Terrier owners...

bex1984

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If you have terriers, just wondering how much exercise they get each day and what type of exercise?

I have two jrt crosses (crossed with a bit of border terrier so longer legged and hairy!). I think I'm walking them enough but nearly all on lead Street walks and I'm getting the feeling it's not the right type of exercise.
 

Fiona

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When she is outside with us in the yard she exercises herself and we throw her tennis ball for her... Organised walk (off lead) can be anything from 2-5 times per week for about an hour at a time.

She is quite a lazy wee girl though, and quite often decides to stay inside (esp if wet) when we are outside...

Oh and she is a 5yo JRT

Fiona
 

Brownmare

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I have a jrt and she would be seriously wicked off with that! Mileage doesn't seem to matter to her and what tires her out is brain exercise, training and ball games. She will play tennis ball hide and seek for hours and rarely gets walked these days (she is 12) but spends all day at work with my OH. In her younger days she was known for getting back from a 2 hour walk and immediately grabbing a ball to ask for a game of fetch! In fact, this summer we took her and my whippet fell walking in the lakes and she barely noticed a 12 mile hike that wiped out the whippet for 2 days (he was 7)!
 

bex1984

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Hmmm this is what I'm thinking - that they are not getting what they need from lead walks and are a bit frustrated. Problem is that the older one is not good with other dogs so unless I can find somewhere where I can be fairly sure we won't meet another dog, I end up having to keep them on leads.
 

Dizzle

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I have a 3 year old Border Terrier, on lead walking makes no difference to his energy levels, he's quite happy just coming to the yard, running around to greet everyone, playing with the farm dogs and sniffing/peeing on everything he owns. He probably only gets 1-2 walks a week, if that.
 

planete

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Our 7 year old JRT x Dachshund gets exercised on a 10 metre lead and spends the whole hour hurtling backwards and forwards into the bushes every day. He had a cruciate op. 8 months ago and has recovered well but we are too worried he will find deer to hunt (he has done so before) and run himself into the ground to let him loose. He is quite sane on this regime and does not pester us or the lurchers too much for extra playtime. If he was only getting walks on a short lead he would be totally OTT.

He also loves any kind of training, probably because of the treats involved, and we did a lot of that during his recovery to make up for the restricted exercise. He is actually great fun as he picks up tricks and new commands very quickly and will perform at lightning speed looking immensely pleased with himself!
 

MadisonBelle

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Hmmm this is what I'm thinking - that they are not getting what they need from lead walks and are a bit frustrated. Problem is that the older one is not good with other dogs so unless I can find somewhere where I can be fairly sure we won't meet another dog, I end up having to keep them on leads.

Can you not go to a park so the younger one can sniff around off lead but you can keep the older one on lead? Mine hardly ever go on leads except at shows. The love a good sniff around and exploring etc. Mine join me out hacking and love it.
 

AprilsBoy

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I have a border terrier. I can walk her 8miles + and she would still have energy. I always give her at least 30 mins to an hour of training and ball games a day. This really tires her out.
 

sam-b

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couple / 3 times a week on the lead, otherwise off lead and agility training twice a week plus a show on the weekend
 

ponyparty

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Hmmm this is what I'm thinking - that they are not getting what they need from lead walks and are a bit frustrated. Problem is that the older one is not good with other dogs so unless I can find somewhere where I can be fairly sure we won't meet another dog, I end up having to keep them on leads.

I have a 6 month old Manchester Terrier - he is great with other dogs but as he hit adolescence at about 4-4 1/2, he started to ignore us when we wanted to call him back from playing. We stuck him on a lunge line, so he could still run and play but when we called him back he HAD to listen. He is pretty much fine now, still has his moments but he's only a baby yet. You could have your reactive dog on a lunge line and let the other one off lead in a park/open space? I don't like the extending leads especially the cord ones, they can be really dangerous and don't give enough control imo.

We walk him about 25 mins at lunchtime and around an hour after work, and he gets longer walks at the weekend, but we also play fetch and tug of war etc, give him treat dispenser puzzles and do plenty of training to keep his mind active.

Hope this helps!
 

bex1984

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Older dog loves playing ball so maybe I need to find somewhere quiet to do that (and the younger one will probably just chase the older one).

I'd love to be able to go to the park with the reactive one on a lead but unfortunately I've had too many bad experiences of people letting their dogs run up to him when he's on his lead (his aggression comes from fear so he ends up getting worse).

The main problem is that I am horseless at the moment, so there's no daily yard trip to keep them busy (I just used to do that when I had a horse on DIY)

They do play with each other a lot though, so I guess that's some proper exercise?
 

ponyparty

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Aw that's a shame; of course, it's the other owners' fault if they let their dog run up to another dog that is clearly on a lead - but it's still causing a stressful/frightening experience for your dog, totally understand that you don't want to put him (and yourself!) through it. Don't know what else to suggest in that case, unless you took them running or cycling with you or something?! Playing with each other will use up energy, so will playing ball, and I highly recommend getting a treat dispensing puzzle or something like a Kong Satellite (or maybe one each, so they don't fight over it haha) - keeps ours busy for ages and uses brain power.
Dogs are marvellously adaptable, they will get used to just on-lead walking, and that's a hell of a lot more than a lot of dogs get! Good luck :)
 

Copperpot

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We have a 10 year old jrt and 2 young working lakelands. They all get an hour a day off lead. Sometimes 2 hours. One of ours isn't good with other dogs so he has a long lead and we let him off when the coast is clear.
 

bex1984

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Ok. I think I need to re-think their exercise. Keeping their brains busy has been tricky as the younger one is only 9 months old and the older one has taken a while to adjust to having a little brother... We've had to be really careful with providing toys and treats. This is all settling down now the pup has been castrated so it's probably a good time to start doing more of that.

Any more ideas and thoughts on how to make sure they get the exercise they need will be gratefully received!
 

ihatework

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Honestly, I don't think just on lead exercise is good for any dog, irrespective of breed.
Ball flingers are your friend, easy off lead high energy exercise. I use 2 balls so they don't get much of a break inbetween!
Can you do some sort of weekly training class as well, just to keep them mentally busy as well?
I also run my Labrador from my bike, but I'm very lucky in that a) he is exceptionally well trained and b) I have access to some super quiet country lanes with excellen visability
 

bex1984

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We actually did do agility with the older one until it became just too difficult to guarantee that another dog wouldn't run up to him.

Just taken them for a good off lead run in a field with my mum and her dog. Much running and rolling in fox poo - so they are happy!
 

irishdraft

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My previous terrier jrt had about 2/3 hours day off lead in countryside with our bcs.the terrier I have now sporting Lucas has about 2 hours day plus round our small holding they love nothing more than to hunt rabbits & root about but then I'm lucky live in a rural area all fields for walking
 

MyBoyChe

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My 2 yr old jrt gets 2 off lead walks a day, at least 30 mins each. He runs about with our 2 springers and probably covers about 3-5 miles each time, plus a bit of swimming if the river is shallow enough! He is walked early am and early pm and is usually up for about an hours play with a ball or something tuggy early evening. He is a very well adjusted little chap and is happy to sleep in between and, touch wood, has never been destructive or hyper on this routine.
 
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