Help Needed! How much exercise should my bulldog have in summer?

[gus2014]

Hi,

How much exercise should my 11month male english bulldog have in summer on hot days?

Also how much should he have on any day for that matter?

I have stopped walking him when it is too hot outside, and I typically walk him 2 20 min walks both in the morning and evenings when it is cool, is this too much?

Cheers

 

[HTX Bully]

Not much, be careful cuz our bullies can easily overheat. Down here in southeast Texas it's very hot, very humid and Holly loves to sunbathe! We always keep a sharp eye on her and give her ice cubes, make her come back inside to cool off and drink some water. I will take her on a walk early in the morning when it's much cooler but we don't walk in the evening because it's too hot. Be careful and always monitor your bully when it's outside in the summer heat.

 

[RiiSi]

Some bullys are more heat sensitive than others. If he's cool with your walks then they're OK. If he's panting and exhausted then they're not. On a hot day I would not take him for a walk except early in the evening or late at night if the temperature has gone down.
You're in UK, so I quess the temperature goes down for the night. All bullys need exercise and in my opinion it's up to you more than your bully how much to walk him. Bullys are the most adaptible breed there is. If you don't like to walk, except maybe now and then, they won't walk, but if you're active they learn to be active.

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

In winter my boy has the routine of walking, playing, eating then rest. The walking (we walk 3-4 km a day in cold weather) serves as a "warm up" for playing fetch or ball chasing or frisbee which serves as his exercise. He would play for about 15-30 mins. or until he starts to pants. But mind you this is winter. When the temperature rose to about 20°C (68°F) the walk and play are shortened or no play at all. Summer hasn't really kicked in here yet but we have had temperature rose to over 30°C (86°F) and Bifi is only allowed to go pee then we go in. And when he starts to pant in those high temperatures i spray him wet and give him ice cubes. or he goes out wet so the heat would be bearable.

How much exercise your dog needs, in my opinion, entirely depends on him, his energy level and his willingness to play and exercise. But please be mindful of the weather and temperature. It doesn't take too much for them to overheat. Have fun with your little baby .

 

[ddnene]

I live in the US… TN to be exact. I stopped walking the dogs period since it's been in the 90s here the last week. I take them out in the early morning to play for about 20 min or so, but NOT in the heat of the day. Wally LOVES to play outside so we wait till it cools down and I take him out to play. We have a small dog pool so they can cool off, but I get nervous walking them in this humidity.

 

[2BullyMama]

On hot day, with or without humidity (which we get a lot of in northeastern US).... they go out in the yard for potty and back in the house. i do let them have some pool time or play with the sprinkler on the hose, but it is early morning or later in the day when the sun is not as strong. other than that... they do all play in the house

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, you have been given excellent advice already, and most members who live in a hot climate will take their bullies for walks in the early morning hours before it gets hot, and again in the evening hours when the sun goes down. Bullies generally don't require a lot of exercise, but it is beneficial for their health, weight, circulation and joints that they get some regular daily exercise. You live in the UK so most likely have cooler evenings and less humidity, so this would be a perfect time to take Gus for his walks, or even find a park where he could have a run. 15 to 20 minutes is a good amount of time for most bullies, but like Riikka said, every bully is different in how much exercise they can tolerate. The walking routine you've been doing with Gus sounds fine, and as long as he is not hot, and he's not panting, it should be fine. When you take him on walks, just make sure it's not in overly hot or humid weather, that you have water for him to drink, and watch him for any panting or drooling that would indicate he may be too hot. You also want to make sure the pavement is not too hot when walking, as this can hurt or burn their sensitive paw pads. We have always done the same thing as you, we take Dozer and Blossom on their walks early in the morning, and again in the evening, and during the day, we just let them out for potty breaks, and then back inside to the AC. On cooler nights, we go to the park and let them have a run and play with each other, but we don't let them do this for more than 20 minutes, and if we see that they are panting or getting our of breath from playing, then we stop them.

 

[KMARINO]

Living is Florida Vegas only goes out to potty and right back in. We do indoor activities like he loves to "wrestle" with my husband. It wears him out and he hits the cool tile afterwards.

 

[Kevikell]

Lots of great advice above.

I walk my girls every day. We used to only walk in the cooler months but about 2 years ago we started walking them all of the time even in the summer, but only after the sun had gone down...b/c I am NOT a morning person and don't want to get up early to walk. We live where the temps get into the mid to high 90's and we have some humidity but not as much as in costal areas. In the summer our walks are a little shorter & slower than during the cooler months. I think it's important that they get up and move even if only for a few minutes. Always be conscious of the temp of the ground. If it's hot, don't walk them. When mine start to pant I know it's time for a break.

 

[cefe13]

... in those high temperatures i spray him wet and give him ice cubes.

Do you give whole ice cubes? It sounds nice but I would be afraid Castor might choke on them (like you wouldn't give ice cubes to a little child). Or do you crush the ice?

Last summer when Castor was a puppy I put wet towels in the freezer and then he got them to chew on.

 

[Manydogs]

Living is Florida Vegas only goes out to potty and right back in. We do indoor activities like he loves to "wrestle" with my husband. It wears him out and he hits the cool tile afterwards.

[MENTION=900]KMARINO[/MENTION] >>>>>Yeah-and what does Vegas do when he comes in?

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

[MENTION=9875]cefe13[/MENTION] i give ice cubes. Bifi instantly knew he had to chew it :/. He sometimes doesn't like to take the ice cubes and would spit it out so i would just put it in his water bowl. What you're doing seems to be working so if it's not broken....

 

[cefe13]

@cefe13 i give ice cubes. Bifi instantly knew he had to chew it :/. He sometimes doesn't like to take the ice cubes and would spit it out so i would just put it in his water bowl. What you're doing seems to be working so if it's not broken....

Great, we'll try the ice cubes here too then when summer gets hot!

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

[MENTION=9875]cefe13[/MENTION] Well now you made me scared of Castor choking on ice cubes lol so i dunno. You could also try using those containers that you put water in it and freeze it...ice packs? then put a towel or blanket over it and have Castor lay on it? We tried that with Bifi (even ordered 10 ice packs online) but he wouldn't even step on it lol. Maybe Castor would?

 

[gus2014]

Thanks for all the great advice folks!

I would be keen to hear how somebody and their bully from the UK is coping with the heat at the minute.