By Krista Halling DVM DACVS

We often assume that as our dog gets older and has trouble rising, they should slow down. Inactivity however doesn’t protect our senior dogs; instead it can accelerate both mental and physical decline as they age. Here we review the age-related changes in senior dogs, and how targeted physical activity is key to keeping them healthy and mobile.

Aging and deconditioning

As dogs age, their bodies change. They lose muscle mass (sarcopenia), their joints become stiffer, and their cardiovascular capacity declines. These are well-documented biological processes in aging dogs. In fact, obesity, sarcopenia and sedentary living are three age-related causes of impaired mobility in both people and dogs. And mobility is a huge indicator of one’s quality-of-life.

And here’s a key point: These age-related changes are not caused by doing too much exercise. Just the opposite, they are made worse by the absence of it.

• Muscle strength is maintained through use
• Joint cartilage cells depend on movement for their nutrition and health
• Bone density responds to loading
• Cardiovascular health is improved through aerobic activity
• Body condition score: as lean muscle mass decreases, body fat percentage often increases to the point of the dog becoming overweight or obese
• Balance and co-ordination rely on continued feedback from various terrain surfaces
• Brain function and mental health rely on stimulation and activity for emotional and cognitive wellness

When physical movement slows down or decreases, these systems likewise decline more rapidly. This is the “use it or lose it” principle seen across species—including humans. An older dog is equally affected.

Changes during dog aging

Understanding what’s changing helps explain why exercise matters so much.

Muscle loss (sarcopenia): Older dogs naturally lose lean muscle mass, especially in the hind limbs. This affects their strength, stability, and mobility.

Joint changes and osteoarthritis: Cartilage becomes less resilient, and many senior dogs develop osteoarthritis—often before owners notice obvious lameness.

Reduced proprioception: Dogs become less aware of where their body is in space (known as proprioception), increasing the risk of injury from slips, falls, or missteps.

Obesity: As a dog’s activity decreases, unless caloric intake is similarly reduced, they are at high risk of becoming overweight or obese. This in turn increases the dog’s risk for developing chronic metabolic disorders, cardiovascular health issues, and joint problems. In fact, overweight dogs with osteoarthritis can improve their comfort and function simply by reducing their body fat.

Cognitive decline: Senior dogs can develop cognitive dysfunction, similar to dementia, affecting memory, learning, and behaviour.

Why exercise is essential as dogs age

Appropriate exercise directly targets all of these changes.

Muscle and strength: Mechanical loading helps maintain muscle mass and slows sarcopenia.

Joint health: Movement promotes synovial fluid circulation, which nourishes cartilage and reduces stiffness. Exercise is also beneficial for most dogs who already have osteoarthritis.

Metabolic health: Regular activity helps prevent weight gain and supports metabolic function.

Brain health: Physical activity and environmental enrichment are associated with improved cognitive function in aging dogs.

Emotional wellbeing: Exercise helps reduces anxiety, maintains engagement, and supports normal behavior patterns (Hetts et al., 1992).

So…how much exercise does a senior dog need?

There isn’t a single number for every dog. I’d suggest starting with what your dog is currently successfully managing and if desired, build up from there. If your dog already has some mobility issues or joint problemns, check with your veterinarian for the types of activities best suited for your dog. 

Exercising senior dogs generally has the following components::

Frequency over intensity

• Multiple shorter sessions are often better than one long one. Joints gets stiff when they are immobile for long periods. By having your dog be active for short periods 2-3 times per day, for instance, this reduces the risk of overdoing it, while also decreasing the length of their sedentary periods.
• Gentle, regular loading is what maintains tissue health

The adaptive zone

Ideally, you want to prevent your dog from doing too little or too much exercise. Too little activity results in the aforementioned deconditioning effects. Whereas doing too much (i.e too long, too fast, or too difficult – such as hills) can tear muscles and tendons, inflame joint tissue, cause your dog to fall or mis-step due to fatigue, or to overheat.

There’s a Goldilocks middle ground where their body adapts positively. it’s called the adaptive zone and it challenges their body systems just enough so that they respond by becoming stronger. Your goal is to have your dog in this adaptive zone, where movement builds strength without risking tissue injury.

How to stay in the adaptive zone:

• As your veterinarian what activities are appropriate for your dog’s health status and current conditioning level.
• Gradual increase: If you increase the activity, do it gradually and don’t increase the duration, speed, and difficulty all at once. Pick one of those parameters to increase while leaving the other two the same or slightly decreased.
• Watch your dog carefully during the activity for early signs of fatigue and stop at that point. Dogs often get excited during outdoor activity and that dopamine drive may mean that they persist despite their body being tired. Stop the activity when your dog shows early signs of overheating or fatigue. Dogs can be subtle at showing these signs. It often manifests by them slowing down a bit, panting continuously, or their tongue tip curled up. Time to STOP.
• Watch your dog after the activity. Stiffness initially upon rising can be a normal consequence of lying down (joints stiffen up when not being moved); but lameness/limping upon rising often suggests they did too much. If that occurs, give your dog a break and try again at a lower duration or intensity.
• Rest days: try not to condition the same muscle groups multiple days in a row. Give them a day off, and give your dog 1-2 rest days per week (walks are fine but don’t do “conditioning” activities every day).

The best types of exercise for senior dogs

This is where dogpacking can be really helpful for a senior dog, because it combines movement, variability, bonding, and environmental enrichment.

1. Nature walks

Walking in natural environments at your dog’s chosen pace is a valuable form of exercise for senior dogs.

• Low-impact (if on soft terrain)
• Promotes joint motion
• Promotes proprioception if on varied terrain
• Offers mental enrichment and olfactory exploration

Here I’ve specified walking in nature compared to walking on an urban sidewalk to highlight some differences. By all means, walk your dog on a city sidewalk, but it’s good to remember that by adding a bit of green space (such as a local park or bit of lawn), and varied terrain (grass, wood chips, sand, dirt), you’re providing your dog with benefits to their proprioceptive and balance system, lower impact than concrete, and nature-based violative organic compounds which offer olfactory enrichment.

Keep in mind that a walk does not typically enhance a dog’s muscle strength or aerobic fitness. That’s where other activities come in.

2. Strength through natural movement

Strength building through slightly challenging activities such as:

• Walking up and down hills (lower impact than stairs)
• Step-overs (logs, rocks)
• Sit-to-stand transitions

These movements help maintain muscle, coordination, and joint stability.

3. Low-impact aerobic activity

Dogs inherently have a high aerobic capacity. This means that a walk – while good for general movement, proprioception, and environmental enrichment – is typically too slow to condition their aerobic system. To improve aerobic and cardiovascular fitness, you want them to exercising hard enough to create a light pant. Depending on your dog’s ability and preferences, here are some aerobic exercises:

• Swimming: this is low-impact and excellent for aerobic fitness (if done for long enough) and joint range of motion. If capable, aim for your dog to do a couple of 5-10 minute sessions, with a lifejacket for buoyancy and to mitigate water inhalation and ingestion.
• Hiking or running beside your bike at a trotting pace. Ideally the substrate is somewhat soft such as grass or dirt. Pavement works for aerobic benefit but it is relatively high-impact. For aerobic benefit, get your dog lightly panting for 15-20 minutes.
• Fetch or off-leash play on grass: if you’re unable or prefer not to try to keep up with a trotting dog, you can get your dog running around in an off-leash dog park, on a lunge leash, or playing a game of fetch on grass. Unlike trotting along a trail, these more free-range activities put your dog at a higher risk of fast-paced twisting which can injure their joints. Try to keep your dog moving in a straight line if possible and ideally avoid sudden stops and pivots.

These activities support cardiovascular health without excessive joint stress.

4. Proprioception and balance

Proprioception, I would argue, is one of the most overlooked preventive health aspects in senior dogs. Proprioception is one’s ability to know where their body parts are in space. It in turn affects the body’s balance and co-ordination, and your dog’s confidence. Maintaining proprioception relies on continued feedback from various environments that challenge the spatial positioning of body parts.

You can enhance your dog’s proprioception and balance through activities that make your dog aware of where their feet are being placed:

• Walking over rungs of a ladder lying flat on the ground.
• Walking and trotting on natural environments—snow, grass, trails, forest floors—also challenge sensory feedback and balance in subtle, beneficial ways.

In contrast, walking along a flat concrete sidewalk does little (I’d even argue that it does nothing) to work on proprioception, because (1) the sensory input from the uniform ground does not vary, and (2) because it’s easy to walk clumsily along a sidewalk – your dog’s body isn’t being asked to pay attention to foot placement.

Likelwise, keep in mind that when dogs wear booties – as helpful as they can sometimes be – it reduces their sensory feedback. This is one of the reasons I’m an advocate for dogs going barefoot unless the terrain is too hot, too cold, too sharp, or they are protecting an injury.

5. Mental enrichment

Cognitive decline is increasingly recognized in aging dogs, and is recognized as reduced memory, learning, or executive function. Regular mental stimulation can help mitigate this decline. Sniffing and outdoor exploration at your dog’s pace – often called sniffaris – activate your dog’s brain, regulate physiological stress, and allow your dog to interact with their environment in an enriching way. Puzzles, played indoors or outside (such as playing hide-and-seek with their favourite toy), also support cognitive function.

How to structure a senior dogpacking outing

A little structure goes a long way.

Warm-up (5–10 minutes)

• Slow walking
• Gradual increase in pace until your dog is panting

Main activity

• Steady movement
• Time for sniffing and exploration
• Watch your dog for signs of fatigue or overheating

Cool-down

• Slow walking
• Allow breathing and heart rate to normalize

This reduces injury risk and improves overall tolerance to activity.

Signs of overdoing it

• Limping during or after activity
• Slowing down, dragging during activity
• Reluctance to continue (note: some dogs are keen to continue even when they are overdoing it; so be cautious when increasing activity. Don’t increase duration, spend and difficulty all at once, and stop if they are panting heavily or tip of tongue curled up)
• Tip of tongue curled up

Practical takeaways

• Keep your senior dog moving 
• Prioritize frequency over duration
• Use natural terrain to build strength and balance
• Let your dog sniff and explore
• Watch for subtle signs of fatigue
• Think adaptation, not restriction

Your dog may be older—but their need for movement, strength, and engagement hasn’t gone away. Modified dogpacking adventures can play a significant role, with the goal of protecting your dog’s mobility, comfort, and enjoyment for as many more years as possible.

Related reading

• 5 Pillars of Canine Fitness: Why Every Dog Needs More than Just a Walk
• How Much Exercise Does a Puppy Need?
• How Much Can You Exercise Your Dog – Tips for Conditioning
• Signs of Overheating and Heat Stroke in Dogs

About the author

Krista Halling is a veterinarian board-certified with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and creator of Dogpacking.com. She is also certified in the Human-Animal Bond and in Canine Physical Rehabilitation. Krista loves travelling and adventuring with River, her mini goldendoodle sidekick.

Selected References

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