How much exercise for a middle-aged dog?

[Laura Corin]

Blondie is my first dog - she's an eight year old small labradoodle (about cocker spaniel sized).  We have had her since she was two.  Labradoodles seem to live to about twelve.

 

I normally walk her briskly for between two and four miles a day (four miles an hour).  Today, we walked at a more moderate pace (maybe three miles an hour) for around seven and a half miles.  She trots beside me or just behind me the whole time.  When I let her off the lead she might go ahead a bit to sniff but she doesn't run around nearly as much as she used to.  If she stays behind to sniff, she will run to catch up, but then will stop running and trot beside me again.

 

So long as she is keeping up without a problem, is this amount of exercise okay?  She doesn't seem stiff in the mornings.  She sleeps a lot, but she always did.  The vet didn't mention any issues when Blondie had her check up in December - she is prone to fits, but exercise doesn't seem to affect those; she has a very minor heart murmur, but the vet is not worried about it.  What should I be watching out for so that I don't overtax her?

 

Thanks

 

Laura

 

ETA: I know it's the rule that all pet questions have to come with a cute picture, so here she is a few years ago.

[hornblower]

this sounds excellent to me! I know dogs still running agility as seniors so really, unless there are signs such as lameness or stiffness, I would not worry at all.

And especially so since it's an ongoing, regular thing. Where people get into trouble is weekend warrioring with their dogs: all week nothing & just short pee breaks, & then suddenly a 4+h hike on the weekend & a manic hour of run/play in a dogpark ---> too much stress on the body.

I'd keep what you are doing up & if you're ever worried, I'd slow down & let the dog set the pace but maintain the duration of the walks.

With my very very old guy, I literally just stop during walks & outings & let him decide when it's time to go again. But he still walks about an hour a day total, just at his own pace, so we don't get very far.  

last thing would be to always warm your dog up - so if you think she might want to run a bit or chase a squirrel & the crows a bit, make sure she's had a bit of a walk first. It's the cold starts that pull muscles & cause strains, just like in us. ...  They also benefit from some massage. There are videos online & if you do it, you get a sense for your dog's body & will also notice if there are changes in stiffness or knots etc.

 

[Splash]

My mother in laws 13 year old lab still insists on her 2-3 mile walk daily or is very upset and will bark at her until she goes. So I'd say you're doing fine.

[Rachel]

I think you are fine. If you do start noticing stiffness in her legs, check her pads on the longer walks. Our 15 year old dog won't complain about long walks, but when he gets tired he drags his feet. This has resulted him him making his pads bleed. I felt terrible for not realizing it at the time.

 

In the past year he's gone from happy to hike 4 miles to getting tired going around the block.