How Many Times a Day Should I Walk My Dog?

Living with a dog means taking them out for walks. Even if you have land or a yard where they can get outdoor contact, walks are still essential for their physical and psychological wellbeing.

But taking your dog for a walk is an activity that can raise plenty of questions, especially about how many times a day or how long each outing should be. Below we explain the general recommendation.

Recommended number of daily walks

Generally speaking, we can say that most dogs need to go for a walk about 2-3 times a day. Mainly because they can't and shouldn't go too many hours without relieving themselves. Some calm dogs will be happy with one walk in the morning and one at night. Dogs living on a property with land won't need to go out as often either.

They can exercise, relieve themselves, and even burn off energy playing if there's more than one dog in the household. But many more dogs will need a walk in the morning, midday, and evening, not just to urinate or defecate, but for their own enjoyment. On the other hand, puppies will need to go out more often, since they can't hold it for many hours.

The same goes for older dogs or those with a condition that makes them urinate more frequently. In short, the ideal number of daily walks depends on each individual dog. It's also worth adjusting them to the weather, avoiding the hottest and coldest hours of the day.

How long should walks last?

Again, as a general rule, it's common to do a couple of shorter walks of around 10-20 minutes, and one longer walk of roughly an hour. This longer walk is usually the evening one, and often coincides with meeting other dogs to play with, although that will also depend on each owner's work schedule.

Of course, it's essential to pay attention to each dog's individual needs. A senior dog with mobility issues will only need to go out to relieve themselves and not much more. We're not doing them any favors by keeping them out on the street for a full hour.

On the other hand, if our dog is high-energy, walks will need to be longer and must include playtime and running, or, for example, a route through natural areas. That's the only way to tire them out and help them stay calm indoors.

The importance of walking your dog

For a dog, going for a walk isn't just about stretching their legs. Outdoors, dogs get the chance to pick up on the scent trails of other dogs and animals, which gives them important information about their surroundings.

It's also a source of stimulation. The dog gets to be exposed to other dogs, people, vehicles, noises, smells, and so on. Getting them used to all these situations helps them stay calm in different environments.

For example, a dog that never leaves their property is very likely to get extremely stressed the day we have to take them out to the vet. Their reaction would be very different if we'd gotten them used to it from a young age.

Walking is good exercise

Going for a walk is a physical activity in which, besides walking, the dog can run, play, or jump, alone or with company. Both exercise and stimulation are key factors for their mental and physical balance. That's why, even if your companion has a garden or a large plot of land, going out for walks is essential.

The home and its own characteristics will determine the frequency and length of these walks. In short, if you can't commit to walking your dog every day for their whole life, don't adopt.

Tips for walking a puppy

Before taking a puppy out for a walk, they need to have had all the vaccines from their primary vaccination schedule. These are the vaccines considered essential, given in several doses. This basic vaccination schedule usually wraps up around 16 weeks. Taking a puppy out too early can expose them to infections.

Diseases as serious as parvovirus are spread through direct contact with infected dogs or their secretions. But it's also worth keeping in mind that between 3 and 12 weeks, puppies go through a stage where they need socialization.

Socializing means exposing them to as many different stimuli as possible so they accept them and they don't cause problems in adulthood. For example, a dog who's never heard a siren is likely to get scared if their first encounter with one happens once they're already an adult.

Walking your puppy

To balance socialization with safety, you can carry your puppy in your arms on walks or take them to visit dogs you know are properly vaccinated and therefore pose no risk. Puppies need to go outside more often than an adult dog, because physiologically they're not yet mature enough to hold it in.

The ideal approach is to take them out for a few minutes when they wake up or right after they eat. That way they'll gradually learn to relieve themselves only outdoors. So, puppies need lots of short walks throughout the day. As they grow, depending on their traits, these walks will get longer and less frequent.

Considerations for senior dogs

There's no fixed age at which a dog is declared a senior, since it depends both on their own traits and their living conditions. So the recommendation is to keep up their usual walking routine until the dog themselves tells us otherwise.

For example, we might notice they're struggling to walk or having accidents at home. In these cases, we'll shorten the length of walks or go out more often, respectively. Remember that any of these signs should be checked by a vet.

We shouldn't write them off as just part of aging and let them slide, since they may correspond to conditions that, even if they can't be cured, can be treated so the dog can enjoy a good quality of life for as long as possible.