Evening all, I've got a 6-month-old Staffie and I wanted to know how long on average I should be walking him for? I work from 8am until 5pm, and at the moment my mum pops in during the early afternoon to take him out for 30 minutes to an hour. In the morning before I head off to work, I take him out for 5-10 minutes to do his business as I live in a flat. And once a week (Monday to Friday), he goes to either the woods or the beach for an hour to let off some steam. Do you reckon that’s enough? If you have any advice, I’d love to hear it. Thanks!
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
It’s not a matter of breed; a dog needs to be walked every day, and being left alone for 8 hours straight daily is just too long. Your mum is very kind, and it’s brilliant that she’s able to pop in to take the dog out.
As for saying a dog needs at least 2 and a half hours of walking a day—well, LOL! I hope you don’t have a job and that you don't get winter where you are!!! An hour a day is the minimum, but it’s also plenty. If you do 2 hours, the dog will soon want 2 hours 10, then 20, then 30, and on the odd day you can't manage a "long walk"—because these things happen—they'll go stir-crazy and start destroying everything. But then, if you get your dog used to 3 hours a day, it’s hardly surprising!!!
In my opinion, if you live in a flat, you just need short toilet breaks throughout the day plus an hour-long walk with some time off the lead, a change of scenery, etc. Plus, add some brain games, because life isn't just about physical exercise; mental stimulation is so good for them!!!!
When you're counting "time out," do you only include actual walks or do you count the total time spent outdoors?
Today, we went out at 2pm and didn't get back until 5pm. Within those 3 hours, there was 1 hour 15 mins of walking (including 45 minutes off-lead), 50 minutes in the car (split into 4 short trips), and the rest was time spent running free in the garden.
On top of that, there's 15 minutes in the morning and another 30 minutes in the evening. Plus another 3 or 4 times for about 5 to 10 minutes whenever he asks to go out and potters about in the garden.
Hi there,
It depends, some are more skittish than others... be careful though, as it’ll be dark soon, and there’s often nasty stuff lying around on the beach that you need to make sure he doesn't scavenge (a dog around here swallowed a fishhook last week and she died), so you still need to keep a close eye on him.
For night-time walks I’ve bought an LED collar... it looks a bit ridiculous but at least I know where he is...
(And yes, your walking routine does seem far too light to me.)
But leaving him alone for 8 hours straight will make him miserable; you’ll need to find someone if your mum isn't available.
As for the beach, don't stress too much about it ^^ sand usually makes dogs go a bit bonkers, so if you've got a ball that's great, but it's not essential ^^
Right, so he doesn't destroy anything at all and he isn't crated. I'm going to take him for longer walks in the morning, and since my mum won't be able to come over every day anyway, he also needs to learn how to be on his own while we’re at work. Since there aren't many woods near my place, I usually take him to a football pitch. Also, dogs are only allowed back on the beach from the 30th of September. Will my dog still have as much fun on the sand even if it's dark? And should I be throwing balls or toys for him, or just let him have a good run around and let off steam on his own on the sand?
Evening, I think that’s too little (Staffy or not) even if he’s still young; an hour and a half a day, and eventually two hours, would be ideal. Trips to the beach and the woods are great. Are you asking because he’s destroying things when he’s left alone? Or is he in a crate? It just seems surprising to me given how much energy puppies have at that age. ++
"5-10 minutes for a toilet break because I live in a flat" – no, that’s nowhere near enough, and living in a flat is no excuse. I’ve always lived in flats myself; you need to get up much earlier and take the dog out for at least 30 minutes every single morning, regardless of whether it’s raining, pitch black, or whatever. Just think about the fact that he’ll be stuck inside for 5 or 6 hours afterwards with nothing to do… It’s great that your mum can pop in for 30 minutes to an hour; that definitely needs to carry on. And as soon as you finish work, you head straight home to get the dog out first for another walk of at least 30 minutes (the shopping, seeing friends, going out, etc., can all wait until after) and then one last quick walk before bed.
If you live near the woods or the beach, it would be brilliant if he could go there more often for a run, but otherwise once a week isn't too bad. Then, definitely big walks every weekend where he can really run around, burn off some energy, and socialise with other dogs. There’s loads you can do with your dog – cycling, hiking, games, training, and so on.
No, a 5-10 minute walk in the morning isn't enough if he then has to wait all morning until the early afternoon for your mum to arrive. It's great that she takes him out for 30 minutes to an hour. But how long do you take him out for when you get back?
Letting him blow off some steam only once a week is far too little, as I assume he’s on the lead the rest of the time?
Advice: aim for at least 40 minutes in the morning; your mum has the afternoon covered, and then when you get home or shortly after, a 45-minute to 1-hour gentle stroll (a quiet walk is best in the evening).
Try to have him off-lead for every walk, or as much as possible. A dog only really gets a proper run when he’s off-lead; in other words, he can only truly burn off energy when he’s free. Find a spot where this is possible, and then for the slower walks or just sniffing around, you could use a long lead.
Varying your walking spots will help him adapt better to changes, discover new scents and other dogs, and stop him from getting bored...
