How much exercise does your Newf get ??

[Anthony99]

My dad makes fun of me all the time that my Newf is lazy and gets zero exercise. He compares my Newf (Avlon) 125lbs, 5 yrs old, and 30 inches tall to his Newf who is half Golden. His Newf / golden is obessed with chasing balls. He stays outside for like 30 min to an hour playing ball with his dog every day.
Avlon and I walk everyday at least .5 miles to 1 mile everyday. She is tired after her 1 mile walk. I know some of you hike and walk with your dogs long distances. Honestly, I don't think Avlon could walk 5 miles. I also don't push her to walk farther than a mile. Maybe I should? After her 1 mile walk she stays panting for like 45 minutes afterwards. This is normal right ?? How much exercise does your Newfs get?


Thanks.

 

[NessaM]

It definitely depends upon the time of year. This time of year, when the weather is getting much cooler and less humid, we walk a lot more. They ask for it, though - Pooka will stop at the junction where we can go left or right, (left is home, right is a much longer walk,) and insist upon going right - as soon as the weather turns cool. In the summer we'll only walk for a half hour, and in the winter for an hour or maybe two, if we are at the beach and they are really feeling frisky. We have to work back up to those long walks after a lazy summer.

If you are interested in increasing her stamina, then I would treat her the way you'd treat yourself if you were out of condition - gradually add more distance. Provided she doesn't have an underlying medical condition, exercise is good - it improves her heart's function.

Our typical beach walk, once we are back into the swing of things in winter, is around four miles, round trip. We're about 2/3rds of the way there, right now. I'm being especially careful this year not to rush things, because I don't want to put any additional strain on Pooka's respiratory system.

 

[Thule's Mom]

Well, how hot is it when you walk? I'd think that panting for 45 minutes afterwards is a little concerning... my girl has had two cruciate surgeries and has no problem with a mile... she's about 120 lbs and 28 inches tall. We don't walk fast.. to walk a couple of miles could take us up to an hour. It's the panting that would concern me tho... Thule does pant after a walk, if it is warm, but she's ok after about 10 minutes or so and a small drink of water. If it's cool, she hardly pants at all.

 

[Blacknewfs]

Every dog is different and what is normal for one, may be too much for another. Just like people, if your Newf is not used to getting a lot of brisk exercise, she will have difficulty if she is expected to do that. Having said that, exercise intolerance can be a sign of other underlying health issues, such as DCM so that is something to rule out.

As for exercise, we hike to the back of our property, and back each morning. Our property is 1.4 km long, and our trails twist and turn, and climb steeply uphill (which means it's all downhill on the way home, phew!) Sticking to the trail, it's probably about a 3.5 km walk on very difficult terrain -- Marin our 10 yr old Newf and Matilda our 6 yr old horribly crippled Newf each walk the trail at their own pace. The Wonder Twins, Neptune (almost 7 yr old Newf) and Zoe (almost 8 yr old) run the entire time -- between full out running to trotting, rarely walking. They loop around, dash off down our other trails, race up and down through ravines, hit the pond for a swim, and then run to catch up with us. They probably cover twice as much ground as the other Newfs do, maybe more. We get back to the house and they are still raring to go, usually they have a good game of chase out in the yard, and they goof around and play a lot. If they are really hyper I will take them for a second hike, without the slower dogs, and we will run and do more difficult trails. They also spend a lot of time swimming, and just goofing around on the farm. If I didn't have to go to work, they would happily hike and swim several hours each day. Neptune in particular will retrieve bumpers from the water for hours on end. (Zoe gets too distracted by frogs and fish and prefers to chase them instead.)

When we get fosters they usually walk the trail with the slower dogs for the first few weeks, then as their stamina builds they start to run more with the Wonder Twins. Given opportunity to build their fitness, most young-middle aged dogs without underlying health issues should be able to tolerate a fair amount of exercise.

 

[tux]

tux(golden/newf) and beau(newf) need/want very little to no exersize, there are days where we are dragging them out even for a small walk and then there are days when they are flying out the door. 20 minutes at the dog park and tux is tired out for the rest of the day, he can do a much much longer walk though. beau is only 4.5 months so he doesnt really count right now...

 

[charlieinnj]

We don't walk every single day but when we do, my 4 1/2 yo male can do the 3 mile lap around our neighborhood. And, my 5 month old can do it too without any issue. We definitely don't do it in hot/humid NJ summers though...

 

[Anthony99]

She has no health issues except maybe a small tear (vet said) in her right rear leg. The short walk .5 miles is in the summer when it is hot and humid. The longer walks 1 mile are fall, winter and spring. It could be me not thinking she can't do more than 2 miles. Maybe she can. I will try to work her up to it this fall and winter. Although in PA we are having summer weather again. 75 degrees here today and tomorrow.

Thanks.

 

[Cascadians]

Orka is 11 months old today, growing like a beansprout again. He has very good stamina. He goes to the playground across the street almost every morning and plays with the kids and other dogs for about 1 1/2 hours. Then he comes home and chases the kittens and plays with them most of the day.

If the sun isn't too hot or shining he goes back to the playground a couple more times. In the afternoon I take him by bus to parks and trails and we hike. When Lynn gets home we take him to dog parks and rivers where he plays like a non-stop energizer bunny. Orka LOVES to play!

Yesterday I took him to a big mall, Clackamas Town Center, and we walked through it repeatedly 3x lower level then 3x upper level. It was cold windy rainy outside so I'll be taking him to big malls a lot this winter. He was absolutely perfectly behaved, so proud of him. 1st time we did the upper level, came around a corner and there was a store I didn't know about, portraits, and there was a huge rabbit in the window. All of a sudden there's this enormous rabbit hopping around like mad and Orka just froze and stared, no barking or lunging. Then a couple feet away there was a golden retriever in the doorway going there to be photographed, and Orka didn't even change pace. He is so good when his service harness is on.

The mall is hot so we go outside when the rain lets up and walk out there. Orka likes this variety, and likes to pee on as many bushes as possible outside. Thank goodness he does not mark inside anywhere except Fido's indoor dog park.

When he came home he played with the kittens until 11/p, resumed at 4/a, thundering herd of furries going bonkers all over the house. The kittens are wild scamps and are all over Orka and tease him for the chase -- not that he needs a lot of provoking. Sometimes he does try to rest and if the kittens are pouncing on him and biting him he'll growl for some space. He's very vocal and the Maine Coons are also vocal, chirrrup, amusing symphony of weird noises here.

If Orka were on a big farm with a lake and lots of other dogs and animals I think he'd be active and running and playing all day. Since he doesn't have that ideal situation I try to give him as much exercise as possible. At the dog parks he just goes goes goes, running wrestling twirling totally engaged.

 

[new_2_newf]

We walk about 1.5 KM pretty well every morning except when it is hot...then we only walk far enough for Sulley to poop before I go to work, then come home.

We go to the 'dog park' for about an hour, sometimes two pretty well every night. Sulley can run, swim, play with dogs or sleep...he usually does a little of everything. After that, he is pooped. We do a very quick stroll every night before bed, mostly for the mama but also in case he needs to poop again. We got into the quick night walk when I first got him. It gave me peace of mind to know he'd had the chance to vacate outside before bed time as it took a little while to get him into a routine.

Having said all that, Sulley is only 15 months old, and if he is really dragging a$$, we just turn around and come home. Sometimes I mis-judge the temp and ask too much of him.

I also bring him with me virtually everywhere I can, so he sees a lot of new things and meets new people and dogs. I think that is exhausting for him too, just in a different way. He knows he has to be a very good boy when we are out and about and that is hard work for a puppy.

If your pup is well behaved and not overweight, just roll with it. Sulley and I walk a lot because I am trying to loose weight...he doesn't mind joining me, so I bring him. I like the company when it is dark out.

 

[BLCOLE]

My Vinnie gets a .5 to 1.0 mile walk in the morning, a .5 to 1.0 hour trip to the dog park in the afternoon, and a walk around our condo development at bedtime.

This keeps him very svelte (117 lb at his last vet visit) on 6 CUPS of Nutro Large Breed per day.

 

[Murphy]

Well I should probably not even contribute to this post given Murphy's complex ortho issues.. but will in case there are others who have dogs with limitations.

I worry about Murphy not getting enough exercise. It has been very difficult over the past 2 years( read unbearable) to gauge what is to much and too little for him. He used to run and play a lot more until he tore his first knee at the dog park, but has never ever been a high energy Newf. His bro Ozzy used to run circles around him.

For now he goes out for 2, sometimes 3 walks a day. Not sure of distance but we are gone 15-20 minutes and walk at a fairly slow pace. It seems to be enough for him so I don't mess with whats working. Sometimes he seems to lag and other times he is more keen. I suppose like many, some days are better than others.

As long as he is content and keeping slim then I guess it's what works for him. I am still hopeful we can gradually increase his activity over the winter and maybe do some quiet off leash stuff at Jeff and Sandy's farm.

 

[lilly06]

She has no health issues except maybe a small tear (vet said) in her right rear leg. The short walk .5 miles is in the summer when it is hot and humid. The longer walks 1 mile are fall, winter and spring. It could be me not thinking she can't do more than 2 miles. Maybe she can. I will try to work her up to it this fall and winter. Although in PA we are having summer weather again. 75 degrees here today and tomorrow.

Thanks.

Are you talking about a cruciate tear? If so I would just take it easy as you are. I would not want to injure the leg any further. I probably would not let her run or jump either. The tear can be quite painful for them. Good luck.

 

[NessaM]

The panting could be from discomfort, rather than exhaustion, if she's got an injury. My guys pant heavily when they are in pain. It's the only signal they give me, unfortunately!

 

[Anthony99]

A ligament tear. I don't let her run off leash like a wild Newf in our yard. She does get work up and run like a wild woman in our basement. The dummy loves to chase her tail.

 

[BlackLightning]

We do quite a bit of hiking - we did an 8+km hike a couple weeks back and I thought the dogs would be out cold when we got home. Nope, all they wanted to do was spend the afternoon swimming and playing. They don't get this kind of exercise every day though. Usually 20 minute walk in the morning before work, another one right after work and then their typical 1 hour walk at night when it is cool.

 

[ward_hill]

Roughly two miles per day, usually at a brisk walk for me, a trot for Buckley. Sometimes we walk with a Golden at a more leisurely pace. In summertime, the walks are shorter and slower. He is two years old, 130lbs, roughly thirty inches tall. After a walk, he will pant for a while after getting home, like maybe half an hour. I was alarmed by it at first, but it seems to be normal for him. Mercifully, he hasn't had any health issues thus far and sees the vet routinely, so I'm no longer concerned by what might be called 'excessive' panting. Depends on the dog, I guess.

 

[KatieB]

All three of ours get a 2 to 3 mile walk in the AM. Bella and Mojo (newfs) get a 3 mile run most evenings on these cooler days. Bella can run for what seems like forever and just keep on going...she's the same way with swimming. Can swim for hours on end. Mojo gets a bit lazy towards the end of the runs as he likes to stop and sniff/pee on things but he's gotten better about knowing when to leave it. I'm sure most newfs aren't great runners, but my two are quite active and do great with running with me. Our Berner orthopedically couldn't do it so he just goes for the walks. They go to the park on weekends and run for a few hours chasing squirrels. And they race around the yard chasing eachother and playing multiple times a day. Not sure about everyone else's but I certainly do not have couch potato newfs and I prefer it that way. Bella has lost 5 pounds since we started regular running this fall so she's 26.5 inches or so and 110 pounds. Mojo is 150 pounds and 30 inches tall.

 

[newfy]

Tiki & Mickey will go on 5 mile hikes with me this time of year about 3xs a week, our other walks are usually 2 miles. Merlin has some arthritis going on, 2 miles is his limit a few times a week, or even a mile for him. In the summer we will walk early in the am before the heat or late at nite, Merlin prefers to go late at nite in the summer, he is a chick magnet in a resort town & enjoys the attention!! (must be his rock star hair). We so a 8 mile hike on the beach in the winter months to our other, plan it when it is low tide, only Mickey & Tiki. They need some excercise or they will turn into mush, so get out there & walk them!

 

[CMDRTED]

Like a lot of posters, it also depends on the time of the year.

Cold weather: Not as active. They get about 1-2 Hours of "run like a nut" in the yard, broken up into several activity times a day. They do get "visits" to places in the area where they get romping time, or walkie time. Snow days they get "romp in the snow" time.

Warm Weather (Spring/Summer/Fall)

Ethel - gets 2 Days a week Swimmin time (WD/WRD Training), plus multi-hours of Romp and Run time.
Oreo - gets swimmin time, rompin and runnin time.
Ricky - gets dock divin time, swimmin time, Rompin and Runnin Time.
Luci - (Doesn't care for water, but gets plenty of Rompin and Runnin time.

Now next spring thewy will wake up one day and find a present in the Back Yard. Their new 54" Deep Pool with built in Dog ramps, and Island in the middle so they can rest and bask in the cool water, and swim to their hearts content (supervisred of course). GMa thinkg to pool is for people, but I know you all know who the pool is really for.....

 

[Ren]

Fergus is 4.5 months old now, gets 40 hours of puppy daycare a week over 5 days. I don't walk him during the week after work as he's pretty pooped out from playing with his friends, so we just chill out in the house and wrestle in the living room or he settles down and has a gnaw on a raw bone. For the weekend and my days off, we go on a walk for up to a couple hours a day now, one day on the beach and the other forest trails/lake.