Your Cavapoo is bursting with energy. You try to accommodate that as much as you can and exercising really helps. Still, you’re not sure if you’re overexercising or even under-exercising your canine companion. How much exercise should a Cavapoo get?
Cavapoos need about 30 to 60 minutes of moderate exercise per day. Since this is a small to mid-sized mixed breed, strenuous exercise for hours is too intense. That said, if 60 minutes a day doesn’t seem to satisfy your dog, you can increase their exercise time moderately.
In this guide to Cavapoo (aka Cavoodle) exercise, we’ll present information on how much exercise your dog needs by age as well as how far you two should walk. We’ll even recommend some of our preferred Cavapoo exercises, so make sure you keep reading!
How Much Exercise a Cavapoo Needs by Age
| Age | Exercise Requirement |
| 8 weeks | 10 minutes |
| 16 weeks | 20 minutes |
| 9 months | 45 minutes |
| 12 Months | 60 to 120 minutes |
| Adulthood | 60 to 120 minutes or longer |
| Senior years | 30 minutes |
Let’s begin by going over the exercise needs of your Cavapoo across its various life stages from puppydom to its golden years.
8 Weeks
The rule of thumb when determining how much to exercise a puppy is to multiply their age in months by five minutes.
Since an eight-week-old Cavapoo puppy is only two months old, the dog should get 10 minutes of exercise a day, tops.
16 Weeks
At the 16-week mark, your Cavapoo is ready for more daily exercise, 20 minutes per day instead of 10 minutes.
Keep in mind that you do not have to exhaust your dog for 20 consecutive minutes.
If you have a five-minute play session in the morning, a longer 10-minute play session later, and then another five-minute play session in the evening, that suffices. It’s still 20 minutes!
9 Months
Now your Cavapoo has grown in leaps and bounds. They’re barely a puppy anymore, although they still technically qualify.
With your Cavapoo’s growth will come an influx of energy. You can keep your dog engaged in exercise for upwards of 45 minutes per day at nine months old.
We want to remind you that this does not have to be a consecutive exercise. Also, it’s okay if the exercise time isn’t 45 minutes right off the bat.
The jump from 20 minutes of exercise to 45 can be a lot, so work your way up to the 45-minute mark slowly.
12 Months
Your Cavapoo is officially a year old! The dog is no longer a puppy and is considered fully grown. They’ll have the most propensity for exercise now, so you might as well take advantage of that by playing a lot with your dog.
At the very least, you want to aim for 60 minutes of exercise per day. A few times a week, if you can double that number, then do it! It’s for the health of your dog.
Adulthood
Into adulthood, your Cavapoo will show no signs of slowing down for many years yet. They can continue to maintain the same exercise schedule that you established upon their first birthday. They have the stamina, energy, and youth for it, after all!
Senior Years
Eventually, though, your Cavapoo will begin to slow down. You don’t have to stop exercising them altogether when your dog reaches their senior years, but you do want to scale things back considerably.
Rather than an hour or two of play daily, your senior Cavapoo only needs 30 minutes of physical activity per day. Daily walks are still fine, but it might be time to retire the runs. Another strenuous activity is out of the picture as well.
What Happens If You Don’t Exercise a Cavapoo?
Listen, life happens to us all. You might have a very long day at work (or a long week) and you’re struggling to muster any energy to keep up with your Cavapoo. Perhaps the weather has been consistently rainy or snowy and you can’t get your dog outside safely.
While a day or two of inactivity isn’t the end of the world, you do want to prioritize playtime for your Cavapoo as often as you can. Even if you have to play inside, it’s still better than nothing.
If your Cavapoo goes too long without exercise, here are the potential consequences.
Frustration
Some people think that dogs cannot feel frustration, but they most certainly can.
Your Cavapoo might roll its eyes at you, give you a blank stare, reduce its affection, do the side-eye glance, or hide whenever you come around.
Your Cavapoo is trying to tell you as much as they can nonverbally that they’re not happy with the lack of exercise. Once you begin resuming your physical fitness routine, your dog’s frustration should soon melt away.
Boredom
It’s not just that a dog lacks a physical outlet when they don’t exercise but they’re not receiving any mental stimulation either.
How do you feel when you sit around the house all day doing nothing? You’re bored out of your skull, right?
Well, your Cavapoo is bored as well. By picking up a treat toy or a ball and tossing it around, you can help your pup quickly overcome its boredom.
Lethargy
Dogs are adaptable little creatures. If you treat your Cavapoo to a lazy life for long enough, you might notice something curious. When you want to take them outside again for a jog, your dog won’t want to budge.
They’ve become lethargic, and now they prefer snoozing in their bed or sitting on the couch.
It can take some time to undo this behavior, so it’s best to not let your Cavapoo get lethargic in the first place.
Weight Gain
Like people, dogs need to balance what they eat and do. If they go too heavy on the kibble or the treats and aren’t exercising, then your Cavapoo can begin packing on the pounds.
When your dog becomes overweight or obese, its health is severely at risk. Carrying around extra fat increases your Cavapoo’s risk of some cancers, gastrointestinal problems, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.
You’ll have to put your dog on a diet and get them back into a regular exercise routine ASAP.
Destruction
Cavapoos are quite energetic. They have to release all that energy somehow, and if you’re not playing with them or taking them out on a walk, that doesn’t leave your dog with that many options.
Your Cavapoo can begin tearing up the furniture, ripping your shoes, stripping the wallpaper from the walls, or otherwise causing household destruction. It spends their energy, at least!
Remember, a tired dog is a well-behaved dog.
Is It Bad to Overexercise a Cavapoo?
Perhaps you go too far in the opposite direction, and you overexercise your Cavapoo. They seem like they can keep up well enough, so you figure out what’s the harm, right?
Actually, there’s quite a lot of harm! Here’s what’s at stake if you overdo the exercise with your Cavapoo.
Exhaustion
You can only keep pushing yourself so far before you collapse, and that’s true of your Cavapoo as well. If they’re collapsing into their bed as soon as they get in the door without drinking any water and this happens every time you exercise, then you’re overdoing it.
It’s only a matter of time before the dog collapses in the middle of your walk.
Lethargy
This time, the lethargy isn’t caused by a taste of the lazy life. Rather, your Cavapoo is eager for some relaxation, so they’ll try to stay in their bed for as long as they can so they don’t have to spend hours outside playing or running.
Anxiety
Most dogs live for that moment when you hold up their leash and ask, “walk?” Not all dogs necessarily feel the same way, though.
If your Cavapoo knows that every time they go on a walk that something bad happens (exhaustion or pain, for instance), then they could develop anxiety around going on walks.
When you grab their leash, your Cavapoo runs, hides, or pretends they don’t hear you.
This is bad considering that your dog going outside to do their business is not optional, so you don’t want to create a phobia around walking.
Injuries
A dog’s body needs time to recover between bouts of exercise just as yours does. If you continue to push your Cavapoo to the limit every single day without a break, then your dog is going to be more prone to injuries.
These injuries, depending on the severity, could affect the dog’s mobility.
How Far Should You Walk a Cavapoo? What About Running Them?
You don’t want to overexercise your Cavapoo after reading the last section, and you certainly don’t want them to not get enough exercise either.
Keeping that in mind, how far is the right distance for your dog to walk? How about running?
A healthy adult Cavapoo should walk 1.5 kilometers in about 20 or 30 minutes. This isn’t quite a mile, but it’s close.
If you’re only exercising for that long, then you won’t quite walk a mile. If you go on an hour-long walk with your dog, then you’ll log more than two miles a day.
Cavapoos can handle walks that are five miles and some even up to 10 miles, but no more than that.
What about running? Cavapoos are smaller dogs, but they can run rather quickly. That said, you don’t want to push your dog too far, so running about two miles is best.
The Best Exercises for Cavapoos
Keeping your Cavapoo mentally and physically engaged through exercise is for their health and well-being. To wrap up, here are some of the top exercises for Cavapoos.
Fetch
Fetch is a timeless game between man and dog that your Cavapoo won’t tire of either. If you want, you can always throw a stick, but a toy can be good as well.
We like the Eastblue chew toy for medium-sized dogs. This rubber chew toy is a bright, bold color and features grooves throughout that can clean your dog’s teeth and massage their gums.
Walking
Walking will always be the go-to exercise for dogs. To keep your Cavapoo mentally stimulated on your walks, be sure to take a new route every now and again. You’re opening up a brand new world of sights and sounds that your dog will be eager to explore!
Running or Hiking
If your Cavapoo is of an age and energy level where they’re up for more vigorous activity, you can always take them on a run around your neighborhood or a hike at a local park or nature preserve.
Even running around your backyard will burn out your Cavapoo’s energy.
Treat Toys
Playing with treat toys is a great way to keep your Cavapoo’s mind and body busy without your direct intervention.
The Pet Zone IQ treat ball is a puzzle toy that’s sure to confound your Cavapoo until they eventually figure it out.
This treat toy uses sliders and levers that your dog has to figure out to get to what’s inside – the treats!
Conclusion
Cavapoos need varying amounts of exercise throughout their lives. What matters most is that you keep the exercise consistent to prevent weight gain, lethargy, boredom, and household destruction!
Related Reading:
- Cavapoo Energy Levels – Are They High Energy?
- Do Cavapoos Like Long Walks? Answered!
- How Many Walks a Day Does a Cavapoo (Cavoodle) Need?
- Are Cavapoos High-Maintenance?
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- Is It OK for a Dog to Wear a Harness All Day and Night?
- 9 Dog-Friendly Camping Spots Near Salt Lake City and Provo
- Barrel Chested Dog Breeds Explained
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