The honest answer: most adult dogs need 1–2 hours of exercise a day, with a healthy chunk of it being off-lead, sniffing, and using their brain, not just walking on a lead at human pace. But that varies wildly by breed, age, and individual dog, and the "amount of walking" question hides the more important one: what kind of exercise.
This is one of the most-Googled dog questions, and most of the answers online are nonsense, either generic ("exercise your dog daily!") or oddly precise in a way that ignores the dog in front of you. Here's the practical version.
The puppy rule (and why it's mostly correct)
The classic guideline: 5 minutes of formal walking per month of age, twice a day, until the puppy is fully grown.
So:
- 3 months old → 15 minutes twice a day
- 6 months old → 30 minutes twice a day
- 9 months old → 45 minutes twice a day
This rule exists because puppy growth plates haven't closed, and excessive lead-walking on hard surfaces can cause joint problems later. It's been challenged by some recent research, but as a default, it's sensible, particularly for large and giant breeds, where joint development matters most.
It's also worth saying: this is formal walking. It doesn't include free play, sniffing in the garden, or pottering around the house. Puppies should be allowed to play and rest at their own pace.
Adult dogs by breed group
Once a dog is fully grown (usually 12–18 months for most breeds, longer for giants), exercise needs settle into rough patterns. Below are working averages, your individual dog might need more or less.
Toy and small breeds, 30–60 minutes a day
Examples: Pug, Cavalier King Charles, Yorkshire Terrier, Shih Tzu, Maltese, Pomeranian, Chihuahua
Small breeds don't need long marches. A couple of 20-minute walks plus play at home is usually plenty. Watch for breathing in flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds, Pugs, French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs especially, and don't push them in heat.
Medium pet breeds, 60–90 minutes a day
Examples: Cocker Spaniel (Show type), Cockapoo, Beagle, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Whippet, Border Terrier, Westie
This is your average UK pet dog. An hour of varied exercise, walk, off-lead, sniff, some play, is the sweet spot for most. Beagles and Spaniels need more mental engagement than the average dog.
Working and gun-dog breeds, 90 minutes to 2+ hours
Examples: Border Collie, Springer Spaniel (Working), Working Cocker, Labrador, Golden Retriever, Vizsla, Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla, German Shorthaired Pointer, Belgian Malinois
These are dogs bred to work all day. They need significant off-lead time, varied terrain, and most importantly brain work, scent games, training, problem-solving. A 2-hour lead walk doesn't cut it for a Working Cocker. They need to work.
If you have one of these breeds and they're "naughty" at home, the answer is almost always more mental exercise, not more miles.
Sighthounds, counterintuitive
Examples: Greyhound, Whippet, Saluki, Lurcher, Whippet/Greyhound crosses
Sighthounds famously sleep 18 hours a day. Most are happy with 45–60 minutes of actual walking, but they desperately need a chance to gallop, a few seconds of all-out sprinting matters more to them than a long walk. This is exactly why secure fields are so popular with sighthound owners.
Guarding and giant breeds, 60–90 minutes, varied
Examples: German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Doberman, Great Dane, Newfoundland, St Bernard, Bernese Mountain Dog
Big dogs don't necessarily need the most exercise, Great Danes and Newfoundlands are couch dogs. But they do need controlled, low-impact movement. Avoid lots of jumping or running on hard surfaces. Mental exercise matters a lot.
Northern and primitive breeds, high needs, often misjudged
Examples: Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Akita, Shiba Inu, Samoyed
Huskies and Malamutes are bred to run for miles. Most pet households underestimate them by half. 2+ hours daily, ideally with some real cardio. Recall is famously poor, fields and harnesses help.
Terriers, short bursts, high energy
Examples: Jack Russell, Border Terrier, Patterdale, Lakeland, Bedlington
Terriers don't need as long as people think but they need intensity, chasing, digging, problem-solving. 60–75 minutes plus lots of brain games at home. Recall is often poor; long-lines or fenced spaces help.
The thing nobody tells you: mental exercise matters more than miles
This is the most important paragraph in this article.
A dog who's done a 5-mile walk on a lead but had no opportunity to use their nose, problem-solve, or make decisions is often more hyper at home than a dog who's done 30 minutes of free sniffing in a quiet field.
Why? Because lead-walking at human pace is mentally boring for dogs. Their brains are barely engaged. Sniffing, on the other hand, lights up the canine brain like nothing else, it's been compared to humans reading the news, scrolling social media, and chatting to friends, all at once.
Mental exercise looks like:
- Free sniffing — letting your dog choose where to go and what to investigate
- Scent games — hiding treats, snuffle mats, find-it
- Training sessions — even 5 minutes counts
- Puzzle feeders — slow feeders, Kongs, treat-dispensing toys
- New environments — a different walk route once a week is mental enrichment
- Decisions — letting the dog choose left or right at a junction sometimes
Half an hour of mental exercise can tire a dog out as much as 90 minutes of walking. Working breeds in particular need both, but every dog benefits.
Senior dogs
Once a dog is roughly 8–10 years old (later for small breeds, earlier for giants), things shift. Senior dogs:
- Still want to go out, and need to, for joint mobility and cognitive health
- Often prefer 3–4 short walks over one long one
- Lose the ability to thermoregulate as well, be careful in heat
- Benefit hugely from sniffing, which is low-impact and brain-engaging
- Should be assessed by a vet if their exercise tolerance changes suddenly
Don't write off a senior dog. A 12-year-old Lab still needs proper walks, just shorter, slower, and more frequent.
Signs you're getting it wrong
Some honest indicators:
Your dog is over-exercised:
- They're stiff or sore the next day
- They're crashing for hours after a walk
- They're getting injured (soft tissue, paws)
- They're becoming reactive or jumpy on walks (over-arousal)
Your dog is under-exercised:
- They're chewing the house, digging, or destroying things
- They can't settle in the evenings
- They're putting on weight despite normal feeding
- They're hyper-fixated on you / barking at every noise
The aim is a dog who comes home, has water, and is relaxed, not knackered, not still buzzing.
Heat and cold
UK weather adds nuance:
- Above 20°C — most dogs are uncomfortable. Walk early/late.
- Above 24°C — short walks only, lots of water, no running. Brachycephalic breeds shouldn't be walked at all in hot conditions.
- Below 5°C — most dogs are fine. Small dogs and shorthaired breeds may want a coat.
- Below freezing with rock salt — wash paws after walks. Salt is irritant and toxic if licked.
FAQs
Is one walk a day enough? For most adult dogs, two walks (morning and evening) is better than one long one, but a single solid walk is fine if that's what fits your day, as long as you also do free time and play at home.
Can I exercise my puppy in the garden? Yes, and you should. Garden play is great for socialisation and movement. The "5 minutes per month" rule is for formal walks, not free play.
My dog seems to want endless exercise. Should I keep going? Probably not. Some dogs (Collies, Spaniels) will run themselves into the ground if you let them. They're often the dogs who need less physical and more mental exercise.
Do indoor dogs need walks? Yes. Indoor exercise is fine for short-term medical reasons but doesn't replace the mental and sensory input of being outdoors.
How long should an off-lead session be? 20–40 minutes of off-lead time is plenty for most dogs. Longer if it's mostly sniffing.
Is treadmill walking OK for dogs? For some dogs, in some circumstances (injury rehab, weather), yes, but it doesn't replace real walks. The brain isn't engaged.