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Laurelin

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#1
If you've given your dog enough exercise?

I just did a 2 hour hike off leash with my two. It was a little warm but very humid so felt hot. We stopped at the end of the hike and Mia actually laid down and looked pretty satisfied. I was pretty sure she'd come home and sleep. Nope. Neither of them did. Summer's been hopping up and down off the couch and then chewing on a bully stick. And Mia is being ridiculously hyper like I haven't seen her in a long time. Donuts around the house at full speed and barking at everything...

I really don't see a correlation between exercise amount and how calm or hyper they are. The only time they're really pooped is after a full agility evening where they each get an hour of work and then are out at the field the rest of the evening.
 

Red.Apricot

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#2
Elsie isn't calmer or less active after (moderate) exercise, but when she's getting enough overall, she's less destructive and moody.

I've never tired her out with walking. The only times she's been zonked are after trials or 5+ hours of swimming + small children to wrangle.
 
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#3
I think of it more as taking the edge off so that their natural off switch has a fighting chance.

Other than training things, long swimming fetch, running through water in addition to hiking is the kind of trip/exercise that takes the most out of them. Makes them much more willing to settle.

But they have also learned that if they have gotten out and been run they will be calm in the Houser unless asked otherwise
 

Laurelin

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#4
Mia spends most of a hike going full blast if she's off leash. She likes to smell things and will be so far behind that she sprints half the time to catch up. There's also this pavilion that she loves running up and down the stairs.

After the hike since it was hot out, they were both panting and acting pretty satisfied. Summer seemed really tired. I was sure they were going to sleep some. Lol wrong.
 

~Dixie's_Mom~

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#6
Violet will conk out on the fireplace hearth. Believe it or not, it doesn't take THAT much to tire her out.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#7
There is no such thing as enough for my malinois thb. I mean, it may send them into an annoyingly noisy panting frenzy but lay down, give up, take a rest tired? Naw, it's impossible unless you want a dangerously exhausted or heat stricken dog.

I can normally tire them out mentally though with challenging new trick or polishing manners training.

I do feel like they're not getting enough if they haven't had about 2 hours a day of something. The more the better but that seems to be the minimum for them.

The pit bulls can get by on almost nothing but the more the better, I watch mostly by their body composition and their interaction with one another. The less exercise they have the more snarky they can get with one another.
 

BostonBanker

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#8
Gusto is often more hyped up after a ton of exercise. He doesn't crash for an hour or so after we get home. We spent nearly 2 hours last night hiking off leash/swimming, and when I got home, he ran so fast over the armchair that he couldn't stop and slid right over the coffee table.

For the most part, I know he's had enough exercise when I don't want to throw him out the window :p
 

joce

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#9
I think as long as mine are out doing chores with me and get out for some mental stimulation they are good.

Blitz does kinda loose it if we have a ball throwing session or something and seems even more hyped up afterwards. We will go on a loooong walk were I will think about carrying byron(I think I'd die but its the thought that counts) because he is dragging so bad and I worry about him all the time with his age and hearing about dobes just dropping over dead, and blitz is still running circles around the poor old guy and biting at his paws like come on lets go!

None of mine are horribly obese or neurotic tail biters so I think we are good:p
 

Laurelin

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#10
Well... an hour after posting this they're both asleep. :D

I really think the immediate aftermath just must hype them both up.

I try for two hours a day of something for them too, and at least 1 hour a day being something like off leash walking where they can go explore. The rest might be training or ball playing.

Summer could get by on nothing but I don't think it's fair to her.
 

BostonBanker

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#11
Well... an hour after posting this they're both asleep.

I really think the immediate aftermath just must hype them both up.

I try for two hours a day of something for them too, and at least 1 hour a day being something like off leash walking where they can go explore. The rest might be training or ball playing.

Summer could get by on nothing but I don't think it's fair to her.
Further proof that we own the same dogs.
 
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#12
Ours are always jazzed right after a big outing/event as well.

For the curs, we judge by the number of mistakes we can make. When they're tired, we can make one, maybe two mistakes (not locking up the garbage, leaving a ladder leaned up near the fence) that they won't take advantage of. Otherwise, all bets are off :D
 

JessLough

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#13
At nearly 16, Rosey comes home after 3+ hours of hiking and swimming and runs around or paces XD i agree with Linds, it comes down to taking the edge off
 

Southpaw

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#14
I pretty much just tell her "OK that's enough exercise."

The only thing that really TIRES her out would be a couple hours of swimming or running at the dog park. Which we do like....never....
so basically we go for our walks and then I ignore her and tell her to lay down, which used to be a struggle but now she's adapted.

She gives me no sign during exercise that she's tired. It's usually when she zonks out in the car that I know I met her demands, but she would keep going if I never made her stop.
 

Fran101

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#15
When they are bearable to live with.
Oh and when they don't JUMP to go running/on walks. That's when I know they've had enough lol if they drag their feet to leash up I figure they are done for the day
 

JacksonsMom

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#16
It's hard to say. There's been days where I have done things with Jackson for 3-4 hours straight (dog park, petsmart, walk, etc), come home, and he's all ready to play or do whatever but usually it's only the initial aftermath of it all. Like you said, about an hour afterwards, he passes out for a while.

That's why I hate summer so bad because I'll take him outside, we do a 30 minute walk and he lays down and acts like he's dying (lol)... but then we come home, and he's all hyper and ready to run around because he really didn't get that much exercise. He just hates the heat.

So in the fall/winter, we get to do a lot more in terms of TRULY tiring him out. He can easily go lay down and chill for a while by himself, but it's just a matter of him being bored and nothing else to do.

Ok, actually, the only time I've seen him really really zonked is after a day of swimming or if we are on vacation doing a lot of traveling.
 
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#17
In winter I truly put to test that off switch I rave about them having. I hate cold and kinda go into hibernation in addition to swimming not being an option.

"Go outside, play fetch for five minutes, come inside and if you bounce off the walls I will end you"
 
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#18
I really think the immediate aftermath just must hype them both up.
That absolutely happens to Squash. He will get just absolutely maniacal sometimes after he's had what intellectually I think should be plenty of exercise for him. Nine times out of ten if I put him in his crate with a stuffed Kong when he's like that, two minutes later he's out cold.
 

Taqroy

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#19
"Go outside, play fetch for five minutes, come inside and if you bounce off the walls I will end you"
I'm pretty sure I have said this to my dogs. Last January we had negative temperatures for over a week - it was too cold to be outside for more than a couple minutes. And everyone behaved PERFECTLY while we were stuck in the house. I was amazed. And then it hit the positive side and they all started acting like jerks again. :rofl1:

I can tell when Mu has had enough when she is not trying to bore holes in me from across the room. If she doesn't get enough physical exercise AND mental exercise she will sit around and stare at me. It's very disconcerting. She gets bitchy (er) when she hasn't had enough and when she's had too much.

Tipper gets way super barky when she hasn't had enough exercise. I mean, more barky than usual (hah). She barks if you look at her, she barks when you get up, she barks if you make rude gestures, she barks if you go upstairs....etc.

Murphy is the wonder dog. He exercises himself most of the time and he'd be absolutely fine hibernating for however long I wanted him to. He doesn't fetch, he doesn't play with toys, he's not suitable for the dog park, and he's not reliable off leash, so I'm glad he doesn't need a lot of exercise. I get bored walking around my neighborhood.
 

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