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Table of Contents
7 Best Common Calorie Burning Exercises for Boxer Dogs
Boxer Dog exercise is key to helping your boxer maintain a healthy weight, release pent-up energy, and to keep them mentally stimulated.
Exercise is not only good for the boxer but the owner as well, by improving the connection with their loyal companion.
7 Best Common Calorie Burning Exercises for Boxer Dogs and their Owners that help Maintain a happy, Healthy Boxer Dog are
- Daily Walk – 3.0 mph/4.83 kph (includes sniffing and observation)
- Moderate walk – 3.5 mph/5.63 kph
- Power Walk – 4.25 mph/6.84 kph
- Running – 6.0 mph/9.66 kph
- Fetch/Frisbee Toss
- Backyard Agility
- Stair Exercises
Table 1 below illustrates the 7 common boxer dog exercises, the number of calories burned/hour for boxer dogs (both male and female), and their owners (both male and female).
To calculate these figures, we used the published Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) value for each type of exercise.
We also made the following assumptions based on published information:
- The average weight of a male Boxer dog is 73 lbs
- The average weight of a female Boxer dog is 58 lbs
- The average weight of a human male is 198 lbs (for US men – 20 years and older)
- The average weight of a human female is 170 lbs (for US women 20 yrs and older)
Table 1
Boxer Dog Exercise | MET Value | Boxer Male | Boxer Female | Human Male | Human Female |
Daily Walk | 2.5 | 87 cal/hr | 69 cal/hr | 235 cal/hr | 202 cal/hr |
Moderate Walk | 4.5 | 156 cal/hr | 124 cal/hr | 424 cal/hr | 364 cal/hr |
Power Walk | 6.5 | 226 cal/hr | 180 cal/hr | 613 cal/hr | 526 cal/hr |
Running | 9.8 | 341 cal/hr | 271 cal/hr | 924 cal/hr | 793 cal/hr |
Fetch/Frisbee | 5.0 | 174 cal/hr | 138 cal/hr | 472 cal/hr | 405 cal/hr |
Backyard Agility | 8.0 | 278 cal/hr | 221 cal/hr | 754 cal/hr | 647 cal/hr |
Stair Exercises | 8.8 | 306 cal/hr | 243 cal/hr | 830 cal/hr | 712 cal/hr |
Reference for human weight data:
- Average Weight For Women – Healthy and Ideal Ranges – Medical News Today
- Average Weight For Women: By Age, Height, Tables – Healthline
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC.gov
- Average Weight for Men – Age, Height, and Body Composition – Healthline
Reference for Boxer dog weight data
- Hillspet.com
- Reference for Calorie Burning and Formula Data – Middleeasy.com
Boxer Dog Exercise Key Findings
- As expected, the exercises requiring the most aerobic activity burned the most calories.
- The exercises that involve the biggest muscle groups burn the most calories.
- Moderate exercise provides calorie-burning and health benefits to the boxer dog and owner.
- Moderate exercise if done twice per day will help boxers and their owners maintain a healthy weight and give them both significant bonding time.
If you are looking for people in your area to help walk your Boxer dog, visit Rover.com using the walking link below
Boxer Dog Exercise – Considerations for Choosing Exercises
Boxers are a high-energy breed that needs an outlet to release their built-up energy and provide mental stimulation to prevent boredom which can lead to destructive behaviors.
So, why is it important to exercise your Boxer?
- Studies have shown that between 25 and 30% of dogs and cats taken to small animal hospitals in North America are overweight.
- The percentage of dogs and cats in the 5 to 12 yr old age group increased to 40%
- See our article Best Treats for Boxers – How To Use Healthy Treats For Boxers Good Behavior for more information on keeping your Boxer dog at a healthy weight.
We recommend the following two courses from Holly and Hugo to help train your Boxer to exercise the Dog Walking Basics Course and Dog Commands for Beginners
7 Best Common Calorie Burning Boxer Dog Exercises
In today’s busy world we often don’t have the time to exercise our Boxer dog in one-hour time blocks.
So, just as with ourselves, breaking the exercise down into smaller segments of time can still help burn calories and provide health benefits to both the Boxer and the owner.
Let’s break down each of the 7 best common calorie-burning boxer dog exercises into smaller time increments and determine their calorie-burning results.
Daily Walk
Recall from above, that the daily walk is done at a slow to moderate pace of 2.5 mph and allows time for the boxer to sniff and observe their surroundings.
Now instead of one continuous hour of exercise let’s look at calorie burn for shorter time durations.
Daily Walk | 15 min | 30 min | 45 Min |
Boxer Dog Male | 22 cal | 43 cal | 65 cal |
Boxer Dog Female | 17 cal | 35 cal | 52 cal |
Human Male | 59 cal | 118 cal | 177 cal |
Human Female | 51 cal | 101 cal | 152 cal |
Moderate Walk
Moderate Walks are a great option for people just beginning an exercise program for themselves or themselves and their Boxer dog.
They provide some aerobic activity and can be done by almost any age group.
Moderate Walk | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min |
Boxer Dog Male | 39 cal | 78 cal | 117 cal |
Boxer Dog Female | 31 cal | 62 cal | 93 cal |
Human Male | 106 cal | 212 cal | 318 cal |
Human Female | 91 cal | 182 cal | 273 cal |
We recommend the Joyride Harness Bundle for walking your Boxer, The bundle includes the Joyride 2.0 Harness, leash, and poop bag holder.
Power Walking
Power Walking is a great option for burning calories in a short time period. It helps the Boxer dog and owner maintain a healthy weight without undue stress on the joints.
Power walking is becoming more popular and is even included as an Olympic sport.
Power Walking | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min |
Boxer Dog Male | 56 cal | 113 cal | 169 cal |
Boxer Dog Female | 45 cal | 90 cal | 135 cal |
Human Male | 153 cal | 306 cal | 459 cal |
Human Female | 131 cal | 263 cal | 394 cal |
Running
Running can be a great option for calorie burning. However, Boxer dogs being a Brachycephalic breed do better with short bursts of speed.
Boxer dogs can run but it will require time to get them to the point of sustained running. Caution should be used when running with a Boxer dog in very hot or cold outside temperatures.
Running | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min |
Boxer Dog Male | 85 cal | 170 cal | 255 cal |
Boxer Dog Female | 68 cal | 135 cal | 203 cal |
Human Male | 231 cal | 462 cal | 693 cal |
Human Female | 198 cal | 396 cal | 594 cal |
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Fetch/Frisbee Toss
Fetch and Frisbee Toss are great exercises for mental stimulation and calorie burn. They are also great for exercises for the Boxer Dog owner who has limited time.
Boxer Dogs and owners (depending on how much they want to participate) can provide a good calorie burn in short intervals.
Fetch/Frisbee Toss | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min |
Boxer Dog Male | 85 cal | 170 cal | 255 cal |
Boxer Dog Female | 68 cal | 135 cal | 203 cal |
Human Male | 231 cal | 462 cal | 693 cal |
Human Female | 198 cal | 396 cal | 594 cal |
Backyard Agility
Agility exercises are not only good for building aerobic stamina but also good for building muscle.
These types of exercises also are a great way to stimulate a Boxe’s mind. Boxers have to process information quickly to get through the agility course in as short of time as possible.
For agility exercises, we recommend the following exercise products from Chewy.com
Chuck It! Ultra Rubber Tough Dog Toy for Large dogs
Squishy Face Studio Flirt Pole
Agility drills are a great exercise for burning calories.
Agility Exercises | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min |
Boxer Dog Male | 70 cal | 139 cal | 208 cal |
Boxer Dog Female | 55 cal | 110 cal | 166 cal |
Human Male | 189 cal | 377 cal | 566 cal |
Human Female | 162 cal | 323 cal | 485 cal |
Stair Exercises
Stair exercises are an excellent choice for building stamina and developing the large muscle groups in the legs of Boxer Dogs.
Adding a throw toy adds mental stimulation to these exercises. Just by the nature of this exercise, boxer owners and their pets.
As an added benefit, this type of exercise can be done anywhere and doesn’t require any setup.
Stair Exercises | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min |
Male Boxer Dog | 89 cal | 153 cal | 266 cal |
Female Boxer Dog | 61 cal | 122 cal | 203 cal |
Human Male | 208 cal | 415 cal | 622 cal |
Human Female | 177 cal | 356 cal | 534 cal |
Summary
While there a countless exercises for Boxer dogs, the 7 Best Common Calorie Burning Exercises are
- Daily Walk – 3.0 mph/4.83 kph (includes sniffing and observation)
- Moderate walk – 3.5 mph/5.63 kph
- Power Walk – 4.25 mph/6.84 kph
- Running – 6.0 mph/9.66 kph
- Fetch/Frisbee Toss
- Backyard Agility
- Stair Exercises
The benefit of these boxer dog exercises is that they don’t require a lot of money on equipment and toys.
Besides the inherent benefits of calorie burning and aerobic conditioning for the Boxer dog and owner, they also provide these additional benefits
- Bonding between the Boxer dog and their owner
- Mental Stimulation – to alleviate boredom
- Release of pent-up energy that Boxer dogs exhibit because of their high energy level
It is important in closing to note that a Boxer dog’s age and the weather /climate should be considered when exercising the boxer. Very hot and very cold weather as well as too much intense exercise with senior Boxers can have detrimental effects.
Start the exercise program so both you and your loyal companion can build up stamina and increase the length of your workouts. Enjoy your time bonding with your Boxer dog and reaping the benefits exercise provides.
Discoverboxerdogs.com are Mary and Chris Kustanbauter. We reside in Red Lion, PA with our two Boxers, Duke and Katie, who are both rescue dogs. We have been working with Adopt A Boxer Rescue for the past 17 years and have adopted 5 Boxers from this fine organization. To learn more visit our Home, Boxerdogsfamily, and Blogs Pages Visit us on social media on Facebook – All About Boxers, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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