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Want to know how much exercise your golden retriever needs?
This is an incredibly important question because getting your golden retriever enough exercise could be the difference between having a wonderful companion or an unmanageable house-destroyer.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- How much exercise adult golden retrievers need
- How much exercise golden retriever puppies need
- What happens if your golden retriever doesn’t get enough exercise (yikes!)
- And much more
Keep reading to learn how much exercise you should give your golden.
How Much Exercise Does Your Adult Golden Retriever Need?
Since they were bred to hunt in the fields and marshes for hours at a time, golden retrievers are high energy dogs that need about an hour of hard exercise each day.
If they don’t get enough exercise, they may become destructive and hard to manage.
Younger adults might need more than an hour, and older adults might need less than an hour.
Of course, it also depends on the individual dog and the type of exercise.
Some goldens naturally have more energy than others, so they would need more exercise than others.
And an hour of fetch is not equal to an hour of leisurely walking through the neighborhood.
Sample Golden Retriever Exercise Schedule
Our golden retriever, Oliver, is definitely one of those goldens that naturally has a ton of energy.
In fact, as I’m writing this, we just got in from playing fetch in the backyard and after laying down for five minutes, he’s now sitting next to me, looking up at me, hoping to play again.
So how much exericse does Oliver get?
Here’s an example of his day:
6 am: 15 minute walk
11 am: 15 minute walk
11:15 am: 15 minute training/play session
5 pm: 20 minute play session
5:30 pm: 20 minute walk/training session
8 pm: 15 minute walk
8:15 pm: 10-20 minute play session (usually fetch or tug in the house)
At a year and a half old, Oliver is in his “teenage” phase, so he’s got tons of energy.
This averages out to about two hours of physical activity per day, but if he doesn’t get enough, he’s sure to let us know.
Your golden’