Size vs. Exercise....

[DD4MSpock]

I know this could apply to other breeds, but I want to focus specifically on dobies. How much (and what type of) exercise do you give your dobies and is it, at all, based on their size, height, weight, build, etc.)? I can imagine standard "mid-sized" US dobies being able to handle a significant amount of vigorous exercise (show jumping, course training, frisbee playing, etc.), whereas for a much larger, heavier "hulking" dobie (a European, perhaps), I might not want to exercise in the same way, as all that show jumping or frisbee playing etc. might eventually have negative effects on the joints, etc I might stick to just basic running and "ground based" exercise for a larger, heavier dobie. I would not have them try for much "air," as I would not want to risk any leg/joint injuries because of their size/weight, etc.

So, what say you? Does "size matter?"

 

[Ravenbird]

My opinion, yes, heavier dogs cannot tolerate the same type and amount of exercise. I don't doubt that they can be trained and worked up to equal amounts of work but the wear & tear and ease of the exercise would be different. A lighter type of dog - say 2 male dogs same height at the withers - one a greyhound and one a St. Bernard running freely across a field with some downed trees to jump over - the ease and grace of the greyhound will obviously look different than the lumbering gallop and "probably" not the best jumping style of a "thick" breed. I just picked these two breeds out of nowhere, for a visual example, because that to me, is what an athletic slim Doberman looks like compared to a hyper type Euro Dobe. My dog is 3/4 Euro, but working types, not hyper-types, so she's slim and muscular and at female standard of 25 1/2" she has only tipped the scale at 70 lbs once or twice. Mostly stays around 68.

 

[remy]

I would consider my boy “mid-sized”. He’s 80lbs and around 27 inches to the withers. He does a lot of different exercises/activities. Canine conditioning exercises, bikejoring, trotting along the bike/road work, walks, agility class (occasionally), etc…

He gets some type of exercise daily, usually a combination of things I mentioned above. I wouldn’t say I limit any certain type of exercise based on his size. I just try to be mindful of not overworking him. For example, I typically don’t bikejor 2 days in a row, especially if we went longer distance, since it’s high intensity with the pulling and running.

He does take Glycoflex 3 (a hip and joint supplement) daily. I’ve had his hips and elbows x-rayed and graded by OFA so I know there are no existing issues, but I like to give the supplement to preserve things and hopefully prevent any problems.

 

[Sunje]

Dobermans are supposed to be a medium breed, not a large one, so yes, all the "Euro" hypertype dogs are not correct. I think these Euro dogs at 100+ lb are definitely going to have more problems with jumping up/over. Brio is American-bred, 77 lb. He goes for a daily run (ie, running loose for about 45 min), going up and down hills, over logs, etc, mostly at full speed. I don't ask him for much in the way of jumping up, as I think it's hard on the joints anyway. But he does run. We do obedience work and he plays fetch. I just watch him closely so we don't overdo the exercise.

 

[Gelcoater]

the "Euro" hypertype dogs are not correct. I think these Euro dogs at 100+ lb are definitely going to have more problems with jumping up/over.

I present the anomaly of this
Rocky. 31” at the withers, 95-100lbs at his peak.
That retaining wall at my moms house is 54”
He saw a cat up there and went from grass to dirt, never touched the bricks.


He could run faster than Tesa with a tail Rottweiler that weighed about 85lbs.
he was a couple years older than her.


His hips did eventually start giving him some slow to get up moments at about 9 years old.
At 11 years he could still be on his feet in 1.3 seconds if there was a cat outside
Up until he was 7-8 we were doing 2-4 mile walks a few times a week.

 

[Fladobe]

My dobes are standard size. Did not begin real exercise till after 15 months. They are with almost all the time so they are in out of my truck constantly. I let them jump in but I have made it a point to not let them launch out , I will grab them by the harness keep them from a hard landing on the front paws and shoulder. It just seems that overtime this could be a point where some issues may come up in the later years.
The one thing we do religiously is run them as fast as they can go. I have a side by side and we will run sprints at least two times a day. This has been the best form of exercise for them , in fact I will be getting another one that goes faster because my current one top speed is only 27mph and they will catch of with me and tend to get in front.
When I first got the female it was at 18 months and she was a house dog that that I do think had ever got to move faster than a walk. I was really worried thinking I had got such a poorly bred dog that she had hip displaysia. Once she learned how to run she really shaped up so nice and I currently call her the "fastest doberman in the world" .
I only feed them to how much activity they have each day. If it is a lazy day their rations are usually cut by half.
Summer heat is the only problem we will do our hardest workouts at dusk or during or after rain.

 

[ABCDogs]

Yes, I do take into account the size of my Doberman when choosing activities to do with him.

My guy is on the larger side of the standard, he’s healthy at a little over 90 pounds. I don’t worry too much about limiting normal activity, but I don’t force or ask for anything crazy. I wouldn’t do agility with him, for example. And I won’t run him in fastCAT either, even though I had no hesitations running my little tar terrier mix a few years ago. She was in the top 50 12-18” All American dogs at one point. But he runs wild in the yard and does all kinds of acrobatics when chasing his Jumbler toy. And I don’t help him in or out of the car.

Part of what eases my mind for just general activity is that he’s a very balanced dog. I’ve been told a few times that he could finish, and I don’t think all of the people who have said that were just blowing smoke (one lady was for sure, but it’s still a nice thing to say). I have no interest in conformation, but it is very nice to know he’s structurally sound.

I also keep my dogs lean and try to keep them well-conditioned. That does a lot to help reduce wear and tear doing daily activities.

 

[Fladobe]

fastest doberman

 

[Js4fn]

 

[JanS]

I do believe size matters for the reasons stated above.

Our boy Elroy is on the top end of the standard measuring about 28" and weighing about 90#. He can do a lot of work and I've considered doing weight pull and things like that with him. He can also run like heck but I just let him get that sort of exercise by free will out in the yard.

Olive is on the petite side of the female standard measuring about 24.5" and weighing about 60#. She is the one I would put in FastCat or Precision Coursing since she's a little pocket rocket.

 

[Ravenbird]

That retaining wall at my moms house is 54”
He saw a cat up there and went from grass to dirt, never touched the bricks.

He's a large dog, but not a heavy thick look to him. I think he has an athletic build. Many "overdone" euros don't look athletic at all.
And again, the regular training/exercise being the question is how would he hold up if he was this active every day. LOL, obviously not 54" jumps.

 

[Ddski5]

Last weighed, Freyja was 80# and of normal height. She exercises often but can also sleep all day long during the rainy days. I was just thinking the other day about the chaos she instilled during her puppy, DoberShark and Doberteen days. What a huge difference of her from now to back then.

I’ve often wondered about throwing that rope ball. Freyja fricking loves jumping in the air and catching it off the first bounce. Her jump is pretty high and the landing is not quaint or soft at all- leaves and dirt flying everywhere. We do this everyday prob 7-8x two to three times a day and when I see her speediness dropping down to a trot, we stop. Is a Doberman built for this? Not for sure but she absolutely loves doing it. Are ACL/MCL/PCL tears common in Dobermans??

She runs 5k with me 2x week- we run at a 8:50-9:10 pace. Running at this pace is a full trot for her. I think it’s funny because if I push and hit 8:40, it puts her into a run stride and she looks up at me- like really Dad, slow your ass down. We do not run during the summer because the asphalt road is too hot for her foot pads.

 

[Ravenbird]

Freyja is built for athletic activities - seems like most of the Melrae dogs I see here are that way. Jumping IS hard on joints, and I cringe when Asha jumps for a high ball then comes down rough... but if they are fit to begin with they should be pretty resilient. I'd think that Agility sport would be hardest on a dog of Doberman size and up, but not occasion jumps. With jumper horses you train day to day on low to medium jumps even if your trials are 4' jumps. You don't train daily on 4' jumps. Same with endurance riding. I never rode more than 25 miles to get ready for a 50 mile ride. Dobermans, as a breed usually have good to excellent hips and normal elbows on their OFA reports. Hip dysplasia is not common in the breed. I think the only ACL tears I've seen are related more to early spay/neuter than to activity. That said anytime you push exercise beyond fitness level, just like people, is probably the main cause of injury.
Regarding the size of the dog, as @Gelcoater offered, size doesn't prevent ability, but structure, fitness, soundness is what makes a difference in daily exercise regime.