How long should I walk my dog?

Longer than a lap of the block, for many dogs. Published breed guidance runs from up to 30 minutes a day to more than 2 hours, while the typical dog gets about 23 minutes. Here is how to turn a daily total into walks you will actually do.

Sources read 18 September 2026 and listed at the bottom.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. These figures describe breeds, not your dog. Ask your vet what is right for your dog, especially for puppies, seniors, flat-faced breeds and dogs with health conditions.

Start with a daily total, not a single walk

The Royal Kennel Club labels every breed with a daily exercise band: up to 30 minutes, up to 1 hour, between 1 and 2 hours, or more than 2 hours. Of its 227 breeds, 85 sit in the top band and 122 in "up to 1 hour". PDSA's breed pages give similar figures. Our dog exercise guide lays the bands out by size and breed type and has a calculator for a single daily number.

For comparison, a review of 29 studies put the median among owners who walk their dog at 160 minutes a week, which is about 23 minutes a day (Christian et al., 2013).

Split it into walks that fit your day

PDSA's overview says most dogs need at least one or two walks a day. A 60-minute guideline does not have to be one 60-minute walk: 25 minutes before work and 35 in the evening gets there. The Kennel Club's figures count play as exercise too, so a game of fetch is not cheating.

This is how Good Walk counts it. The ring around your dog's photo fills with every walk you log that day, however many there are, and any walk at all keeps the streak alive. Days when the full target is reached are counted separately.

Puppies

PDSA's advice for puppies is to keep sessions short. You will often see a rule of five minutes of walking per month of age. The Kennel Club's walking tips call it a good rule of thumb; PDSA points out there is no scientific evidence behind it. Treat it as a rough starting point and ask your vet. Good Walk's puppy guideline is 0.6 of the adult figure, which is our own judgment, not a published ratio.

Older dogs

PDSA suggests shorter, flatter routes for senior dogs, and the RSPCA says older dogs may need shorter walks, little and often. Several short walks can add up to the same daily total. Good Walk's senior guideline is 0.7 of the adult figure, again our own judgment, and you can set any target you like.

Flat-faced breeds

The Kennel Club puts the Pug, French Bulldog, Bulldog and Boston Terrier in "up to 1 hour" and the Pekingese in "up to 30 minutes". Good Walk stays on the cautious side of that band: 25 minutes for a small adult, 35 for a medium one. Your vet is the right person to ask about your dog.

Find out how long your walks really are

Rather than guess, time a normal week. Use any stopwatch, or start the Good Walk timer when the lead goes on: it keeps counting if the app is closed and measures distance from your phone's step sensor, with no GPS and no map. After a week you will know your dog's real number and how far it is from the guideline. Close the gap a few minutes at a time.

Good Walk does this for you

A daily target for your dog, one reminder at the time you choose, a walk timer, and a streak with your dog's face on it. If you would rather use paper, see how to keep a dog walking log.

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Sources