How much exercise does an ACD actually need? How do you know if they need more?

[bibleloverbill]

Hey guys. Sorry for all the posts; like I've mentioned, I'm a new owner of a 2-year-old ACD and I'm still learning all the ropes. It was a surprise adoption due to tragic circumstances with her previous family, so we got kind of thrown in the deep end, lol. My girl has been home for a little over two weeks and she seems to be doing okay. We kept it very calm and low key at first to try and make the transition easier.

Currently, she gets 3 walks/day (each 30-90 mins) and some active play time in the backyard. We're trying to do bigger adventures/hikes on the weekend. She has a lot of puzzles and toys. When she's with us in the house, she just wants to cuddle/be velro and she hasn't been to zoom-y, nor has she been destructive.

Is that a good indication that her needs are being met? Is there something else we should watch out for? Her leash manners are NOT good (), so walks can be a little challenging -- is pulling a sign that she needs more running or just a sign that we need to practice our heel?

Thanks for the help! We're novice dog owners who live in an urban area, so we want to make sure that she's getting what she needs.

*ETA:* Thank you for the tips and the reassurance, everyone! I appreciate it SO much.

 

[alexiskbn]

@bibleloverbill It sounds like she’s getting plenty of activity and mental stimulation, great job! Pulling is a sign that she needs to work on leash manners We also add training to our walks to make things a little more engaging (stop, sit, stay, shake, etc.). We always have a treat pouch on walks (could also use a toy if she’s more toy-motivated).

 

[mosthighmercy]

@alexiskbn Agree, sounds like you get some decent amount of exercise/stimulation. Look up leash training from kikopup. still even with that my girl still has a tendency to tug a bit. I finally found that with a head collar like the gentle leader keeps her focused on the walk and not just gogogo. when i go running with her i use a harness and now she knows harness means its running time and head collar means its walky time.

 

[pawel]

@bibleloverbill It sounds like she’s a happy girl. Some times my three will all have a lazy day together and everyone is fine with just like 30minutes to two hours of fun for the whole day. Other days they wanna be going for HOURS at a time. When it’s raining no one wants to go outside. When the weather is really nice and there’s a light breeze, they wanna do anything and everything out there. I try to watch them and gage how they are feeling. Honestly though, when they are done with outside, then will just leave me out there and go wait by the door on their owns. Lol.

I highly recommend a front clip harness for pulling. It’s how all three of mine learned to walk on a leash.

 

[allbutnone]

@pawel I think that's it. They CAN run all day. But I like that mine doesn't NEED to.

My daycamp guy says after he plays hard, mine is the only dog asking to go in for a quick nap, then he's back at it just as hard.

Oh, man, a fall breeze really got him crazy! Prancing around with sticks. I will never look so happy as that.

 

[patric]

@pawel My guy Pete is an all weather dog. It can rain really hard and he doesn't blink an eye. Snow, no problem. The animals have to be fed and he's the boss and besides he loves the "towel job" he gets coming in through the mud room. We are in Western Washington and here we go with gray and rain 'til next June.

 

[pius463]

@bibleloverbill I maybe feel different than some. I don’t think they need any exercise to be calm and happy. Dogs need exercise for physical well-being but the calm comes from being tired and I believe that comes from mental stimulation.

They are smart dogs and lots of things that are athletic require mental stimulation but all things that are mental are not intense exercise.

For instance. Running, physically harder, but a walk where they can sniff everything around them is more stimulating. We walk ours and do obedience training and obstacles on the walk. She has posts and playground equipment she gets on and holds poses, she has gaps she jumps and walls she jumps on. She feels like she went out and did a job for an hour.

We got her a tether ball and she absolutely loves it. She loves the herding ball. Learning new tricks keeps her calm. If she gets squirrelly we give her a job. Than can be standing on cans or a bucket, anything she has to concentrate on.

Sounds like you guys are doing lots of those things, I’m sure she’s a happy pup, maybe this gives you some more ideas!

https://imgur.com/a/j1DgGLL

https://imgur.com/a/uROSk4T

 

[jesusfreak_2008]

@pius463 I agree with this guy I can take my dog on a 6 hr hike, and he will still want to play with his herding ball for hours after. He is still calm on days where he gets no exercise as long as I keep him busy in doors with something.

 

[bibleloverbill]

@pius463 Wait a second... we have a useless pole in the middle of our back yard that might just become a tetherball pole! Genius idea, thank you!

 

[pius463]

@bibleloverbill Mine popped three teatherballs in a row. Got this one for dogs and it’s lasted.

MAWELRATE Durable Tetherball for... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089G53JQJ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[bibleloverbill]

@pius463 You're a superstar, thank you. I have been trying to figure out what to do with this random pole for ages and this seems like a good solution for me and my pup, haha.

 

[grace302015]

@bibleloverbill Just dropping in to send a virtual hug and to say thank you, it seems like you’re taking extremely good care of her and it seems like you’re curious about what she needs which is already so much more than most dogs owners i see here in the caribbean. She’s a lucky girl !

 

[bibleloverbill]

@grace302015 Thanks, that's really kind. I feel sorta overwhelmed, but I'm doing my best!

 

[grace302015]

@bibleloverbill I felt so overwhelmed when we rescued my ACD mix. Some days I thought I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t understand what he wanted. But dogs are just like people, as time goes by, you guys will understand each other more and more.
And as I can tell from my other 13 years old dog, at some point the connection is so strong that only one look is enough to understand what your dog wants and needs.
You guys are going through the first stages of introduction. And you seem to be doing amazing already !

 

[patric]

@bibleloverbill You're doing juuuuuuust fine.

 

[simmsimms]

@bibleloverbill One thing that I see hasn't been brought up is that your dog may start showing new behaviors and boundary testing as she gets more comfortable. Changing families can be a really big change for a dog and they can be a bit stunned to start. Three weeks is usually when they start moving from what I call guest behavior to family behavior. So if you start having some issues then, it's not that you're doing anything wrong, it's just that she's starting to see what stuff that may have been naughty elsewhere is okay with you. I've had it take 3-6 months to start feeling like I had a relationship with a new adult dog. All the training advice should really help build that relationship and bridge any hiccups along the way. Things will also get better for you as you build confidence.

 

[alesli]

@bibleloverbill I agree w/Ulysses sounds like your doing fine in the exercise department. I know if mine isn’t getting enough she’ll come over with this crazy look and I know it frisbee time

 

[nguyenthaonhi]

@bibleloverbill You’re doing great. My girl, ACD/pittie mix, is 10 and still gets about an hour of walkies per day, plus lots of play time with me and her Great Pyrenees brother. She’s a happy healthy girl, as I’m sure your pup is/will be!

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@bibleloverbill Mine needs none

 

[bibleloverbill]

@imagebeastmarkbeast You're living the dream!