Apparently research has recently shown that men who marry are three times more likely to become obese. I suspect it depends a little on the cooking expertise or otherwise of the pair.
I’m not overweight, according to my doctor, but I do find I do much more exercise if I have a dog to walk.
Signing up to walk energetic dogs is really doing one’s health a favour too. I count my steps each day on my phone app which is also quite motivating. Of course I can still make all the wrong choices in a restaurant menu unless I am closely supervised. I usually hold back on the desserts but the damage has already been done! Ha ha!
Keep on going on!
What have been the most energetic dog breeds that you’ve cared for?
Border Collies and Viszlas are my top two.
Border collies and multiple types of Spaniels
Sometimes it’s not the breed but the lack of training. We’ve sat for dogs that simply were not trained well and were massive leash pullers making it near impossible to walk them unless we were running at break-neck speed! We are not runners so this was a real challenge. These were rescue dogs, mixed breed.
The energetic breeds we love are Aussies and Border Collies - in this case we’ve sat then with large backyards for running and fetching.
We gain more fat when we are sitting. Usually we are way more active when we do not need to care for a dog. That’s why we only sit 3 or 4 times a year. We hike an awful lot, we hit the gym everyday, we go swimming, playing padel ball, we MTB… so for us dogsitting is the quiet time of the year. Where we sit down and work to be able to go bonkers for the rest of the year. 
Two Vizlas, one of whom I’m convinced was a Vizla/antelope cross!!
Good point. A well trained dog is often easy although high energy. They often have a lot of skills to play with. High energy dogs can also get a lot of energy out on brain work. I know high energy dogs that got a lot more chill when the owner engaged them in for instance training as a tracker dog.
Gordon Setters and Working Cockers! (They were also some of the most entertaining, affectionate and just all-round lovely dogs we’ve cared for.)
That’s very interesting. I have also found some dogs are severely put off by bad weather and don’t like getting wet. Few have waterproof coats provided, so walks are greatly shortened as a result. Seaside sits where there are opportunities for long walks on all weather surfaces often on the flat make for better walking opportunities. I like hiking when on home ground in Spain and UK but being on your own with dogs is new places can become risky for getting lost or accidents, particularly if the terrain is challenging.
I do feel a long walk without the company of a willing and obedient dog is a wasted opportunity! I often borrow dogs from friends if they still work and I know the dog would otherwise be left home alone for long periods of time.
I love being out in the country side with cocker spaniels, watching them tear around at high speed, and keep circling back to you is a joy. And (in my experience, at least) they don’t care about rain/cold/mud etc.
Their joie de vivre is infectious!
Oh, that’s really sweet of you to give the dogs a chance to get out and walk when their owners are busy or working. That’s honestly amazing.
Luckily, we’ve only had a couple of dogs who were really grumpy about walking in bad weather. It was always a bit of a struggle at first, but since we are total play addicts, it never stayed a problem once we got going. We play hide and seek, hide things, throw balls or take different routes where there are new scents to discover and it keeps things exciting. Having a dog is just such a joy. I think a lot of people who wouldn’t otherwise be motivated to go for walks alone could really benefit from having a dog.
In our town, there used to be a group of retirees who would meet up and walk other people’s dogs and it was a total win-win situation for everyone involved. The retirees stayed active, the dog owners got some relief and the dogs got socialized and exercised.
By the way, I always carry a Garmin GPSMAP 64 with me. It’s been my trusty companion for the last 10 years. I usually also have a small map with me just in case, but having it really gives peace of mind when you’re somewhere new. I’ve also had dogs where I thought, “Oh, they’ll know the way.” And the dog was probably thinking the same about me. More than once we found ourselves deep in the bushes, wide-eyed and wondering, “What’s next, Dr. Watson?” 
Love the idea of a retirees’ dog walking group. Can absolutely see how it would benefit dogs and walkers and owners who know their pets need to get out more. Sometimes an owner can be facing health and domestic issues which require a dog walker to relieve the pressure of exercising the dog on top of other duties that the owner may have had to assume, hopefully temporarily.
Trusted Housesitters is a great way of linking up the need with the solution so pets don’t miss out on their vital care and support. Of course it usually means one is replacing the Home Owner temporarily in their absence but sometimes people don’t stay but just pop in for daytime visits.
That would be breach of THS-terms.
« Within the TrustedHousesitters community, we have a minimum of one-night sit so we’re afraid to say sitters aren’t able to offer day care. »
https://support.trustedhousesitters.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4406169054481-Do-sitters-offer-day-care
Good to know.
The most energetic dog I’ve sat for has been a dobermann. She needed to be walked at least 5 miles a day. And yes, she pulled. Her owners put a lot work into trainer her, but she just couldn’t calm down. Despite the walks which were hard, she was one of my favorites. Unfortunately she died young.
Cocker spaniels, Springer Spaniels, Viszlas and some terriers.
I think the winner would be the retired police sniffer dog who clearly did not know that he was retired! The owners told us “You’ll never wear him out!” We saw this as a challenge, and one evening he was actually fighting to keep his eyes open. Like an overtired child who fights the urge to sleep!