My senior Labrador is distracted. Is 10 mins exercise enough?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In your first post you indicated that you and Bruno walked miles, so I think cutting it down just a little bit may help. If you can be more specific about at which point in the walk (which mile or how many minutes) he wants to turn around that would be helpful. I have never heard of short walks or no walks shortening the life span of a dog. Obesity shortens the life span of dogs. Exercise is healthy for the body and mind. If Bruno doesn't want to walk for miles at a time then try a dog park, or playing Frisbee or throwing a ball. If you want to push the walks then take breaks to let him stop and sniff or throw the ball or rough house for 5-10 mins then resume your walk. I hope this helps and I hope you have a great day!

Yes keep up with daily moderate exercise. As Lucy ages the length of the walks and exercise may decrease but should still be done at least twice daily. Many people stop exercising their dogs as they age. This results in muscle loss, and increased joint instability causing pain and arthritis. When you maintain the muscle mass it helps support the joints and keeps the tendons and ligaments strong. Dogs with arthritis actually have less discomfort when they are up and moving. So keep up the regular exercise and listen to Lucy and don’t push her when she’s had enough. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Lucy.

I think thats an appropriate amount of exercise for a 15 week old labradoodle. Giving him a healthy outlet to use up that puppy energy will help keep him out of trouble and will maximize his focus and attention when you are working with him on training. The only other suggestion would be to ensure that you ARE taking some time to train him to walk on a leash. Leash walks will be a valuable skill that will serve both of you well for his entire life. https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/training/leash-training-puppy Thank you for asking PetCoach!

It is recommended that dogs get at least 2 walks a day at 10-15 minutes each time. Of Course some dogs are very high energy and require much more activity. I hope this gives you an idea of how much to start with. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If you feel that Bailey has lost energy and is not as playful as she used to be, I would recommend having her checked out by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. In regards to exercise, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours per day is sufficient for exercise for most dogs. If there are other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, discomfort, inappetance or decreased appetite, etc. then there may be something more serious going on. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

That's a good question. What I find is as long as Bailey wants to go and isn't sore or lame afterwards then let him go. I do recommend limiting jumping and severe rough housing with other dogs as those things are more likely to promote an injury. Keeping senior dogs fit and lean reduces the development and pain of arthritis. When they have strong muscles they support the joints and activity keeps the joints lubricated. Please listen to Bailey and as he ages he will not want to go as long and as far. I still want you to keep him active but don't push him, let him decide on his activity level. Having a day of rest between strenuous days is also helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bailey.

This is a great question! It is normal that your dog will slow down with age, and want to play less. I would recommend following her lead. If she wants to play ball for 5-10 minutes and then stops after that, it's fine. Same for when she is on walks. If you wants to end early, I would stop the walk and bring her back home. It's great that you are getting her as much exercise as you are now, and I'd keep it up as long as she wants it :-)