Five dog breeds that need less exercise than most people expect

All dogs need exercise, and even those that are widely thought of as being lazy or sedentary breeds generally need more exercise than they actually get. That said, there are also a number of dog breeds that tend to be perceived as needing more exercise or being harder to meet the needs of in this respect than is actually the case; which is what we’re going to look at within this article.

Read on to learn about five dog breeds that actually need less exercise than most people expect.

The Greyhound

The greyhound is quite commonly referred to by those in the know about the breed as “the world’s fastest couch potato!” People who have never owned a greyhound or that aren’t familiar with the breed often strongly assume that they need hours and hours of exercise and that they must be fizzy to the point of hyperactivity, and always in need of another run.

In fact, this misapprehension leads to a great many people that would find a greyhound to be the perfect fit for their lifestyle instead discounting the breed immediately as unsuitable before they even begin to consider them in detail. This is a particular shame as there are always a great many ex-racing greyhounds in need of homes; homes that they would spend most of their day dozing away happily in, not ripping the carpet apart and clamouring to go out for a run!

People often wrongly assume that the greyhound’s fast running speed also equates to the need for a huge amount of exercise, and the opposite is in fact the case. A greyhound is a sprinter, not a marathon runner, and as such they burn off a huge amount of energy in short, explosive bursts of running; and then need the afternoon off to recover!

Greyhounds do need a couple of walks a day and the chance at least once a day to run off the lead and get that massive burst of high-speed energy out of their systems. But aside from that, they truly are one of the laziest dogs of any size, but particularly for a large breed.

The Yorkshire Terrier

The Yorkshire terrier combines two different traits that are in many ways contradictory in terms of their natures; being both a toy dog breed and a terrier. Terriers as a general rule are some of the most high-energy dogs around, and they need more exercise than most other dog types of an equivalent size.

This means that even smaller terriers can be quite a handful and need several hours of exercise a day; and it is important to note that the Yorkshire terrier too can be excitable, quick, lively, and potentially a handful!

But the Yorkshire terrier is also a toy dog breed, which tempers this terrier trait; Yorkshire terriers tend to be energetic and lively on their walks (and can be fizzy and hard work if they are not walked enough) but they get this out of their systems quickly and do not need hours a day dedicated to letting them run about. Once more, a couple of half-hour walks per day is usually a great fit for the Yorkshire terrier.

The Irish Wolfhound

The Irish wolfhound is the second but not the last sighthound to make our list of dogs that need less exercise than you’d think; the greyhound of course being a sighthound too. What makes the Irish wolfhound fairly economical on the exercise front compared to what you might expect for a dog of this size is very similar to the situation with the greyhound.

Sighthounds of all types hunt by sight, and when they home in on prey they need to be able to draw on a very rapid and sudden burst of speed to stand a chance of catching it before it escapes.

Again though this means they burn off a lot of energy very quickly, and then tend to be quiet and like their naps the rest of the time! The average Irish wolfhound doesn’t quite reach greyhound levels of laziness, but they do tend to come a close second.

The Whippet

The whippet is sighthound number three, and this is one of the smaller sighthound breeds. Whippets are also a racing dog breed, having a very similar conformation and key traits to greyhounds but in miniature.

For all of these same reasons then, the whippet too tends to be fairly sedentary most of the day as long as they are able to hare around at top speed for half an hour a couple of times a day on their walks, making them a good pick for dog owners who want a dog that is fairly quiet in the house and that requires just a couple of daily walks that are not overly long.

The Clumber Spaniel

Finally, the clumber spaniel is one of the less common and lesser-known spaniel breeds, and if you’ve ever seen one, you will see that they’re also rather heavier built than most spaniels.

The spaniel dog type as a whole tends to be one that is hugely lively and that needs a lot of exercise and time spent out of doors; and while clumber spaniels are not what you’d call a strictly sedentary dog breed, they are notably lower in terms of their exercise stakes than most other types of spaniels.

Around an hour to an hour and a half of exercise per day is usually fine for a clumber.