# Is roughly 20ftX30ft of fenced grass sufficient for a standard poodle?



## kaitakynaria (Jul 13, 2020)

My wife and I are considering getting a dog for our children. For various reasons I needn't enumerate here, it seems to us at this initial stage of our research that a standard poodle would best fit our family's needs.

We live on an unfenced suburban lot of roughly half an acre. Fencing the entire backyard would be prohibitively expensive for us, but we could afford to fence a small area that would encompass an area of grass approximately 23ftX32ft (very roughly measured), a concrete patio 17ftX32 ft, and a small garden.

Could a standard poodle get sufficient exercise playing with children in a space of this size and being taken for daily walks in the neighborhood?


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Your plans can certainly work, but success is dependent on commitment to meeting the dog's needs. For me the primary benefit of a fenced yard is that it makes potty training a puppy so much easier. In terms of exercise, having a giant yard is no use if the dog is not engaging with you while in it. A standard poodle could even do alright in an apartment as long as the owner was very serious about daily exercise and mental stimulation. There are plenty of games that can be played in that space, and you can also put a long line on your dog and play safely in the unfenced area. So long as you are able to spend plenty of time with your dog, he/she will adapt to most situations.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

This sounds totally fine to me, assuming your poodle will also have somewhere safe that he or she can regularly run full-speed.

Spoos are incredible athletes, and can cover huge amounts of ground in mere seconds. I think it's important they have the chance to do that. 

Peggy does quite well with just one vigorous run per week, for an hour on fenced acreage with her doggy friends. The rest of the time she's exercised with meandering walks, backyard frolics, one weekly training class, and lots of fetch, frisbee, and short training sessions.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

P.S. Welcome to Poodle Forum! So happy you've found us here and that you're considering such a fantastic breed.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Welcome to PF!

Agree with the others. The size of the yard is almost immaterial because young spoos need so much physical and mental stimulation. And remember that going for an on leash walk really doesn't cut it for exercise - these dogs can easily cover 10 miles in well under an hour, so walking (even running) for 40 minutes at a human's pace can be frustrating for them if they don't have other outlets for their energy. Most owners end up getting into training out of necessity - we can't keep up with them physically, so we tire them out through brain games.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

You will want to be very careful to organize appropriate activities for both the puppy and the children. We have had several recent threads on the general topic of "Help, my hyper wild puppy is treats my children like chew toys." This isn't just a poodle issue: bored dog behavior is certainly an issue explored in the movie "Marley and Me."


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

That can work with the caveats others above mentioned. If you just put the puppy out there with no human play time involved you will have a bored landshark on your hands. Bored dogs are creatively evil thinkers.


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## kaitakynaria (Jul 13, 2020)

Thanks so very much for all the informative responses!


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