How Much Exercise Does A Husky Need? Read This First!
Siberian huskies are highly energetic dogs. The breed was initially being used for physical work in the past. They are capable of living in extreme temperatures and work for long hours. Such a high laboring dog would need much physical exercise when raised in a household.
The stamina of huskies is higher than normal dogs. Their excess energy needs to be dealt with carefully.
There are many reasons and methods on why and how huskies should be taken out for exercise. You can make use of the breed’s natural energy to give them the physical labor they need. Taking a husky out daily for exercise will be an excellent way to burn the excess power they possess.
Huskies, on average, need about two hours of exercise. You can achieve this time by taking your dog along with you for exercising. When it comes to exercising huskies, there is more than one option.
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Most Common Exercises You Can Do With A Husky
Huskies, in general, need both mental and physical exercise. None of the two can be omitted. Mental activities are as important as physical exercises. Both of them have a lot of options for you to choose from at your convenience and your pet’s preference.
Physical exercises
Sticking to the same exercise schedule can be boring for both your dog and you, but variety shouldn’t be your only focus. Exercise must also be energy-draining and refreshing for your dog. After following a particular exercise routine, you will eventually get to know how much exercise does a Husky needs.
Below listed are some verified exercises you can follow. You need not stick to the same order or only the mentioned. A mix and match are also possible if your dog is ready.
- Hiking
- Swimming and
- Running
Hiking
Huskies are descendants of modern-day wolves, says BBC. Even though they are not directly related to wolves, the characteristics still remain in their genes. Wolves are most probably used to living in dens by the mountains.
So being their descendants, huskies also love to explore nature. Taking your dog on a hike is not only draining their physical but also stimulating their mind.
Taking your dog for a walk in the same neighborhood might not be a great adventure for them. They will come across the same people and the same smell every day. Taking them to a different place in nature will expose them to different types of animals and smells.
This will also provide a chance for them to run around and drain out their energy. After some weeks of the same exercise, you can take your dog on a refreshment trip.
Swimming
Swimming is an excellent option for Husky. Swimming burns more than the desired calories and also excites your dog. Like most dogs, huskies are not well versed in swimming.
Their breed is meant for physical work, but swimming can burn the same amount of calories along with a lot of fun.
Huskies are meant to live in extreme temperatures. Even if you take your dog swimming during winter, you do not have to bother about the cold. During summers, the body temperature of breeds like husky increase like anything.
You can take them for swimming lessons regularly to calm down the heat.
Running
Running is the most common exercise that most dog owners follow, but you cannot always start running right away.
While running from a very young age, huskies might need a lot of break in the middle. The younger pup usually does not know how to express when they want to stop. So they will run with you till you stop.
Starting off with short breaks and 5 to 10-minute walks is advisable. After your dog gets used to the routine, they themselves will be excited about running.
Mental Exercises
Huskies are intelligent dogs. To keep them mentally active, you must continuously engage them with mental stimulation activities. If huskies remain idle and do not engage in any mental stimulation activities, then the idleness’s reaction might come out as bad behavior.
This lousy behavior also includes excessive barking and being hyperactive.
Puzzle Games: There are many puzzle games designed, especially for dogs, to keep their minds fresh and active. Apart from toys, dogs also have puzzle games that encourage them to use their intelligence.
Teaching: However puzzle game part not the only option to make your dog’s mind work. Teach pup something new and make you learn it. Teaching in a new command and repeatedly making him do it will give a mental excitement.
Exploring: As Mentioned above, taking your dog to explore more new places will introduce him to new scents. Your dog will be keen to explore the new smells.
Alternative Exercises Your Husky Might Enjoy
Apart from the usual routine exercises, there are some quick exercises that your dog can do while at home.
Dog Park: Taking your dog to the dog park and letting him play with other dogs might be a sound way of draining him.
There are certain things that you must consider before going to a dog park.
- Only if your dog is friendly with other dogs, dog Park might be a good experience.
- Not all dog parks are safe. Some of them might be unauthorized.
- Not all dogs are vaccinated.
- Your dog cannot be friendly with all the other dogs. Sometimes they might get into a fight.
Visiting a dog park can be an emergency option. If you have no other choice but the dog Park, then you can definitely take your puppy there.
Playing with your Dog: Nothing excites your dog more than your company. Huskies are like large babies.
You can use this as a chance and make your husky burn some fat. You can play frisbee, ball, or even simply run around with your dog. If you notice clearly when you are playing around, your dog might be excited more than expected.
You can use this chance and make your pup climb up the stairs a couple of times. However, this does not include to be real exercising, but at least on your break time, you can make him do half of what he does daily.
How Much Time Should A Husky Exercise?
Huskies are generally outdoor animals that love to play around. You must be careful while exercising them. Since they are excited in the beginning, you will not notice any signs of weariness.
As days pass, there will be slight changes in their stamina. They tend to stop within a certain distance. Some dogs go on till you stop them. If a dog is exhausted, they start showing the effect on their diet and day to day activities.
It is always better if you set a particular time for your dog’s exercises. However, training time cannot be the same for all dogs.
Junior dogs are undoubtedly different from senior dogs. Both of them must be taken outside correctly for exercise.
Exercising time for puppies
Puppies are quite different from adult dogs. They cannot be following the same exercise routine as adult dogs. Puppies will be at their growing stage for over a year. All of their newly developed muscles and bones will be ready for adventure but weak.
Too much exercise is not required for puppies as they still need a lot of energy. Draining them out ultimately can be cruel. Intense workouts like heavy running and cycling can be avoided at this stage.
Another risk of walking them in public is that they can be affected easily by any disease. Only after all their vaccinations are completed (3-months) they are safe to go out.
The two main exercises you can give your puppy are playing with toys and other dogs. If your dog can socialize with other dogs easily, they will make it a routine. This burns enough fat for the day.
There are toys, especially for small puppies from 6 months to 1 year.
Apart from all these, if you wish to take your puppy as your walking companion, you can take them for a maximum of 20 minutes and not more than that.
For puppies of this age, mental exercises like puzzles and teaching new commands would be much appropriate.
Exercising time for Adult dogs
Adult dogs can usually be exercised with the tips as mentioned earlier.
You must also be careful of arthritis in old dogs. Arthritis weakens the leg and makes it impossible to exercise vigorously. You will start noticing changes in your dog as the years pass. For senior dogs, exercises should be light. Too much work on the legs could make it impossible to balance their body weight.
Summing up
A lack of physical and mental exercise could result in collapsed behavior and bad manners in dogs, especially giant dogs such as huskies. This makes the environment near them unsafe. This is not certain to happen, but there is a possibility.
To avoid this, exercising should be mandatory.
