Ask ten owners how much exercise a dog needs and you’ll get ten answers. The honest one: it depends. A border collie and a bulldog live in very different bodies, and age matters as much as breed.

A rough starting point

Most adult dogs do well with 30 minutes to two hours of activity a day, split into at least two outings. Working and sporting breeds sit at the top of that range; short-nosed and giant breeds at the bottom. Puppies need frequent short sessions, not marathons — five minutes per month of age, twice a day, is a common rule.

Watch the dog, not the clock

A well-exercised dog settles calmly at home. If yours paces, barks or chews all evening, add more sniffing time — a slow ‘sniffari’ walk tires the brain faster than a jog.

And on brutal-weather days, puzzle feeders and hide-and-seek indoors count too. Movement is the goal, not mileage.