
Don't you just love that? I don't know how we ever got by with just 1 dog! Bella and Remy do a great job of wearing each other out. I love watching them snuggle on the couch at night time. I can imagine them thinking "Yep...that was a fun day. Can't wait to do it again tomorrow!"
 
#8 ·
Leeann.Bella.Remy said:
I just made a post...but it looks like it didn't go through, so I'll do it again. :)

Bella and Remy are already inseparable, too. I think Remy has quite a bit of separation anxiety with Bella. He HATES when she's outside and he isn't. Do you let Heaven and Koa play together while you're not home?
Yes, they're ALWAYS together. If I separate them, they literally go nuts. They cry and whine and bark until they are together again... then they lick each other's faces, play, and love with reckless abandon.
 
#9 ·
LuvaBULL said:
Leeann.Bella.Remy said:
I just made a post...but it looks like it didn't go through, so I'll do it again. :)

Bella and Remy are already inseparable, too. I think Remy has quite a bit of separation anxiety with Bella. He HATES when she's outside and he isn't. Do you let Heaven and Koa play together while you're not home?
Yes, they're ALWAYS together. If I separate them, they literally go nuts. They cry and whine and bark until they are together again... then they lick each other's faces, play, and love with reckless abandon.
How old are they?
 
#11 ·
No, I don't worry about it. I think we all "know" our dogs, and right now they are both still puppies who love each other. I suspected that was what you were getting at -- you can just come right out and ask, lol... When they have reached that age where they aren't quite as loving, (if that time ever comes) I would consider having a sitter to watch over them. But I will never, ever separate them as long as they are this attached and in love.

And back to the topic at hand -- to the original poster, I think your excercise routine is sufficient. Everyone has their own way that works with the flow of their household.
 
#12 ·
jleonar said:
LuvaBULL said:
Leeann.Bella.Remy said:
I just made a post...but it looks like it didn't go through, so I'll do it again. :)

Bella and Remy are already inseparable, too. I think Remy has quite a bit of separation anxiety with Bella. He HATES when she's outside and he isn't. Do you let Heaven and Koa play together while you're not home?
Yes, they're ALWAYS together. If I separate them, they literally go nuts. They cry and whine and bark until they are together again... then they lick each other's faces, play, and love with reckless abandon.
How old are they?

Heaven is 15 mos, Koa is 9 mos.

Also, jleonar -- I bought that book. It has been a wealth of information. I plan on updating soon about what I have learned. Good stuff, and thanks again for your suggestions.
 
#13 ·
LuvaBULL said:
No, I don't worry about it. I think we all "know" our dogs, and right now they are both still puppies who love each other. I suspected that was what you were getting at -- you can just come right out and ask, lol... When they have reached that age where they aren't quite as loving, (if that time ever comes) I would consider having a sitter to watch over them. But I will never, ever separate them as long as they are this attached and in love.

And back to the topic at hand -- to the original poster, I think your excercise routine is sufficient. Everyone has their own way that works with the flow of their household.
I wasn't trying to attack you or anything, and I thought you would assume that I was, so I kind of beat around the bush about it...haha.

Do you ever worry that they're more bonded to each other than they are to you? (Again, not attacking, just asking!)
 
#14 ·
well we live in San Francisco and do not have a yard so I go for lots of walks, though she goes early and then after her last walk she does not want to go out again usually until the next morning..schedule is

7 am 30 min walk
home to eat and sleep or play in the house
9am 45 min walk on the hills to wear her out, or 30 mins of chuck it
home for nap
1:00 30 minute walk
afternoon rest
5:00 30-40 min walk


she is good until the next AM 90% of the time..sometimes she will want a quick to the corner pee and back before bed.
 
#15 ·
Nope, you figured wrong. :p I don't feel attacked at all, so no worries there. I just knew what you were going to ask since this forum as a whole is very predictable. If someone doesn't go "by the book," they get questioned -- that's a given. I can handle the questions, and I can answer honestly. I haven't had any problems with my dogs not getting along. If that day comes, I am prepared. A dog sitter would be just fine in that case. Remember, I work night shift... my dogs are asleep for the majority of the time I am gone. If there was ever one moment I witnessed raised lips or hackles, or something that lead me to believe they were going to "have it out" -- I would respond accordingly. And also just for the record -- I don't leave them outside unattended. If they are outdoors, it is only with my close supervision. They are indoors while I am gone or sleeping. My bedroom door is open, I can hear their collars jingling, so I know what's going on at all times. Even when they're in the basement, the vent leads directly from the basement to my bedroom, and I can hear every sound they make. That ability comes with being a mother, I think. I can be sleeping in an upstairs bedroom, but if my child so much as whimpers, I can hear him. I don't SLEEP very well because of this(!!) but I do feel very "safe" knowing where all my "children" are at all times.
 
#17 ·
Leeann.Bella.Remy said:
LuvaBULL said:
No, I don't worry about it. I think we all "know" our dogs, and right now they are both still puppies who love each other. I suspected that was what you were getting at -- you can just come right out and ask, lol... When they have reached that age where they aren't quite as loving, (if that time ever comes) I would consider having a sitter to watch over them. But I will never, ever separate them as long as they are this attached and in love.

And back to the topic at hand -- to the original poster, I think your excercise routine is sufficient. Everyone has their own way that works with the flow of their household.
I wasn't trying to attack you or anything, and I thought you would assume that I was, so I kind of beat around the bush about it...haha.

Do you ever worry that they're more bonded to each other than they are to you? (Again, not attacking, just asking!)
Sorry I missed this question.

I have been wondering about this a lot lately after reading my new book -- but I don't think so. They seem to know who's boss, and they're definitely equally affectionate to me and my son, as they are to each other. They do as I say, and both behave as though they know I am their master and provider. I'm not really sure how to tell for sure if they're equally bonded to me. What other signs would I look for?
 
#18 ·
Ooh what book?? That seems to be all I've been reading lately are training books, lol. So why are my dogs still such nutballs? :?

Let's see...exercise.

Maddi and Chance get up around 7 or 8am, go outside to potty and have a romp through the yard, making sure to completely uproot as much of the tender, newly planted sprouting grass as they POSSIBLY can (dirt is so much more fun to play in you know...). Then when I think the neighbor has had enough of hearing them trying to kill eachother (I'm sure that's what it must seem like for anyone who doesn't know them), they come in and have a nice romp through the house.

After that, Maddi goes and plops back down on the couch for most of the day. I do probably 75% of my work from home, so I'm here a lot.

Chance, on the other hand, is ceaseless. I spent $450 on a frickin' DOG treadmill because there is no other way I could possibly exercise him enough. He runs and runs and runs on that thing for 20 minutes at a time...sometimes longer! Just when I think he's about to keel over dead, the cat runs across his path and he runs some more. He then gets off and drinks about three toilet bowls full of water. Then he goes back outside to look for poop to eat (I swear to God this is what he is thinking when he asks me to go out). Then, with the endorphines flowing off of his runner's high, he goes and has a nice...erm, "romp" with Maddi. His favorite pastime.

Then he tools around the house looking for things to destroy. I have to pick up these things usually twice a day. Then he lays down just long enough for me to think he's exhausted. He does this, I am beginning to think, to fool me into leaving him alone. I've returned to find him doing several interesting things during these periods: dragging the cat across the floor by his head and/or leg, eating glass Christmas ornaments, eating garbage, eating a glass hydrometer from my fish tank, eating electrical cords from the vacuum while still plugged in, barking like crazy at bare wires from said electrical cord after having chewed through them and getting the crap shocked out of him, stealing things from the counter, digging for "kitty roca"......

....and the list goes on.

Then he jumps on his treadmill and barks at me. He understands that, when he gets on his treadmill, he usually gets something he wants (I used to use food to bait him when we first got it). Now, whenever he wants to go outside to pee, for instance, he gets on his treadmill. He also does this when he just wants to run, however. Me being a human and not understanding dog, I sometimes don't pick up on the subtle differences. When this happens, it usually works out that he wants to pee and I think he wants to run. It can never, of course, be the other way around. So he runs a little bit, probably because he's trying to get off of it to tell me "NO you fool, I want out!" before stopping and peeing all over it and usually himself in the process.

So I let them both back out - by this time it's late morning - to play for a bit. After that, Maddi the couch potato curls up in her favorite chair, and Chance hops back on the treadmill for another 20 minutes or so. Early afternoon he finally settles down for a 3 or 4 hour nap.

Jen gets home usually around 5 or 6, and it's off to the races for both of them. They always make sure to be extra-super hyper when she gets home. We haven't figured this phenomenon out quite yet. Maybe it's her radiant glow that sets them off :p. Whatever the case, they are complete nutballs for at least an hour or so. After that, Maddi plops back down wherever she can find a seat (Maddi's favorite chair happens to be Jen's as well...neither are happy with this arrangement, but Jen usually wins). Chance makes another search of the house to see what there is to eat (be it edible or not) and/or destroy.

We try to go for a walk in the early evening, but this doesn't always work out. Maddi is fine with this. She really feeds off of our energy and activity level. She's cool with being a couch potato or being outside going a hundred miles an hour with her hair on fire...whichever.

Chance, on the other hand, finds inactivity completely and utterly incomprehensible. He hops on the treadmill yet another time for a good 20 minute run, followed by copius Maddi humping. Ah, something I forgot to mention about the Maddi humping - he's not quite tall enough, which frustrates him to no end. He gets this look on his face that is so pathetic....Jen says she just wants to get the poor guy a stool.

After that he's up and down, until it's time for bed.

I'm going to make a flirt pole (keep meaining to get to Home Depot dammit) to see if this will wear him down a bit more. Something tells me uh...no. But it's worth a shot.

I also need to get him into something that will work his mind. He's not very drivey (could give a crap less about toys), but he's EXTREMELY intelligent, very very food motivated, a very fast learner as well as being good with his nose (he'll find a treat hidden anywhere, if he knows you hid it) and he LOVES LOVES LOVES people. He'll pull me over on his leash to get to someone and say hi, smiling and tail wagging the whole way. I'm thinking S&R might be something to look into.




Whew! That was long. He's such a challenging little guy, but SO rewarding when I'm able to focus his energy on something constructive. Guess I just needed to vent a bit, lol.
 
#19 ·
Basicly I let the dogs out in the morning to go to the bathroom. They are out for 30 min then I let Moose in for breakfast and he stays inside ntil my son goes to school then back out in the yard. I get home and I let him in and take him for a walk. He crashes after that then goes out again. Plays with the kids and then dinner. Goes out until bed time then the DH lets him in for the night. Thats about it.
 
#20 ·
I don't really have a routine. I don't walk the dogs around my area because there are way too many free-roaming dogs. Also, I don't really want particular neighbors knowing I have a Bull Terrier. The ones I speak of are notorious dog theives. That's a whole different subject.

Anyway, I take them several times per week to one of these spots: the beach, a nature preserve, state bike trail, the creek, or the cliffs for at least an hour, sometimes several hours. Every night I do about 20 minutes of obedience with them. Then they've got obedience training with the instructor and other dogs once a week. Other than that, they run around like crazy and wrestle all day long.
 
#21 ·
LuvaBULL said:
Nope, you figured wrong. :p I don't feel attacked at all, so no worries there. I just knew what you were going to ask since this forum as a whole is very predictable. If someone doesn't go "by the book," they get questioned -- that's a given. I can handle the questions, and I can answer honestly. I haven't had any problems with my dogs not getting along. If that day comes, I am prepared. A dog sitter would be just fine in that case. Remember, I work night shift... my dogs are asleep for the majority of the time I am gone. If there was ever one moment I witnessed raised lips or hackles, or something that lead me to believe they were going to "have it out" -- I would respond accordingly. And also just for the record -- I don't leave them outside unattended. If they are outdoors, it is only with my close supervision. They are indoors while I am gone or sleeping. My bedroom door is open, I can hear their collars jingling, so I know what's going on at all times. Even when they're in the basement, the vent leads directly from the basement to my bedroom, and I can hear every sound they make. That ability comes with being a mother, I think. I can be sleeping in an upstairs bedroom, but if my child so much as whimpers, I can hear him. I don't SLEEP very well because of this(!!) but I do feel very "safe" knowing where all my "children" are at all times.
a person on another board never seperated her pit bulls, they never fought or even snarled at each other, then one day she came home to blood everywhere. i dont remind exactly what happend but i know at least one dog died and others were severely injured..i think maybe even 2 died.

anywayz just saying that there usually isnt a warning. one minute they will be fine and the next at each others throats and being pit bulls they wont generally stop until one is dead.
 
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