Do you walk your dog once a day, twice a day, or sometimes more? How often do you need to walk your dog?

A dog needs to be walked regularly, both for exercise and for potty breaks. Walking your dog is also important for both its physical and mental health. There is no concrete answer to how often a dog needs to be walked, but there are some general guidelines you can follow.

Some dogs only need to be walked once a day, while others will need four or more daily walks. Before my own dog became pretty much immobile from hip dysplasia and arthritis, he needed to go on four or five daily walks, although I always suspected he didn’t really need that many walks but just wanted to get out and scope the neighborhood as often as he could.

The average dog needs at least two short walks every day. Fifteen minutes or less is usually enough for most dogs, especially small ones, so they can take care of their physical needs while getting in a little exercise for good health.

Some of the factors that determine how often you need to walk your dog include the following:
(1) If you work long hours, you may only be able to take your dog out once in the morning before work, and again when you come home;
(2) The size of the dog; smaller dogs need fewer and shorter walks;
(3) The breed of the dog, because some dogs have small bladders;
(4) The energy level of your dog. A dog with a high energy level needs longer or more frequent walks to expend excess energy;
(5) The type of food you feed your pet. Feeding a dog solid foods like kibble doesn’t require potty breaks as often as does a dog who eats a diet of mainly soft foods.

Regardless of the type of food, a dog will need short walks to urinate and exercise.

If your dog comes down with diarrhea, you’ll obviously need more frequent walks to prevent accidents from happening. If your dog becomes ill and is not able to go outside, you’ll have to avoid walks until your dog feels better.

One of the real, measurable benefits to walking your dog is that it provides the dog with exercise, which is necessary to prevent obesity and muscle atrophy, and it gives you the opportunity to exercise by walking which will help increase both your stamina and health.

One additional benefit to walking your dog is that you’ll meet lots of new people who want to pet your dog and possibly strike up a conversation with you. You might be amazed if you knew how many people ended up eventually marrying after first having had a friendly conversation about their pet dogs.

Married couples can also look forward to meeting friendly neighbors with whom they may eventually become close friends with. But single women should beware of the single guy who adopts a pet dog for the sole purpose of meeting attractive, single women on his daily dog walks.