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Will not taking long walks worsen my dog's heart condition or shorten life?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 7 months old

It means if we don't take our dogs regularly for long walks instead of lead walks then our dogs heart condition can get worse ? Resulting in decrease life span ?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 29th, 2017

If your pet has an underlying heart condition right now, then regular walks (approx 30 minutes-1 hr) daily that are well tolerated by your pet should be fine, but you must check with your regular vet first to ensure this is ok. Some heart conditions are worse than others and will limit the amount of strenuous exercise the pet can do. Also always look at what your pet is doing clinically, because not every pet is going to fit into a specific time frame in which they can handle regular exercise. If your pet is struggling to breathe and collapsing on even short walks, then you have to use your best judgement and cut back on the length of time and distance so that your pet can easily manage it the next time. Walks don't decrease your pets life span, but if you push your pet too far, this can acutely cause complications for them, if there is an underlying heart condition. I hope this helps to answer your questions. Best wishes with Bruno.

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    Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    No this is not true. I think short regular walks are better for dogs that already have heart problems because they cannot tolerate longer walks any ways. If Bruno doesn't already have a heart condition then just regular walks and play, long or short, is what is beneficial. At the end of the day, it is usually their genetics which truly determine whether or not they develop heart disease and this isn't something you can change.

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