I’ve recently applied for a sit & am questioning the owner about various things. She has an Airedale Terrier who will be 14 months when the sit starts. As I enjoy walking I asked how long he can walk for. She tells me he’s not very fit & hardly manages a km without sitting down, which I think unusual. I believe at his age he should be walking for at least an hour. Has anyone had a similar experience? It sounds as if it could be a rather dull sit!
I am wondering about the same thing. Not longer than 60 minutes, said the welcome guide. Sure, it is a race with a long back and short legs, but for a dog that is only a year old?
I don’t know if this might be such a case, but I sat a young dog that used to walk out, then stopped during the pandemic. She became anxious, according to the HO. So even though I’d expected to walk her, she actually never left the house or yard.
The HO said I could try to take her out, but he doubted she’d go. One nice afternoon, I tried. She reached only a few steps before she heard another dog barking and started trembling. I took her back in immediately, because of course you shouldn’t force a poor dog like that.
She seemed perfectly happy in the house and yard. She also was on dog Prozac or such. The HO was able to take her to the beach sometimes, but he had a car and I didn’t.
She was clearly very much loved by the HO. And she had a very sweet, loving nature. I still miss her.
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It won’t be due to the pandemic as he’s too young so wouldn’t have been affected
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@Smiley , I think it’s an anxiety issue. A rescue dog, a Corgi, owned by our neighbors used to do that. He would stop wherever he felt like while on the lead and lie down in the street. I saw the same thing while walking my pet sit doggie in NYC. A golden retriever refused to go on while on a walk and lay down on the pavement. They should discuss this with their vet and maybe consult a behaviorist.
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Thanks @mars I’ll suggest that to them. As it stands not sure it’s the sit for me. Should go with my gut instinct!
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@Smiley that is unusual as @mars says the pet parents/owners should consult their vet, always recommended for any unusual/unexplained behavior
@pietkuip I think you are confusing the breeds … perhaps with Dachshunds?
Airedale Terriers are generally known for their high energy levels. Given that the Airedale is the largest of all terriers, that energy must be channeled into safe outlets. Fortunately, Airedales love to play with other family members. A daily play session of moderate length, in addition to walks (or backyard time) several times a day, should be enough to satisfy the Airedale’s exercise requirements. Airedales play well with children, but interactions with toddlers and smaller children should be closely supervised. Airedales are rangy but strong; that strength, combined with a boisterous personality, can lead to mishaps.
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Don´t know about other breeds but apparently, these are typical corgis - very independent, stubborn, strongminded herding dogs who want to do as they please. Power struggle. The corgi I sat a few months ago (and will sit again in a few days) did exactly the same thing so I did some reading about it. 
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Interesting @RadarInc. That Corgi was also incontinent. I took care of a darling Corgi who was very cooperative.
My upcoming sit is a young dachshund and the “60 minutes” was in the welcome guide that I got.
I am not knowledgeable about this kind of things but it would surprise me if more than an hour of physical activity would be detrimental for any healthy young dog. (Of course I will keep to the instructions, it is just a few days anyway.)
It seemed to be more of an anxiety issue that developed during the pandemic; that can happen anytime apparently. Dog breeds tend to show patterns of behavior, but ultimately they differ and various dogs can have different health issues, including anxiety. If I’d not seen and felt that poor dog trembling, I wouldn’t have thought of such an anxiety toward walks, which so many dogs love. And the odd thing was, she seemed healthy in all other respects.
It’s fascinating how dogs have different mental health / behavioral challenges. The sad thing is of course that they can’t talk so we can better help them.
Tangentially, my husband and I rescued a dog with serious issues. He’d been damaged. We tried to get him help in various forms, including a dog behavioralist. It was expensive and the wait was four months. Apparently there are many more pets with issues than humans who can treat them, even putting costs aside. Our dog’s health care has been significantly more expensive than ours. With a physical health issue that required a dog specialist, I had to make countless calls for help. I ended up finding someone who made visits to clinics in several states and would work hours away from us only on rotations. So our dog had to wait two months in that case. It can be hard to help our pets sometimes, even when the humans are willing. And even professional treatment isn’t guaranteed to work.
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Thanks @Angela_L. I sat an Airedale in NZ in 2019 who was 14 months and he was typical of the breed. He went to doggy day care twice a week to run off energy with his pals, and I spent ages throwing a ball for him and the other dog. He was very jumpy & chewy…in fact he was called Chewie (short for Chewbacca of ‘Star Wars’
)
I haven’t withdrawn my application yet but think I will as he sounds like he’d be hard work if he’s not using energy walking. I get so much pleasure from dog walking so this sit would be quite frustrating I think. I’ve explained to the owner how surprised I am about the Airedale’s lack of interest in walking and if she’s taken him to the vet about it. I’ll come back with her response
Update on my application. After a few days when I’d asked the owner if she’d discussed the puppy’s lack of interest in walking with her vet she decided she’d take my application no further. I had decided I’d withdraw anyway.
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I feel how long a dog is prepared to walk could be reflective of the length of the walks the owner takes them on on a regular basis and what they get used to perhaps?
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Hello @wendywindow and a warm welcome to the Community Forum and it’s lovely to see you joining in with this thread. 
For reference if you are a member and once your listing is completed you can also add your TrustedHousesitters profile on to your Forum profile by following the attached link, should you wish. This will then enable others to offer you helpful advice and feedback.
If you are unsure how to do this, or if you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to ask, we are all more than happy to help.
Also, remember you can use the spyglass symbol at the top of the page next to the TrustedHousesitters logo and search for any questions that you may have as they have most likely already been answered on here and of course if not then please just ask!
I have attached a thread below, it would be great if you could join in with this as we think you could offer great feedback and your input would be a great addition 
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You do have to make sure you don’t over exercise puppies and young dogs @pietkuip or you’ll give them stress fractures. An hour is too much for some young dogs. Just double check with the HO. Breeds really vary. 
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Yes could be….
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My dog is very small, so he can’t go for super long walks. I think it all depends on their breed but I agree that sometimes it has to do with their age or how often the owner goes for walks with their dog.
Just as humans who don’t get much exercise can’t walk as long, the same is true for animals. If they are not accustomed to long walks, they will not have the stamina to do so while you are caring for them.