Alright, let’s talk about walking German Shepherds. When I first got my boy, Kaiser, everyone had an opinion, but nobody seemed to really know. Online stuff said one thing, the guy down the street said another. It was confusing.
So, I started experimenting. Kaiser was about a year old, full of beans, you know? Just pure energy. At first, I figured, okay, morning walk, evening walk, maybe 20 minutes each. Seemed reasonable, right? Wrong. After those walks, he’d get back inside and zoom around the house like a maniac. He’d grab shoes, pester the cat, just generally be a furry tornado. Clearly, wasn’t enough.
Figuring it Out – Trial and Error
So I thought, okay, need to up the distance. We started doing longer walks. I aimed for maybe a mile and a half in the morning, same again in the evening. That was better. He wasn’t as crazy, but still had that look in his eye, like he needed more. He’d sleep okay, but you could tell he had gas left in the tank.
I pushed it further. Started doing a solid 2-3 miles in the morning. This seemed to make a real difference. We’d go at a good pace, not just a leisurely stroll. Let him sniff around, sure, but kept moving mostly. Then in the evening, maybe another 1-2 miles, sometimes a bit less depending on the weather or how tired I was, ha.
This combo seemed to hit the sweet spot for Kaiser:
- A longer, more energetic walk in the morning (usually 2-3 miles).
- A slightly shorter walk in the evening (1-2 miles).
That totals somewhere between 3 to 5 miles a day. On days we hit closer to 5 miles, maybe throwing in some fetch or training games during the walk, he was perfect. Calm in the house, chewed his own toys, slept like a log. Less than 3 miles, and he’d start getting restless again.
Important Stuff I Noticed
Now, Kaiser’s an adult, healthy GSD. When he was a puppy, it was way different. Shorter, more frequent walks and lots of playtime. You gotta be careful with their growing joints. And I imagine if he gets older and slows down, we’ll dial it back again.
The weather matters too. Hot summer days? We go super early or late, shorter distances, maybe more swimming instead if we can. Cold, wet days? Sometimes the walks are shorter, but we do more training indoors to work his brain.
It wasn’t about hitting an exact number every single day. It was about watching him. Was he happy? Tired in a good way? Eating okay? Behaving well indoors? Those were the real signs. You get a feel for it. For my dog, that 3-5 mile range, split into two walks, plus some playtime or training, that’s what keeps him happy and manageable. You just gotta watch your own dog and see what they need. Took me a few months to really nail it down for Kaiser.
