Goldendoodle Exercise Requirments for Health and Happiness

If you’ve recently added a Goldendoodle to your family or you’re thinking about it, then you may be wondering just how much exercise Goldendoodles need. We know both parent breeds, the Poodle and Golden Retriever, are both very active dogs. So you may have guessed by the parents that Goldendoodles are also very active dogs. But, exactly how much exercise does a Goldendoodle need to keep them healthy and happy?

Goldendoodle outdoors
Goldendoodle Outdoors

How Much Exercise Does a Goldendoodle Need?

Adult Goldendoodles should get roughly two hours of exercise every day. Puppies are also very active but they should not exercise for more than 5 minutes at a time for every month they have been alive. This exercise can be physical as well as mental.

Let’s look at some of the different exercise requirements of the Goldendoodle in further detail. We’ll also look at the different exercise requirements of different ages of Goldendoodles.

Genetics of Goldendoodle Exercise Requirements

Adult Poodle Exercise Requirements

Poodles are very active dogs designed to run and retrieve waterfowl. This means that they needed to be able to participate in very intense levels of exercise for several hours at a time historically.

Now, most Poodles are kept as pets but still need at least an hour of intense exercise every day.

Of course, some older Poodles, or those of smaller sizes may require different kinds of exercise at slightly different amounts.

Golden Retriever Exercise Requirements

Golden Retrievers are one of the most active dog breeds in the world. Like the Poodles, they were designed to retrieve waterfowl so they needed to be very active.

As pets, they need at least two hours of intense activity every day. Although, some seem to be fine with longer periods of moderate activity.

Goldendoodle Exercise Requirements

When comparing the exercise requirements of both the Poodle and the Golden Retriever, we can see that the Goldendoodle requires large amounts of exercise in order to stay happy and healthy.

In most cases, Goldendoodles would likely require a minimum of two hours of exercise every day. This could be done all at once, or in several segments.

For many people, two segments of activity of approximately one hour each might work best.

Goldendoodle Exercise Requirements by Age

Goldendoodles of different ages do not all require the same amount of exercise. There are a variety of reasons for this.

When your Goldendoodle is very young, its joints are still developing. Because of this, they are very susceptible to damage.

Taking your puppy for two-hour-long hikes is not the best idea at this point. Neither are agility classes that require a large amount of jumping.

Curly Coat Goldendoodle Puppy
Curly Coat Goldendoodle Puppy

Instead, puppies of about three months of age should exercise for fifteen minutes at a time. At four months this can be upgraded to twenty minutes, at five months twenty-five minutes, and so on. An additional five minutes can be added every month until your Goldendoodle is eighteen months old.

This exercise can be done twice a day. For example, your three-month-old Goldendoodle can be exercised for fifteen minutes in the morning and fifteen minutes in the evening. Make sure that the activity is gentle on their joints.

When they are fully grown, you no longer need to worry about the type of exercise. Provided that your Goldendoodle is not overweight and there is no history of hip or elbow dysplasia, you should not have to worry about joints. Instead, aim for two hours, per day, of activity.

When your Goldendoodle is older, it might not need as much exercise. Although, it is still good to give your dog as much as possible to ensure that it stays healthy.

Why Exercise is Important for Goldendoodles

Exercise is very important for Goldendoodles. Some of the reasons why are obvious and it can be easy to tell when they are not getting enough. Others are not so obvious if you do not know about them.

Manage Excessive Energy

Goldendoodles can be hyperactive. This is great when you are running around outside or playing with them. But, when you actually need to sit down and get some work done, or when your own energy has run out after a long day, this can be difficult to deal with.

Giving them enough exercise will ensure that they are able to calm down when the time comes.

Prevent Boredom

Goldendoodles are relatively clever dogs. This means that they get bored.

Unfortunately, boredom, paired with energy, equals destruction.

Making sure that your Goldendoodle has enough physical and mental stimulation will ensure that your house stays in one piece.

Physical Health

Goldendoodles can be extremely food driven. Unfortunately, this leads to them being overweight rather often. It is not always as easy to tell when a Goldendoodle is overweight because of its thick hair.

It is, however, very important to make sure that your Goldendoodle maintains a relatively healthy body mass. They struggle with a variety of health concerns that may be aggravated by being overweight. Some of these include heart disease and joint issues.

Mental Health

The Mental health of a Goldendoodle is just as important as its physical health. Often, the two are also related to one another.

Without enough exercise and mental stimulation, Goldendoodles could become anxious or aggressive. This can lead to an unpleasant and uncontrollable dog, rather than the perfect family pet.

Different Ways to Engage with your Goldendoodle

Goldendoodle - Golden Retriever Poodle Cross Dog
Goldendoodle with his ball

I’ve mentioned both exercise and mental stimulation more than once. When people say that dogs require a certain amount of exercise, often this can be viewed as a mixture of physical and mental exercise.

This is because mental stimulation also tires your dog out and prevents boredom. In the case of puppies, where physical exercise is a bit more difficult, mental exercise is encouraged.

Let’s look at some ways that you can physically and mentally exercise your Goldendoodle, to help you reach that two-hour threshold more easily.

Free Backyard Play

If you have a backyard with adequate fencing, then letting your Goldendoodle play as much as it likes is the best way to expend its excess energy. This can involve playing with toys on their own, or with a ball.

If you have a swimming pool, you can make use of it to play with very young or very old Goldendoodle for longer than you would have been able to otherwise, as pressure is taken off their joints.

Goldendoodle Swimming in the Pool
Goldendoodle Swimming in the Pool

Indoor Training

Sometimes, the weather is not great for playing outside. In cases like this, doing some simple training can stimulate your Goldendoodle’s mind.

This is also great for puppies as it is easy on the joints.

Training can range from running through tricks that they already know, rewarding them with treats as you do so, or teaching new ones.

Indoor Games

There are a variety of games that can be played indoors. Everything from hide and seek, finding treats or hidden toys, or even puzzles like this one that your Goldendoodle can play with on their own.

Some are more active than others, so make sure that you take your Goldendoodle’s specific requirements into account.

Grooming

This may sound a little bit counterintuitive at first. Surely, grooming your Goldendoodle is more difficult for you than it is for your dog? But it’s quite the opposite.

When you groom your Goldendoodle it needs to keep itself still. This can be difficult at times and requires great mental effort. The constant touching also stimulates the Goldendoodle mentally.

Grooming your Goldendoodle for twenty minutes will definitely not work as well as going for a hike. But, it is still very effective.

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