# Does your Havanese get enough exercise every day?



## Administrator (Aug 5, 2010)

How do you make sure your Havanese gets enough exercise every day?

Any exercise tips you guys have? Any routine you stick to?


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## Hsusa (Dec 21, 2014)

We play a lot...chasing the ball all over the house. She loves to take walks. And we have a yard that she runs around in.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

I get a 45 minute walk on leash in the morning and a 15 minute walk on leash in the evening. During the day mi Momi and Popi play with mi playing tag, fetch, and "find it" game, both inside and in our yard. Sometimes I get playtime with mi amigos Daisy, Max, Lucy, and Bella. All dis exercise keeps mi a healthy 14 pounds.

besos, Ricky Ricardo


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## Maxum (Dec 12, 2013)

Summer, late spring and early fall are easy, we go on lots of walks and play outside. Winter months in the Midwest is another story. Max hates rain and snow, he will give me the look saying "don't make me go out there". We try to play in doors and to keep his mind active we will play some find it or do some training. Have been thinking about agility training for Max, I think he would be great at it!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Maxum said:


> Summer, late spring and early fall are easy, we go on lots of walks and play outside. Winter months in the Midwest is another story. Max hates rain and snow, he will give me the look saying "don't make me go out there". We try to play in doors and to keep his mind active we will play some find it or do some training. Have been thinking about agility training for Max, I think he would be great at it!


While physical exercise of some sort is important too, mental exercise in training will tire them out even more than physical exercise. "games" and play are fun, but these dogs LOVE training, and there are SO MANY fun things you can teach them, even in a small space.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

You know Karen, I have learned this by accident that Ricky is more stimulated by training "games" than anything else. When days are cold (anything below 50F is frightfully cold for us in SoCal :grin2, or windy, or rainy, we train indoors with games like on and off leash "heel" around the house, around the dining table, about turns in very tight spaces, all different kinds of stays for up to 3 minutes while we go about our business, "find it" scent games, structured retrieve and recall "fetch", the possibilities are endless. These indoor training games are invaluable when I take him on leash to stores like Home Depot (Ricky likes the Garden section best 0), Petco, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Best Buy, the Feed Store, etc. We often go there just to train on leash, not really shopping for anything and for 10 minutes maximum each time. Ricky loves to go to these stores and seems to recognize the name of each one. When I tell him we are going to (store name) he works himself into a frenzy, pacing and whimpering by the door to the garage. AND we always go potty first before we leave the house!!!!

Yes, exercise and simple training go hand in hand.

Ricky's Popi


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## Maxum (Dec 12, 2013)

I find a stay position hilarious. Both of my dogs (whether they are in a sit position or a down position) watch my every movement (heads bobbing all over the place as they watch me walk around and wait for my release). Max does have a problem with fetch and I'm not sure how to correct it. We will play fetch and he may return the object (ball, stuff animal, etc.) once or twice, but then he gets distracted and starts running around with the object, throwing it around and chasing it. How do you teach him to actually return the object. My other dog does this naturally.......


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Maxum said:


> I find a stay position hilarious. Both of my dogs (whether they are in a sit position or a down position) watch my every movement (heads bobbing all over the place as they watch me walk around and wait for my release). Max does have a problem with fetch and I'm not sure how to correct it. We will play fetch and he may return the object (ball, stuff animal, etc.) once or twice, but then he gets distracted and starts running around with the object, throwing it around and chasing it. How do you teach him to actually return the object. My other dog does this naturally.......


It depends whether this is a game for you, or if you are shaping a formal retrieve. When it's toys or balls, I let the dogs call the shots. If they don't bring it back to me, the game is over.

If I'm training a formal retrieve, I work on it in a small enough space that the dog can't POSSIBLY play keep away. I will have first taught the the dog to hold and "give" the dumbbell to hand reliably, without me ever giving up control of it. Then, we work on placed retrieves, either in a narrow hallway or in the bathroom, only a few feet away. When we are ready for a thrown retrieve, we start with very short ones, with a second person available to help intercept in CASE of a problem. But by then, the return of the dumbbell to hand has been SO heavily reinforced that they rarely want to do anything but bring it back and get their cookie!


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## Maxum (Dec 12, 2013)

Perfect! We have a narrow hallway but too many exit points. The bathroom is a great idea for training in a small place. I will give your suggestions a try. Knew I was doing something incorrectly, Max catches on quickly! Thanks Karen!


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## w8in (Feb 11, 2016)

We live on 22 acres we go for walks down the lane, we go for walks to the woods. We own 10 acres not far from here we go there and do a lot of walking and running around. I'll get on my bike and Hank follows me! He has a lot of energy. I try and make sure he gets exercise every day!


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## Hanna (Feb 25, 2016)

In winter you may have some trouble, but just play ball in-house or fetch with some other toy  40 minutes of walking a day is fine for most havvies!


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## Annabellam (Nov 2, 2015)

Yeah exercise is really important in stimulating them both physically and mentally. I walk Sammy at least twice a day. He can also play outside our backyard. He has his own sort of agility course :smile2:


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## Cyn (Sep 18, 2017)

We don't have a fenced yard, but we do have a rail trail that is perfect for walks. Mojo likes going there. We walk for about 20 minutes one way, then turn around. But as soon as we reach the park bench, she sits her little butt down and stares at me until I sit down, too. We watch people coming and going and she drinks up the praise and petting, then signals when she's ready to go on. Also, she loves chasing games in the house, fetch, and working on her puzzle treat ball.


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

Living in a condo in an area with 5 months of oppressive 90+ degree outdoor heat calls for creative solutions, and Tux is creative when it comes to "working out". One routine is called "Circle The Table" (on the rug) as fast as possible, reversing directions (still full speed) with each completed circle, while simultaneously growling ferociously. The next exercise (Hall Attack) is accomplished by speeding down the 50' long hall on slippery marble floors, sliding full speed into, and bumping the wall at the end by turning sideways at the last second (to protect one's brain), and after being repelled off the wall and landing on all fours, reverse direction and do the same maneuver at the opposite end of the hall. Repeat over and over again without resting until tongue begins to hang out and Mom and Dad stop gawking in amazement at the "creativity". "Performing for Food" by twirling endlessly on hind legs until the banana or strawberry is granted. "Hunting Prey" by going after the stuffed squirrel tied to a string that Mom seems to never let go. "First one to the Front Door" by being released from the restrictive leash the second the elevator door opens. Finally, the best one of all is AGILITY SCHOOL!!! 
Forget FETCH. That one lasts a couple of throws and then digresses into "Keep Away and Kill". Tux hates long walks, and so did our other Havanese. They seem to thrive on bursts of speedy activity followed by a long stretch-out on a cool floor and a nice nap. Learning tricks and obedience is a nice way to avoid boredom, but I suspect it's the treats and hugs that follow, that spur his real interest in that.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Tux's Mom said:


> Living in a condo in an area with 5 months of oppressive 90+ degree outdoor heat calls for creative solutions, and Tux is creative when it comes to "working out". One routine is called "Circle The Table" (on the rug) as fast as possible, reversing directions (still full speed) with each completed circle, while simultaneously growling ferociously. The next exercise (Hall Attack) is accomplished by speeding down the 50' long hall on slippery marble floors, sliding full speed into, and bumping the wall at the end by turning sideways at the last second (to protect one's brain), and after being repelled off the wall and landing on all fours, reverse direction and do the same maneuver at the opposite end of the hall. Repeat over and over again without resting until tongue begins to hang out and Mom and Dad stop gawking in amazement at the "creativity". "Performing for Food" by twirling endlessly on hind legs until the banana or strawberry is granted. "Hunting Prey" by going after the stuffed squirrel tied to a string that Mom seems to never let go. "First one to the Front Door" by being released from the restrictive leash the second the elevator door opens. Finally, the best one of all is AGILITY SCHOOL!!!
> Forget FETCH. That one lasts a couple of throws and then digresses into "Keep Away and Kill". Tux hates long walks, and so did our other Havanese. They seem to thrive on bursts of speedy activity followed by a long stretch-out on a cool floor and a nice nap. Learning tricks and obedience is a nice way to avoid boredom, but I suspect it's the treats and hugs that follow, that spur his real interest in that.


Video! Video! :wink2:


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

ShamaMama said:


> Video! Video! :wink2:


I'll try. Problem is I don't usually have a phone in hand when he determines it's "cracker dog time". I may start carrying a phone with me. The circling the table happens after a good poop outside. What was that commercial for a laxative that used the song "I feel good!" ,or when it's time to go to bed. The hall attack can come out of nowhere.

We just got back from Agility lesson 7 with 11 obstacles. Tux did great and I'm still flailing. He goes everywhere I tell him to go, if I could just remember the right direction. This is a very humbling experience invented by God so that humans will know what it's like to be exposed as completely inferior to dogs.


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## chocohavapup (Apr 18, 2019)

Ferdie has a ton of energy! When we visit an area w/ open grass, she runs and runs in circles (she does this in our house as well but can't get nearly the amount of stretch and not nearly for as much time as in an open area!!). Are these dogs good for distance running? Wondering if she would tolerate a several mile jog.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

We have a fenced yard with a doggie door and Patti is in and out throughout the day and evening. There's lots of interesting sights and sounds she has to take care of. Chasing and (trying) to scare the Deer off, or barking at the miniature horses across the way is a favorite past time. We live on 11 acres and our neighbors behind us raise tiny horses. The Deer for the most part, will give her a look but mainly ignores her. I take Patti on walks around a golf course three or four times a week, walking 2.5 sometimes 4 miles. She's most active in the morning and evening and typically will bring us her ball or a toy and we'll play Fetch or Tug of War.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

chocohavapup said:


> Ferdie has a ton of energy! When we visit an area w/ open grass, she runs and runs in circles (she does this in our house as well but can't get nearly the amount of stretch and not nearly for as much time as in an open area!!). Are these dogs good for distance running? Wondering if she would tolerate a several mile jog.


They can certainly do a several mile hike. A several mile jog, on pavement, on a regular basis probably wouldn't be good for them. That's a lot of pounding on the joints of what are, after all, very small dogs. But Kodi, in his younger days, regularly hiked for 5 miles in the woods with us on a pretty regular basis. (OUR health issues have kept us from doing it in the past year or two!)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mikki said:


> We have a fenced yard with a doggie door and Patti is in and out throughout the day and evening. There's lots of interesting sights and sounds she has to take care of. Chasing and (trying) to scare the Deer off, or barking at the miniature horses across the way is a favorite past time. We live on 11 acres and our neighbors behind us raise tiny horses. The Deer for the most part, will give her a look but mainly ignores her. I take Patti on walks around a golf course three or four times a week, walking 2.5 sometimes 4 miles. She's most active in the morning and evening and typically will bring us her ball or a toy and we'll play Fetch or Tug of War.


Every once in awhile Pixel will chase a turkey out of the back yard. She grows about 3" when she comes in to tell us all about how brave she was! LOL!


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