Do Australian Cattle Dogs Need a Lot of Exercise?

Australian Cattle Dogs Need a Lot of Exercise. Some seem to need a lot more than others.

But, what they REALLY NEED is to learn to RELAX! Exercise is just a means to an end. Here’s why:

Why do Australian Cattle Dogs Need a Lot of Exercise?

There are a few real reasons to encourage exercise for all dogs.

Exercising your Australian Cattle Dog is important for the promotion of:

Physical Health
Mental Relaxation
Family Bonding

Australian Cattle Dogs Need a Lot of Exercise. 3 Reasons Why:

1. Exercise for Physical Health

To grow and maintain health, the tissues of the body need to be used, exercised.

Bones, ligaments and tendons need to be exercised and undergo stress in order to become stronger. Muscle tissue also needs to be stressed to become stronger.

Walking, jogging, jumping and playing are important everyday activities to promote well being. The heart and lungs need to work hard to become more effective.

Exercise also builds a healthy appetite.

In general, a living body needs to be exercised to promote optimum health.

One breed of dog does not necessarily need any more exercise than any other breed to maintain health.

2. Exercise For Mental Relaxation

Exercise does more than just promote physical health: it makes you tired, it makes you want to relax. That is why Australian Cattle Dogs Need a Lot of Exercise.

The more tired you are, the more resting and relaxing you will want. It’s the same with your Australian Cattle Dog.

Dogs differ greatly in the amount of exercise necessary to make them relax. Working or Herding breeds will naturally need more than lapdogs.

It is totally natural for your Australian Cattle Dog to want to go outside several times a day to play. He wants you to throw the Frisbee or ball over and over, to run around and around and back and forth.

Remember, his mind is a really busy place and he just wants to be with you, to interact. He lives for that attention and mental stimulation!

Without enough exercise or stimulation it is possible they will become frustrated and look for ways to relieve their stress. This can range from chasing their tails to tearing a hole in the side of your house!

But, all members of the breed are not necessarily the same.

There can also be a large difference between families or different bloodlines within a breed.

It is impossible to say that all Australian Cattle Dogs need a certain number of hours of exercise each day. Even within a breed, all dogs are different and have different needs.

Still, the old adage is true: A tired Australian Cattle Dog is a good Australian Cattle Dog! Australian Cattle Dogs Need a Lot of Exercise.

How Much Exercise is Enough?

Bodybuilders and athletes will tell you that getting too little exercise is not really helpful, but, getting too much exercise can actually be harmful.

Exercise and stress break down tissue, like muscle fibers, and the following rest period lets these fibers rebuild stronger than they were before. This is the science of strength building. But, too much stress can cause more damage than can be repaired easily.

Bone spurs, torn ligaments, and muscle damage are all a result of “overdoing it.”

Although Australian Cattle Dogs need a lot of exercise, be cautious here.

Please be sure to talk with your veterinarian about injury from too much exercise in puppies. It is important to limit the amount of jumping and hard running for young growing bodies. Problems like hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia might be minimized if enough exercise is given to maintain a healthy weight, but not so much as to cause undue stress.

There is also another result of overdoing exercise. The more physically fit you become, the more it will take to get tired the next time.

It is possible to get your Australian Cattle Dog so fit that it takes more and more time to get him tired. This of course is counterproductive to creating mental relaxation.

More is not necessarily better. Be careful that you do just enough to get the job done, but not too much. Don’t overdo it.

See what the AKC says about Hip Dysplasia Here

What About Australian Cattle Dogs and Mental Exercise?

In addition to physical exercise, another way to create relaxation is through mental exercise. For the Australian Cattle Dog, self-control is one of the hardest things he will ever master.

Holding himself in a Down-Stay or Place command when what he really wants to do is chase the cat, can be the most draining activity of his whole day.

As with all training, you will want to start with small successes and gradually build. When first starting be happy with just a few seconds of holding the command and increase the time over many sessions.

The more your Australian Cattle Dog learns to control himself and stay put, the more he will find relaxation.

This is something you can start working on with a puppy, but no age is too old to learn to stay.

There are many different methods and philosophies about training in the world today. It is not our intention to promote or choose one over another but to encourage training in general.

Just this advice, all dogs need training, if you need help, get help. If one method isn’t working, try something else. If you are following the advice of a trainer, stick with it and give it time, if it still doesn’t work, get another trainer.

3. Exercising Promotes Family Bonding

Just like spending time with your children or grandchildren can help build a loving bond, spending time with your dog (especially as a puppy) will help develop that relationship as well.

Australian Cattle Dogs are famous for being a “Velcro” dog. They usually pick just one person to attach themselves to, never wanting to wander more than 6 inches away!

That person is probably the one who spent the most time with that puppy walking, playing, and taking potty breaks in the developing months.

That is not to say that the rest of the family won’t be included, but, if each takes their turn spending quality time with him it will go a long way in developing a good relationship

Since Australian Cattle Dogs need a lot of exercise is it Best To Live on a Farm?

Naturally, the more space you have to get out and run and play, the easier it will be to enjoy such an active dog. But that does not mean that living in an apartment or in a small home in a neighborhood is a deal killer.

You will just have to be more deliberate and creative with walks, jogs, and playtime.