exercise and border collies: how much should they have and when?

As a working breed, the Border collie will need sufficient physical exercise, daily, to remain both fit and psychologically healthy. It's just that what "sufficient daily physical exercise" actually means can vary widely from owner to owner, and can also depend on the age of the dog, and their particular health status.

Despite being highly energetic and active dogs, bred for both stamina and endurance, they are still not machines, and both the amount, and quality, of physical exertion they are exposed to throughout their lives may take some later toll on their bodies in older age.

NOT OVERDOING IT

Over the years, I have regularly been told things like "in their working role, collies may run up to 20 miles a day". Or sometimes it is 30 miles or more etc. etc. Which may well be true, or even possible. But what may be overlooked is the state the body of a working dog who does this kind of mileage daily will be in at age, say, 7 or 8. I.e. already beginning to suffer some degree of arthritis or other back/joint problems from this excessive exertion, longer term. Thus just because a collie CAN do a specific amount of exercise daily, doesn't necessarily mean that they always SHOULD, if you want to better preserve their bodies into older age.

One of my core beliefs, as a collie owner, is that we must do everything possible to maintain the optimum physical and mental health of our dogs, for as long as we can, from puppyhood onwards, and throughout their lives. Not least because dogs live in the moment, and therefore will never work out for themselves - as, say, a human athlete might - that the kind of exercise levels or more strenuous exertions they are undertaking today may come at some cost to their bodies in the future. But we do know that.

For the same reason, I have never let my own dogs do more 'fast and furious' pursuits like Agility or Flyball, for fear of what mental stress - particularly in more heated competitive environments - it might expose them to, longer term, or risk of physical injury. It is a purely personal view, as I know how much pleasure both dogs and owners can get from these pursuits. It remains a decision every owner weighs up for themselves, in terms of rewards and risks.

PUPPIES

Exercise-wise, particular care must also be taken with collie puppies, in order to avoid any injury or damage being done to their developing joints and skeletons (see more on growth plates a bit later). When they first go out, around the 3-4 month stage, they should have bursts of no more than 15 minutes of exercise each outing, and should also be lifted in and out of cars and not be allowed to run up and down stairs or jump on or off higher furniture. Then build this up more slowly and steadily. Even at 6 to 7 months, too much early strain on a collie puppy's joints - particularly in terms of jumping, twisting and landing, or stopping suddenly when chasing a ball - can aggravate any tendencies towards things like hip or elbow dysplasia.

Moreover, a collie can be continuing to grow, and properly set all their bone, well up to 2 years or even beyond. So even up to this age no more regular massive marathons of exercise are advisable. It is always better to build up any collie's levels of exercise tolerance more steadily, so their body more gradually adapts, in terms of muscle memory, stamina and cardiovascular fitness.

GROWTH PLATES

It is also important to understand how easily the growth plates of younger dogs can be damaged by too much exercise, or exercise of the wrong kind, while they are still developing.

Growth plates are the softer ends of bones in puppies that enable the gradual lengthening or expanding of these bones as they grow. Eventually these ends stop growing, once they have reached their optimum length, and convert into more solid bone. But it is while they are still doing this - typically up to 8 or 12 months in Border collies – that the risk of damage to them is at its greatest. Either from too much exercise or impact (like jumping, twisting, turning at speed) or other injuries. The result of this damage can then vary from shorter term injuries to more chronic joint issues in the dog, that go on to plague them in later life.

ADULT DOGS

From around age two onwards - and providing they are fit enough - collies should have a minimum of around two hours physical exercise a day, split into one hour in the morning and another in the afternoon or evening. You may not be able to do this every day, but it is something to generally aim for. Similarly some days you may be able to give them more exercise than others.

The best exercise is simply distance work (i.e. walking distances) and gradient work (i.e. up and down hills) to build up strength and stamina. Not throwing endless balls around, which just opens them up to a higher risk of injury and mental/physical over-heating, as well as the development of more obsessive patterns of behaviour.

Collies who do not get sufficient physical exercise daily can become progressively more depressed and lazy...and also sadly less fit or more obese. Alternatively they can become more agitated, restless and manic or channel their excess energies into more undesirable behaviours.

OLDER DOGS

Collies when that much older may not be able to do the same level of physical exercise due to problems like some more chronic illness or arthritis. However, it is still so important for them to go out regularly, if only for the psychological benefits, and to help keep everything moving - from joints to circulation and digestion - as well as providing more mental stimulation. Exercise also boosts dogs' immune systems. Most dogs with arthritis also benefit from being kept moving, but in shorter bursts - e.g. up to three short walks a day instead of one bigger one.

Through following the above kind of guidelines I have managed to keep my own dogs highly active and fit well into older age, and even at age 13 or even 15 they have still continued to happily do up to two hours of steadier exercise daily, broken up into different sessions. Our dogs only have one body for life, so we must do everything we can to look after it for them.

All text © Carol Price 2023