Owning a collie, one should know how much exercise do border collies need and it is important too. Just like humans, our canine companions need exercise, which is essential for overall health and well-being, contributing to physical fitness, emotional balance and mental stimulation.
Regular exercise helps in maintaining weight, strengthening muscles, and keeping the cardiovascular system in good condition. Dogs too become overweight if you have seen one somewhere or someday.
And let me tell you it’s not good at all. Different breeds have different exercise needs and so do border collies. One crucial benefit of exercise is behavioral improvement, and in turn, it improves the dog’s socialization as well.
Let us discuss now how much exercise do border collies need.
Contents
How much exercise do border collies need daily?
Though Border Collies are a highly energetic breed, the need for exercise depends on various factors. For example, if you have a collie pup, then you don’t need to make him do exercise.
Because a collie puppy doesn’t need a tiring exercise, it doesn’t need any exercise at all till it is eight months old. Now listen, please wrap your head around the idea that every border collie is different in its way, though the breed is the same.
Instead of asking How Much Exercise Do Border Collies Need, you should ask how much exercise you want your dog to have.
Yes, the answer depends on you. Just as we told earlier, every collie is different, so do the exercise requirements.
If you give your dog one hour of exercise, then he will need one hour of exercise daily. And if three hours of exercise. Then he will do three hours of exercise. It’s simple as that.
But yes, your collie will need some sort of exercise daily, and it’s not just physical exercise. With exercise, the dog will be needing mental stimulation as well. Remember it’s a Border Collie breed.
Not giving the collie exercise and confining him in the home all day and most of the time may result in destructive behaviour and you may be ruining and degrading his quality of life.
While deciding on the exercise, you can choose to divide the allotted time for exercise between morning and evening, but generally they are more active in the morning session, so more time should be given in morning.
Long Walks
For the start, with long walks. Long walks mean not a simple walk in any park or garden. Walking daily, a couple of miles, and gradually increasing the pace and walk time. Slowly and steadily you will realise your dog’s stamina in increasing too.
We think long walks are the most efficient way for burning up all the pent up energy, and it is full of endurance workout. And from the owner’s perspective, it is healthy for him too.
Remember to take some water along for your collie to drink if he drains himself too much any day.
Swimming
Swimming is the only activity in which a whole body workout is done. And border collies love swimming. Look for a pond or a lake near you. There are swimming pools for dogs as well.
Taking swimming as an exercise for collies is beneficial as it engages their senses and reduces anxiety, helping in mental stimulation. Your dog will burn more calories as well.
There is also no stress on joints and any chance of an injury, unlike on the ground.Swimming also prevents overheating, great if your collie is having some joint issues.
Running
Taking your collie on a run if you are a morning person and love running. Running can be said to be a natural exercise for border collies and they thrive on it. Great for stimulation too.
Starting from 5-10 minutes, one can increase the time of exercise day by day. A garden or dirt road is more preferable, rather than a cement/concrete road. A hard concrete road can cause joint pain.
Running keeps the dog in shape, preventing him from fattening up. Observing new sights and smells will assist in socialization, and tiring a dog means less or no destructive behavior.
Guide
A good guide will tell How Much Exercise Border Collies need. Hiring a guide will help your dog in getting some agility exercises necessary to this breed’s requirement.
Agility exercises are both good for physical as well as mental. It’s a win-win situation. An agility course can include hurdles, shuttle runs, tuck jumps, cone drills, agility ladder, and many more.
Remember to keep this activity joyful and positive, and not compulsive because there is a high chance of any leg injury or joint issues.
Cycling
Imagine you don’t like running, swimming, and walking, but you own a border collie. Walking a dog while riding a bicycle is a wonderful idea.
Make sure you don’t have a tight leash on the collie. Try not to drain out your dog completely because unknowingly person covers more distance. Give a couple of minute of rest at some intervals.
What is the best exercise for a Border Collie?
The best exercise we can suggest for border collies is agility exercises and long walks. These two exercises are a good blend of flexibility and endurance.
Rest is up to you and your dog, what he likes to be done, whether he like swimming, running or agility activities.
How long should a Border Collie be walked?
When we ask How Much Exercise Do Border Collies need, we think walking is the best exercise. Because walking can be done daily, and even an old person can take a dog out on a walk.
Besides the dog, going on the walk is to different areas, the locality or blocks. Walking the daily upto 30 minutes is good if the dog has a habit of walking. If the dog is getting out of puppy phase then start with 10 to 15 minutes of walking daily and gradually increasing the time and distance.
How much rest do Border Collies need?
If you give plenty of exercise to your border collie, then he should at least get 9 to 10 hours of sleep. A typical herding border collie working on farms can sleep more hours to recover its full strenght.
A senior border collie may not need a lot of exercise, but will need a lot of rest and more meals.
How long should a Border Collie be walked?
Minimum two hours is good.
How to tire out a Border Collie?
Challenging him mentally and physically.
Do Border Collies like long walks?
Yes. they love long walks. Good exercise for them, also helps in mental stimulation.
Does a Border Collie need a lot of exercise?
Yes, they are a herding breed. Need lot of exercise.
How long should I walk my Border Collie puppy
Letting the puppy play himself and toys would be good.
Conclusion
There are many exercises and ways to explain How Much Exercise Do Border Collies need. A simple fetch game would be great to and do the job.
If the owner wants to get involved more, then he can go with playing frisbee with the border collie or playing hide and seek. Introducing the dog with trick training and interactive puzzle toys can help with the mental stimulation.
This breed can learn hundreds of commands and signs, so you can teach number of commands everyday. Problem solving activities can help to keep their mind sharps and curious.
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