Prospective owners often ask how much exercise a Buhund needs. Basically, a Buhund will take as much exercise as you can give him. Exercise is important for any dog, but different breeds require different types and amounts, depending on the purpose for which they were originally bred. The Buhund has been bred to work under arduous conditions and, given the opportunity, will run for miles over rough terrain. Most people don’t have the facilities for this type of regular exercise however and, contrary to popular belief, this type of exercise is not necessarily the best for the dog.

 

If you obtain your Buhund as a young pup, for the first few weeks, before he has completed his inoculations, free exercise in the garden is all he needs. Once he is able to go out into the big, wide world, the key to rearing a healthy sound dog is in gradual, controlled exercise. Start lead training him in the house or garden and begin by giving him very short on-lead walks. A good rule of thumb is about 5 minutes walk for every month of age. For the first few days, a 5 minute walk is ample, this should then be built up to around 15 minutes twice a day. Road walking in this way will gradually build up his muscles and prevent strains and joint damage. Allowing a youngster to run free with older dogs is not a good idea as a Buhund puppy will not give up when he’s tired and is also susceptible to knocks when, inevitably, there is a coming together while running. Don’t exercise your Buhund off lead anywhere in the vicinity of traffic or livestock, particularly if his recall is not good.

 

A well reared adult Buhund will be able to walk further than you, but will be happy with 2 x ½ hour walks a day, preferably with some free running if that’s possible. If taught retrieve at a young age, throwing a ball or Frisbee is a good way to wear him out, but don’t use this as an exclusive way of exercising him. It is not always easy to teach an older Buhund to retrieve (you threw it – you go & get it!), but it can be done, Whatever his age, road walking keeps his muscles firm and is very good for keeping his feet tight & his claws short. One downside of exercising is your dog is that the fitter he is, the more exercise he needs to tire him, so doing some obedience exercises with him will wear him out mentally as well.

 

Well exercised dogs are fitter, healthier and more alert than their couch-potato relatives and also live longer, more active and more interesting lives. They are also much easier to live with as they are not constantly trying to initiate some action to alleviate boredom

A fit 3 yr old with neat small feet, well defined muscle, slight tuckup, strong legs  & no excess fat.

This is a bitch of about the same age, reasonably fit but not in the "hard" condition of the one above. Note her flat, thin feet & long nails. She also has less muscle & virtually no tuckup.