is it possible to over walk your dog?

Question

we took our westie on a 3 hour hillwalk today and she loved it. now we are worried that we took her to far and she could damage something as she just has wee legs.

she is fine......we just wondered if it is possible

Answer 1

Nah, not a Westie, maybe a Dachshund.

Answer 2

she is probably fine though may be a bit tired! Westies are Terriers and can take a lot of exercise! There are certain breeds you shouldn't take on very long walks and it's usually the miniature breeds and toys, but there are some large breeds too. It's always best to check with the breeder or expert as to how much exercise each breed needs! Try searching for a Westie web-site group!

Answer 3

Depends on her age and if there are any leg or knee problems already. As long as she didn't overtire I think its probably ok. Thirty minutes to an hour seems plenty for a dog (especially that size.) I actually owned a Westie once upon a time and still own short legged doggies.
Take water along with you so that she can get a drink whenever she wants. I'd bring a backpack designed for dogs just in case she gets tired or her feet get sore. Have fun!

Answer 4

The answer is yes. It depends on the age of your dog, the weather (heat), the terrain (hilly or hot asphalt), and the shape your dog is in.

If your dog is in good shape, he or she can do this type of exercise with you often. It's just like with people, you can't go out and do that if your aren't in good shape! You also would have a more difficult time if it was really hot.

Make sure you take lots of water with you, rest your dog, and gradually work up to those long walks. She's probably fine. But I wouldn't do this every day with her. If you walk her often, or if you run with her, she's going to be fine.

Just make sure you pay attention to how she looks while you are on these types of walks. If she's tired, you'll need to stop and rest. Also, don't get too far away that she can't get back.

It's just common sense. There's no reason a young healthy dog can't go just about anywhere with you... just make sure you work up to it! And talk to your vet just to make sure!

I bet she sleeps like a rock tonight.

Answer 5

You would definately notice on the walk if you were driving your dog to the point of exhuastion, it would be obviously distressed and would become reluctant to walk on. As long as he/she is keeping up and looking happy don't worry about it. I have had my jack russel up a 7 in the morning, spent four hours running around with her like a nutter over Exmoor and then she ran around like a nutter for the whole afternoon on the beach too, I cover about 12 miles the dog running in circles and all over the place must have done something like 200 miles over the course of the day but she did it all again the next day tail wagging non stop.

Answer 6

Not with a healthy dog no but a very young dog or an elderly animal can be walked too far.Obviously so can an ill dog.

The exceptions are the toy breeds as they usually can be walked too much.Terriers are not toys though and have a lot of energy.

Remember a dog is a tame wolf and wolves hunt by running deer till the deer are too tired to run further so they have serious stamina provided you don't make them run too fast for far and you don't walk when it's really hot.

Answer 7

How long were your dogs legs before the 3-hour hill walk?

The answer to your question is "yes". You can exercise your dog too much and end up with a funny looking dog with worn-down wee legs. :)

Try hanging her upside down from the clothes line overnight. But make sure her coat is drip-dry otherwise you'll just be creating another problem that I'll have to get involved in!

Answer 8

It's always best to read up on the breed of your dog before taking her on such a long walk for the first time. Yes she probably loved the exercise, but might be stiff the next day. I have an English Bulldog and their breed can not walk for more than 1km per trip - it is bad for their hearts and they get asthma.

Answer 9

I don't think it was to far or too long. Our dog whos a cross breed and stands about 2 foot high, gets the following walking regime;

Every week day: 1.5 hour wlak in the morning. 45 minute walk late afternoon. 45 minute walk at night.

Weekends: 3-4.5 hour walk late morning. 45 minute walk at night.

We came to the conclusion that if she found it too tiring, she would stop or would whine. If she hurt herself, she would come to us and let us know. (We once had a small incident with a piece of double sided sticky tape she stood on. She was walking all wrong and came over to us for us to remove it. lol) She eats well, sleeps, plays well and is verry obiediant. We thin these long walks help her. Think of them as children really, they just gotta get used to it.

Answer 10

she will soon let you know if she is too tired to keep on going. luckily, she is a small dog, so if that is the case, you can just pick her up and carry her home. might be a bit more difficult if you have a rottie!

i doubt it would hurt her. it may be that she may have a few aches and pains the next day - but so do we if we work out a bit harder than usual!

it is actually a good thing for dogs to walk for hours per day. it is a natural thing for them, as their ancestors did that to search for food and shelter. i have recently finished reading cesar millan's book cesars way, and he advocates taking dogs on long walks every day (he reckons that the ideal is at LEAST 1 1/2 hours, twice a day). i highly recommend reading his book. he believes that a dog is much happier if they are getting long walks.

Answer 11

It depends on the age of the dog. & the type of walk.
If a dog is under 1 years of age free running in a field or beach is good, but hard road work can do damage.
The dog is a terrier, terriers are tough little dogs & will go on forever.