My dog doesn’t require much, usually 3x 20-30 min a day. She will need that long as it takes a while to do her business in full. She is not at all finished after sitting down outside the house the first time.
A friend of mine has a breed with high activity need, and need proper exercise daily and preferably mind work daily. If not, the dog will be very energetic indoor, which is very tiring for the owner.
So follow the host and believe the host! It is often a reason. For several breeds you can know that they require a lot of exercise just knowing the breed. Could be even small dogs. Terriers and such are working breeds for a reason. While some very large dogs could be requiring less, or even need to be careful with their joints.
When my dog was young, I probably did at least this. Once she hit 3-4, she preferred her morning sleep as much as I did and was ok with 15-30 minutes in the morning and a longer walk in the evening. But I can also see some dogs continuing to need that much exercise.
Agreed that some small dogs actually need a lot of exercise, because they’re energetic. Also depends on age, health and background.
Our rescue terrier mix has tended toward not needing a lot of walking, maybe because he roamed the streets before being rescued. He’s always happy to come home and will resist walking when it rains, it snows or it’s hot. Even when he walks, he’s usually good for only 30 minutes or so. For him, 45 minutes would be a long walk.
My husband is willing and able to walk him regularly for miles, but our dog won’t – he’ll just stop walking when he feels like it sometimes, requiring being carried home.
My husband – who used to telecommute before retiring early a few years ago – also drives him to parks three or four times a week. Plus, we have a large yard, so he’s always got room to sniff, which he often enjoys more than walking.
He loves sniffing, because we have wildlife in our area. Like we’ve had deer, coyotes and such in our backyard. But our dog spends the most energy when he sees the neighbor dogs and runs back and forth like a nut job, barking at them.
I am so glad you asked this question! I only sit cats, and have often seen the postings for dogs and thought, How do people have time for that?
Particularly when I look at the listing photos and there is a huge fenced yard. I think, “Really, the dog can’t run around in the yard for most of the day plus get a shorter walk?” But since I know nothing about dogs - I’m glad YOU asked! I learned a lot from reading the thread. Including the fact that I’m sticking with cats!
There are also some sits that inflate the length and number of dog walks no question @TheBrandons0819 - we’ve had several where the overweight or ancient pooch looks at us after 20 minutes & says, pleeeeease can we go home Some HOs do like to get “value” out of their THS sitter’s. #gottheirnumber
I sat a dog like that. I noticed he was dragging toward the end of his main walk of the day, so I adjusted his walks – same amount of total time, just spread out differently, to avoid wearing him down.
It also might’ve been boredom with the same routine, same streets. I ended up driving us to different neighborhoods for most of the sit and he seemed more engaged. He was especially excited about going to the beach.
His humans wrote a great review and joked that other hosts should be prepared for their dogs to greet them with mixed feelings on their return, since he went out on many more adventures with me.
On another sit, I was shocked by how little walking the dog got, probably because the hosts didn’t like being out in hot and humid weather. I felt sorry for the dog and walked her longer. She enjoyed herself and pooped a few times a day, instead of once a day, as her humans had told me. Walking (or other activity) helps stimulate dogs’ bowels, among other things.
We definitely prefer shorter walks these days . In the past we’ve been quite happy to walk for an hour or two but nowadays prefer shorter walks but don’t mind doing that a couple of times a day. We’ve had spaniels all our life and think maybe we’ve worn our little legs out from the long long walks we’ve done over the years .
Nowadays we prefer easier sits, just one easy dog and maybe a cat as well . We’ve definitely become more selective in our sits.
It has some to do with age also, as Maggie8k says.
Sat a very small dog once, and overlooked the fact that it was a teen.
Agree with Cuttlefish that some hosts might describe an ideal day for the dog and not what they actually do. If one wonder about this, one can ask in videocall what a normal day would look like for «Bob». Then the numbers might not add up.
But I never apply for a sit if I won’t happily do the requirements of the sit. Then it isn’t a good match for me. That is sometimes advice that some hosts get here on forum if they can’t seem to get a good match - evaluate the requirements and see what is need to have and not nice to have. It is all about a good match. If it is not a good match - don’t do it. It won’t be nice and as a result might end up in a meh review.
Yup. If I had young kids and telecommuted, I wouldn’t even sit dogs. I don’t know how there’d be enough time to walk them and all. Plus, it would take more attention to watch out for the kids and the dog(s) on outings.
We sat a tiny puppy, the limit for its walks were 20-30 mins. We also carried it or popped it into a trolley. The HO was tracking it via GPS- we’d ‘hoped’ they’d realise we weren’t making it walk for 2-3 hours
I normally take my canine charges on different walks, but then I feel sorry for them when the HOs get back knowing they’ll be doing the same walk every day
I also don’t take dogs on long walks or more walks without letting hosts know, because maybe they don’t want their dogs to be “spoiled” or deviated from their routines. I usually gauge by sharing in updates that we’ve started walking a bit more, including pictures. Then if the hosts don’t object, I gauge whether I can go farther. And I always ask ahead whether the dog(s) are good with car rides. If hosts say no, I abide by that.
I’ve taken some sit dogs on loads of sightseeing and adventures, including riding hop on, hop off tour buses, taking sightseeing boats and Ferris wheels.
On one sit, friends happened to be visiting London and they came to visit Stratford-upon-Avon for the day. I was sitting there and my sit dog and I met them for lunch out and we walked around for hours, showing my friends around.
By then, I was repeat sitting that highly social dog and knew his humans welcomed him having even long outings. He did well even when we went to fetes and other community events with large crowds, kids and other dogs.
One of my other hosts noted in her review that her friends bumped into her dog and me repeatedly while we were sightseeing. She was happy to hear from them (as well as in my updates) how much fun her dog and I had together.
Another host noted that after I left, their dog kept wanting to walk more. That was a dog who got shockingly little walking from their humans. I hope they maybe considered giving her more. Such a sweet, gentle dog and they adored her, but didn’t walk much, unfortunately.
For many dogs, perhaps not all, a walk is not just about physical exercise. Their ‘sniffari (sniff + safari)” is perhaps akin to checking their social media. What other dogs have been around, any wild animals, meeting other dogs, meeting humans. It’s mental stimulation that they don’t get from being in a yard alone.
Cats get bored with routine, too. I set up a mini “scent safari”: close off a room, hide a few strongly scented treats, and tuck small cardboard squares lightly spritzed with different scents (perfume, cooking spray—anything distinct) into corners. I note each spot for easy cleanup, then let them back in; scent-driven as they are, they love the hunt. To the point of this thread, I wouldn’t do this daily—once a week is plenty, and I’d likely pass on any sit that expected it every day.
As for dogs, my inexperience shows: I didn’t realize pups need their own “social scent media” and that a yard alone isn’t enough. It’s a good reminder for HOs to match sitters with the right species experience!
Dogs vary on this, though they usually like to sniff. I sat one that I joked sniffed like everything was a crime scene he had to figure out and his job depended on it.
I love walking - by myself So for me, ideal sits are either cat sits, or older dogs that need around 35-45 minutes a day, and I’ll happily add some twice daily 15 minute sniffs around the block to make it interesting for the dogs. But for the other 1-2 hours that I have available for walks, I prefer to walk/explore by myself, at my own pace.
It depends if I have the kids with me or not. We are able to handle high maintenance animals when they are with me since we can take turns on walks. Recently my husband and I completed two catsits and a Dogsit. After we finished the three, my husband requested that in the future if it’s just the two of us, he would rather I focus on applying to catsits
It’s very true that the amount of sniffing a dog likes to do ranges from a cursory check to a full on forensic examination. I like the description of a dog sniffing like everything was a crime scene and I’ll share it.
and was ok with 15-30 minutes in the morning and a longer walk in the evening. But I can also see some dogs continuing to need that much exercise.
Some HOs do like to get “value” out of their THS sitter’s. 
So for me, ideal sits are either cat sits, or older dogs that need around 35-45 minutes a day, and I’ll happily add some twice daily 15 minute sniffs around the block to make it interesting for the dogs. But for the other 1-2 hours that I have available for walks, I prefer to walk/explore by myself, at my own pace.