# Is this sufficient?



## N2Mischief

I would say no.


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## Rhett'smom

No sorry to say but ... Triple that and the dog maybe normal. I had a dog walker come twice a day.. Not to mention all the walking I did.. It is worth it. You may want to think about a treadmill...


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## Eon

Rhett'smom said:


> No sorry to say but ... Triple that and the dog maybe normal. I had a dog walker come twice a day.. Not to mention all the walking I did.. It is worth it. You may want to think about a treadmill...


I'd be too afraid of their little paws being caught up into the end of the treadmill. I caught my toe in it one time, didn't get seriously hurt but scared me pretty good. lol

Is it possible to break the 45-50 min walk into two shorter ones?


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## mom2Zoe

I walk my dog 3x a day about 10 to 15 min each. That seems to be fine for her. I do not know anything about adult dogs, this is my first dog.


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## MollyMuiMa

A 'walk' isn't what will keep behavioral problems at bay at all! A poodle (any dog in fact) needs both mental and physical exercise on a consistent, frequent, basis! I am disabled and use a mobility scooter to get around, but that does stop me from providing my Molly with exercise at all! She gets a 1.5 mile walk/trot daily and also has a longline that is 40ft long attached to my patio (I live in an apt) so she is out & about 3-5 times a day, then there's the mental stimulation that training provides, which can be as simple as hiding treats all over the apt for her to find, to teaching her to jump thru a hoop and to sit on my step stool like a circus dog! Mental stimulation can be just as tiring as physical play! None of these things require a large amount of time, just consistency! A bored, under exercised dog is what gives you behavior problems! 'A tired dog is a happy dog' is the motto!


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## Eon

MollyMuiMa said:


> A 'walk' isn't what will keep behavioral problems at bay at all! A poodle (any dog in fact) needs both mental and physical exercise on a consistent, frequent, basis! I am disabled and use a mobility scooter to get around, but that does stop me from providing my Molly with exercise at all! She gets a 1.5 mile walk/trot daily and also has a longline that is 40ft long attached to my patio (I live in an apt) so she is out & about 3-5 times a day, then there's the mental stimulation that training provides, which can be as simple as hiding treats all over the apt for her to find, to teaching her to jump thru a hoop and to sit on my step stool like a circus dog! Mental stimulation can be just as tiring as physical play! None of these things require a large amount of time, just consistency! A bored, under exercised dog is what gives you behavior problems! 'A tired dog is a happy dog' is the motto!


You leave your poodle tied up outside alone?


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## Eon

*Okay so, another question.*
I feel less inclined to do long walks if I don't feel safe. Kind of hard to feel safe with a mini/toy poodle.

Do standards require even more than the mini/toy in terms of physical exercise, or would it be about the same?


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## MollyMuiMa

HEAVENS NO!!!!! Molly is NEVER out of my eyesight!!!! Me and Molly sit on the patio and while I read or just relax in my lounge chair, she has the freedom to explore our grass that is just off our patio!!! (We can also play ball..........)

As far as a difference in sizes needing more or less exercise............it is much easier to play 'fetch' indoors with a mini or a toy to burn off excess energy!!! With larger dogs brain games indoors, and lots of exercise outdoors!!!!

This is Molly on her longline!!!!


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## Eon

Oh I see! That's a pretty awesome apartment setting you have, then. c:

I live on the first door on the ground floor next to a grassy patch but for anything more than potty we'd need to walk across the parking lot to the big grassy field or just walk up and down the hilly roads.


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## Eon

For Molly's nails, do you paint them with polish or is it those nail caps that you can put on?
They're really cute. C:


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## fjm

I would say that any dog needs a minimum of an hour walking and/or playing in an interesting environment every day - and more would be better! I aim for at least an hour and a half with my two toys. What else do they have to fill their days with interest? A game in the garden is fun, but becomes very familiar. They can't enjoy television, or the internet, or a book; they usually love their meals, and like hanging out with their humans, and enjoy interesting games, but for most non-working dogs getting out and smelling and seeing what is happening is one of the most important and enjoyable parts of the day. It can also be very enjoyable for their human, especially in reasonably good weather!

I would say that if you are not in a position to provide a dog with exercise - either yourself or by employing someone to do it - then you should think very carefully about getting a dog at all, especially a young one. Perhaps an elderly poodle, that just wants a gentle amble before returning home for a snooze might work, but a typical athletic young mini would probably go distracted without sufficient mental stimulation and exercise!


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## lily cd re

Hours of walking with no interest along the way or just sniffing through the neighborhood won't do what you dog needs. Include training on the walks (make it like games) and you will add good mental exercise to the walk time and the combination of both means less time just strolling the neighborhood.


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## Indiana

Yes, standard poodles need even more exercise. But there are alternatives; you can hire a dog walker (or a neighbourhood kid you trust), take the dog to doggie daycare, which REALLY tires them out, arrange play dates with other good natured dogs, go to dog parks, or play fetch in a safe area. Obedience lessons are a great way to tire them out, as well as teach them invaluable habits and they're fun! Also you can look for a dog with a laid back personality, that's probably the most important thing. Some dogs are far more energetic than others.


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## ItzaClip

Eon said:


> Is a 15-20 minute walk per day sufficient to keep behavioral problems from happening in an adult mini/toy poodle?


No. Not in my opinion as a trainer and groomer and one who deals with many dogs. It becomes very obvious who gets enough attention/ mental stimulation.
Now I will say that if it was a very brisk walk/ run and done at least twice daily coupled with mental games/ training done through out day (5 min at time) or in am and pm it's doable.


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## Eon

fjm said:


> I would say that if you are not in a position to provide a dog with exercise - either yourself or by employing someone to do it - then you should think very carefully about getting a dog at all, especially a young one. Perhaps an elderly poodle, that just wants a gentle amble before returning home for a snooze might work, but a typical athletic young mini would probably go distracted without sufficient mental stimulation and exercise!


Yes. I'm talking about an adult poodle.


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## Eon

ItzaClip said:


> No. Not in my opinion as a trainer and groomer and one who deals with many dogs. It becomes very obvious who gets enough attention/ mental stimulation.
> Now I will say that if it was a very brisk walk/ run and done at least twice daily coupled with mental games/ training done through out day (5 min at time) or in am and pm it's doable.



That sounds manageable.
Walking just feels like a waste of time. It'll keep us both healthy I guess but I just feel very meh about walking for anywhere over 30 minutes in one go.


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## fjm

For dogs it is less about the physical walking than reading and answering the peemails and other scents (human equivalent - catching up with the news, emails and forums), meeting and greeting canine and human friends and perhaps having a quick game (meeting friends for coffee or a drink), checking out possible locations for rabbits, squirrels and other interesting stuff (shopping for your favourite things), getting rewarded for polite behaviour around cars, bicycles, etc, etc (salary!), running madly with the wind in your ears, and too many other good things to mention. Which is why a tread mill doesn't really hack it - there is so much more happening on a good dog walk than just putting one foot in front of another. And once you are tuned into your dog, you will enjoy it nearly as much as they do. I think one of the saddest dog sights I know is a human glued to a mobile phone dragging a dog along for a "walk", completely oblivious of what the dog is smelling, and seeing, and hearing.


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## sparkyjoe

I have what I consider a lower energy (small standard/oversized mini) pup who is about 4.5 months old.

He gets about 30-40 minutes of *hard* play outside almost every day, with a combination of chasing after his flirt pole toy or playing fetch. 

We don't have a fenced yard yet, but it's getting installed soon. So I put him in his harness, to protect his throat from pulling, and attach him to either his 25' or 50' long lines, or I put the two together and he has 75' to run while we play. He sets the pace, and we try to avoid the hottest part of the day and/or play in the shade so he stays cooler. He plays and plays until his tongue is rolling and he just flops on the ground.

He already has a variety of balls and fetch items, but this just came in the mail today... Thankfully my husband just smiles and laughs when I tell him I ordered something for the pup.









For the rainy days, and for the coming Winter, we (thankfully!) have a treadmill but, due to his still developing joints, I don't walk him on it for longer than about 10 minutes at a time, and I don't take it very fast.


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## Eon

That's a ccute wayof thinking about doggy walks. C: when you put it in a sense that it's their way of catching up it makes sense.


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## Manxcat

On your introductory post you say you have just applied to foster. Are you going to be fostering dogs from a shelter? Just thinking of behavioural problems you may have to overcome too.


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## Eon

I think it varies between simple surrenders to pulling from kill shelters


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## fjm

You may find Dr Patricia McConnell's little book "Love has no age limit" on fostering and adopting older dogs helpful - some shelter dogs are well socialised, well trained and easy to live with; some need a lot of time and help to come round; some, unfortunately, may be deeply troubled for the rest of their lives... I was talking this morning to a friend who is delighted that her fearful little rescue chihuahua is now toiletting outside more regularly since she has installed a covered area next to the door. Meanwhile, after 18 months of messes, she has thrown away her hall carpet and spread plastic on the floor instead. Dedication indeed!


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## Manxcat

Fostering is a huge commitment that you are going to need lots of time for I guess. Each dog will probably have different needs depending on age and condition, but I'd think they will all need more exercise than you are suggesting.

Pre-dog I'd have agreed with you that walking is a waste of time... It is now my favourite exercise! Getting out and about with the dogs is fun, social, amusing and also a great way to have a guilt-free snoop around anywhere!!


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## Eon

MollyMuiMa said:


> A 'walk' isn't what will keep behavioral problems at bay at all! A poodle (any dog in fact) needs both mental and physical exercise on a consistent, frequent, basis! I am disabled and use a mobility scooter to get around, but that does stop me from providing my Molly with exercise at all! She gets a 1.5 mile walk/trot daily and also has a longline that is 40ft long attached to my patio (I live in an apt) so she is out & about 3-5 times a day, then there's the mental stimulation that training provides, which can be as simple as hiding treats all over the apt for her to find, to teaching her to jump thru a hoop and to sit on my step stool like a circus dog! Mental stimulation can be just as tiring as physical play! None of these things require a large amount of time, just consistency! A bored, under exercised dog is what gives you behavior problems! 'A tired dog is a happy dog' is the motto!


*So I thought of something last night! Because I was wondering how I'm going to be able to provide games of fetch outside like Molly gets because I don't have a patio area to leash it up to. I can literally just walk down to the huge grassy field near the office with a 40ft or longer leash, tie it to my waist and play fetch with it! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It's not a long walk at all and it'll provide exercise, playtime and mental stimulation!  Yaaaaay*


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## Oreo's Mommy

Oreo would rather play fetch inside for his major exercise. It is hot year round where I live and he is black so he gets super hot. We play for a few hours every day broken up into 30-45 minute sessions. I am a stay at home mom so he is my shadow all the time. 

Oreo goes for a short walk in the morning and evening before it gets too hot out. He also goes outside in my fenced in back yard (with supervision still) to potty during the day and sniff around. 

I have a basket on the front of my bicycle that he likes to ride in to explore the neighborhood. I also ride dirt bikes and take Oreo to the track with me. Oreo likes to ride on my quad slowly on the fire roads. I just ordered him his own helmet and Doggles for our adventures. 

Oreo is a spaz...lots of energy and then after our playtime, he naps. 

My previous poodle that I adopted at age 4 never did like to play or go for walks. She loved car rides as long as we didn't stop anywhere and brought her right back home. She didn't like to go outside unless she was going potty. She would feel comfortable riding in the basket on my bike or in her stroller. Basically she loved being a homebody. 

I think each poodle is different and it's best to sort of let them figure out their comfort zones and desire to play or walk or go on adventures or whatever. 

I think it is awesome that you are willing to foster dogs. You are a hero in my book!


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## Eon

Oreo's Mommy said:


> My previous poodle that I adopted at age 4 never did like to play or go for walks. She loved car rides as long as we didn't stop anywhere and brought her right back home. She didn't like to go outside unless she was going potty. She would feel comfortable riding in the basket on my bike or in her stroller. Basically she loved being a homebody.
> 
> I think each poodle is different and it's best to sort of let them figure out their comfort zones and desire to play or walk or go on adventures or whatever.
> 
> I think it is awesome that you are willing to foster dogs. You are a hero in my book!


*Aw, sounds like the perfect poodle to me!  hehe
Hopefully I can meet a poodle like that, but I'd also enjoy some fetch play now that I know a good area for it. 
I'm sure I'll meet plenty of different personalities and I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks for sharing your poodle adventures, they sound awesome. c:*


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## Lou

I choose where I live by the size of the fenced in yard. I've moved a lot... 
So I don't care about "looks" I can fix ugly, the house has to be safe too, but most importantly: the size of the lot/backyard! 

I need my babies to be able to run run run. It brings me incredible joy to watch them run , and my 2 NEED it.... It's like part of their nature, I couldn't make myself just walk slowly around the block with a dog, so I decided on moving. 

They run and we play fetch 2 or 3 times a day and they take a great nap under the ceiling fan afterwards  

Pure joy!  I just LOVE watching them, and it makes them way calmer and well behaved. If it rains, they run around the coffee table chasing each other and play wrestle!

I'd imagine with a mini you can teach them to play fetch in the living room or a hallway. I did that when I lived in an apartment when I first got Lou (but the apartment complex also had a fenced-in dog park)

I believe CARDIO-EXERCISE is extremely important, not just go around the block to potty..

But that's just me. Most people think I overdo it ... "Crazy-dog-lady" And I think they are right. But it's my choice  

(They love playing fetch soooooo much that they pair up against me, and really beg me to play with them! And if I just say the word BALL, they go crazy!) 

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/YDaTC5FfLAE


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