How far should I walk my dog?
Enter your dog's breed and age, the temperature and your walking pace. You get a daily walking distance in miles or km, the distance and minutes per walk, and a heat check based on a vets' temperature guide.
Tim de JongThe forecast for the time you'll go out
Example: 2.5 mph, a brisk walk. Sniffy walks are slower
Walks a day
How much of the exercise is walking?
The rest can be play, fetch, swimming or training
Walk distance a day
3.8–5.0miles
About 90–120 minutes of walking at 2.5 mph, as 2 walks of 1.9–2.5 miles.
- Per walk
- 1.9–2.5 mi
- Minutes per walk
- 45–60
- Exercise a day
- 90–120 min
- Life stage
- Adult
- Heat band
- 60 to 67°F
- Energy (AKC 1–5)
- 5 · Very high
60 to 67°F
Distance = minutes ÷ 60 × pace. Minutes come from the Labrador Retriever's daily exercise range. Heat guide: Vets Now, banded at 16°C (60°F).
Distances are estimates for healthy dogs. In hot weather, watch your dog rather than the numbers, and ask your vet about exercise if your dog has a health condition.
How far should I walk my dog?
Start from time, not distance. How much exercise a dog needs is usually given in minutes, and the calculator takes that from your dog's breed (or energy level), age and health, using the same data as our dog exercise calculator. Then it turns walking minutes into distance:
Distance = walking minutes ÷ 60 × your pace
Pace is the part only you know. The CDC counts walking at 2.5 mph or faster as brisk, so the calculator uses 2.5 mph as an example. Sniffing, greeting and potty stops slow most dog walks well below that. Time your usual route once and enter your real pace.
| Walking time | 1.5 mph | 2 mph | 2.5 mph | 3 mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 min | 0.5 (0.8) | 0.7 (1.1) | 0.8 (1.3) | 1.0 (1.6) |
| 30 min | 0.8 (1.2) | 1.0 (1.6) | 1.3 (2.0) | 1.5 (2.4) |
| 45 min | 1.1 (1.8) | 1.5 (2.4) | 1.9 (3.0) | 2.3 (3.6) |
| 60 min | 1.5 (2.4) | 2.0 (3.2) | 2.5 (4.0) | 3.0 (4.8) |
| 90 min | 2.3 (3.6) | 3.0 (4.8) | 3.8 (6.0) | 4.5 (7.2) |
| 120 min | 3.0 (4.8) | 4.0 (6.4) | 5.0 (8.0) | 6.0 (9.7) |
How far to walk a dog by breed energy
Breed energy makes the biggest difference. Our breed data gives each breed a daily exercise range based on its AKC energy score (adjusted where the AKC breed page gives specific advice). If all of that exercise were walking, at 2.5 mph, the typical ranges come out as:
| AKC energy | Minutes a day | Miles a day | Km a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 · Low | 30 to 45 | 1.3 to 1.9 | 2.0 to 3.0 |
| 3 · Moderate | 45 to 60 | 1.9 to 2.5 | 3.0 to 4.0 |
| 4 · High | 60 to 90 | 2.5 to 3.8 | 4.0 to 6.0 |
| 5 · Very high | 90 to 120 | 3.8 to 5.0 | 6.0 to 8.0 |
In practice, most dogs get part of their exercise as play, fetch or training, so the calculator lets you say how much of it is walking. Split the total over two or three walks; the PDSA says most dogs need at least one or two a day.
How far should puppies and older dogs walk?
Puppies: the calculator falls back on the popular 5-minutes-per-month-of-age rule, twice a day. The PDSA says there is no scientific evidence behind it and that it doesn't suit most puppies, so treat the distance as a ceiling. Puppy walks are mainly about exploring new sights, sounds and smells. Avoid running and lots of jumping while bones are still growing, and keep your puppy off public ground until vaccinations are done.
Older dogs: the range stays the same, but it is split into more, shorter walks at your dog's pace. If your dog lags behind or lies down, turn for home.
When is it too hot to walk a dog?
Sooner than most people think. In UK vet records of more than 900,000 dogs, exercise was the trigger in 74% of heat-related illness cases, far more than hot weather alone (13%) or hot cars (5%), and most of those cases followed gentle activity such as walking. Flat-faced breeds had higher odds of heatstroke of every kind. The calculator checks your temperature against the walking guide from Vets Now, a UK emergency vet service:
| °C | °F | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 12 to 15°C | 53 to 59°F | No evidence of heatstroke risk. |
| 16 to 19°C | 60 to 67°F | Generally safe at any time of day; keep a close eye on large, obese and flat-faced dogs. |
| 20 to 23°C | 68 to 74°F | Risk of heatstroke if exercised too hard, or with obesity or breathing difficulties. |
| 24 to 27°C | 75 to 81°F | Extreme caution: most dogs, especially large, obese, flat-faced and very young ones, find this very uncomfortable. |
| 28 to 31°C | 82 to 88°F | Dangerous for all dogs; life-threatening for larger breeds, puppies, flat-faced and obese dogs. |
| 32°C and above | 89°F and above | Heatstroke is a major risk regardless of condition, size or breed. |
From the 75 to 81°F band up, the calculator cuts the walk to the low end of the range for the cool of the day, and above that it suggests skipping the walk. Humidity, sun and hot pavement make things worse; the is it too hot to walk my dog? checker looks at those in more detail.
Walking a dog in cold weather
Cold changes the walk less than heat for most healthy dogs, but small, short-coated, very young and old dogs lose heat faster, and the PDSA notes that older dogs cope less well with very low temperatures. Shorter walks, a coat for thin-coated dogs and a towel-dry afterwards help, and grit and de-icers should be wiped off paws. To check a specific temperature and wind chill for your dog, use is it too cold for my dog?
Frequently asked questions
How far can a dog walk in a day?
A fit, high-energy adult dog in our breed data typically needs 90 to 120 minutes of exercise a day. All as walking at 2.5 mph, that is about 3.8 to 5.0 miles. Many dogs can go further once they are built up to it, but heat, age and health matter more than the total.
How far should I walk my puppy?
Think in minutes, not miles. The popular rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month of age, twice a day: 20 minutes per outing at 4 months, which is under a mile even at a brisk pace. The PDSA says that rule has no scientific evidence behind it, so let your puppy sniff, explore and stop when they want to.
Is 80°F too hot to walk a dog?
80°F is about 27°C, which falls in the Vets Now band of 24 to 27°C: "Extreme caution: most dogs, especially large, obese, flat-faced and very young ones, find this very uncomfortable." Walk only in the cool of early morning or late evening, keep it short and slow, and check the pavement with the back of your hand.
How long does it take to walk a mile with a dog?
At 2.5 mph, a mile takes 24 minutes; at 2 mph, 30 minutes; at 3 mph, 20 minutes. Most dog walks are slower than a human walk because of sniffing and potty stops, so time your usual route once to find your real pace.
Should I walk my dog every day?
The PDSA says most dogs need at least one or two walks a day unless their vet advises otherwise. On days that are too hot, too icy or when your dog is unwell, replace the walk with short potty breaks and indoor games or training.
Sources
Related tools
- Puppy sleep scheduleEnter your puppy's age, wake-up time and bedtime to get a daily nap schedule, total sleep and night potty alarm times.
- Puppy potty scheduleEnter your puppy's age, wake-up time, bedtime and meals to get a daily potty timetable, how long they can hold it and night alarm times.
- Crate training scheduleEnter your puppy's age (or choose adult dog) and a start date to get a dated week-by-week crate plan with the longest safe crate time each week.
- Puppy socialization checklistEnter your puppy's birth date to see how long the socialization window stays open, then tick off people, places, sounds and handling as you go.
- How long can a dog be left alone?Enter your dog's age, how used to being alone they are and your hours away to get the longest safe stretch alone and a day plan with visits.
- Daily dog routine builderEnter when you get up, go to bed and leave for work to get a timed daily schedule of walks, meals, potty breaks, training and visits.