Variation in activity levels amongst dogs of different breeds: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

Regular physical activity is an important means of promoting health, both in people and their pets. Walking is the most common method used for dogs, but there is a lack of clarity on how much daily activity different breeds of dog require. Data from an online survey of UK dog owners were collected between June and August in 2014. The University of Liverpool Ethics Committee approved the project, and owners consented to data use. The initial dataset (17 028 dogs) was first cleaned to remove erroneous data, and then edited to remove mixed breed dogs, leaving a total of 12 314 dogs from known pedigree breeds. Other information collected included sex, age, neuter status, breed, and amount and frequency of exercise. Exercise frequency and duration were estimated across different breeds, and compared with Kennel Club recommendations, using χ2 tests and binary logistic regression. The online survey data indicated differences amongst breeds in the amount of walking reported (P < 0·001). Afghan hounds were the least exercised breed, whilst breeds reportedly exercised most included: English setter, foxhound, Irish setter and Old English sheepdog. Gundogs were most likely to be walked once per d or more (P < 0·001), whilst smaller dogs were more likely to meet their UK Kennel Club guidelines for dog walking (P < 0·001). The frequency of dog walking varies both within and amongst breeds, and many do not currently receive the recommended amount of exercise. This may constitute a canine welfare problem and also have an impact on the physical activity levels of their owners.

than bigger dogs, although the association was not clear (5) . There was also no evidence available regarding the influence of specific breed beyond broad type groupings; this was probably due to the size of the dataset available, which limited the ability to perform individual breed analyses. The aims of this study were to investigate differences in the amount and frequency of exercise amongst dogs of different breed, and to determine the proportion of dogs within each breed that meet current recommendations.

Study design
An online survey of UK dog owners was conducted between June and August in 2014, in association with the broadcast of a three-part Channel 4 television documentary series, 'Dogs: Their Secret Lives'. Information was gathered from owners about the signalment of their dog (age, sex, neuter status and breed), body weight, whether or not the dog was overweight, lifestyle, activity and behaviour. The main questions considered in the current study are those regarding activity, breed and other signalment details. The data on exercise have also been used in a separate study examining the associations between exercise and overweight status (6) , whilst the questions relating to behaviour are reported elsewhere (7) .
For owner responses, most questions involved either checking boxes or using drop-down menus. The main questions used in the current study were on breed and activity. Breed of dog was indicated using a drop-down list of UK breeds. For exercise frequency, the question asked was 'How often do you exercise your dog outside of your home or garden?' and respondents could select: 'more than once a day', 'once a day', '4-6 times per week', '1-3 times per week' or 'never'. For exercise duration, the question asked was 'Each time you exercise your dog how long is it for?' and respondents could select: 'over an hour', '30 minutes to an hour', '11-30 minutes' and '0-10 minutes'. Respondents were also asked if the dog is let off the lead (yes/no).
The University of Liverpool Ethics Committee approved the study, and all owner participation was voluntary, whereby owners who wished to complete the survey logged onto the Channel 4 website. Further, owners gave permission for their data to be used, in a fully anonymised form (i.e. any client-identifying data removed), and for the results to be publicised both on the television shows and online. They were not required to answer questions that they did not wish to answer. To be eligible for inclusion in the data analysis part of the study, dogs had to be from a pedigree breed (based upon the breeds officially recognised by the UK KC) (4) and questionnaire information needed to be complete, i.e. all questions used in the current study needed to be answered.

Data handling and statistical analysis
All data were first entered into a computer spreadsheet (Excel version 14; Microsoft), to enable data manipulation prior to statistical analysis. Given that the study involved a direct comparison of exercise amongst pedigree breeds, the data from all mixed breed dogs were removed. Breed data were then further categorised into breed-specific groups (e.g. pastoral, gundogs, hounds, terriers, toy, utility or working) and by size (e.g. small, medium or large), according to The UK KC classification (4) . Unlike for the related papers (6,7) , data from dogs under 2 years of age were eligible for inclusion in the analysis for this study. Outcome variables of interest included: frequency of exercise outside of the home/garden (see categories above); walked once per d or more (yes/no); duration of usual exercise (see categories above); and met UK KC guidelines of exercise for that breed (yes/no). The latter outcome was created by comparing each dog's reported exercise with the activity requirements recommended by the UK KC for different breeds (4) . Data analysis was conducted in Minitab 17 and IBM SPSS Statistics 22. We used χ 2 tests to compare proportions of dogs amongst exercise categories. Given that multiple comparisons were performed, a modified Bonferroni correction was applied (8) . This correction effectively meant that statistical significance was only considered when P < 0·0042. Caution should be taken when interpreting findings as even in such a large dataset, numbers in each breed were often small, hence deeper statistical analysis was not conducted.
Small dogs (1369, 55 %) were less likely to receive exercise for longer than 30 min compared with medium dogs (3484, 72 %) and large dogs (3752, 75 %). Almost half (45 %) of the dogs exercised for less than 30 min were small dogs.

Discussion
This is the first study to investigate differences in reported exercise between dogs of different breeds. We found differences between (and within breeds) relating to factors including: exercise frequency, exercise length, and whether or not the dog met the UK KC guidelines (4) . Whilst these findings indicate current exercise patterns, further work is now required to determine their significance, for instance, whether different exercise patterns can predispose to or protect from diseases such as obesity. It is suggested that an inverse correlation exists between physical activity of dogs and canine obesity (9) . By encouraging dog owners to meet their own recommended daily exercise, it is hoped that the health and wellbeing of pet dogs will be improved (5) . Further studies should also be considered not just to examine frequency and duration of exercise but also the nature of the activity undertaken. In one recent study, the majority of time during a dog walk was spent sniffing, suggesting minimal activity overall (10) . Therefore, future studies should also measure intensity of exercise and perhaps distance travelled, using objective methods such as accelerometry (11) and global positioning system receivers (12) .
Differences were seen amongst different breeds in terms of the frequency of exercise. Most notably, breeds in the gundog, pastoral and hound groups were more frequently exercised than other dogs, most notably the toy and terrier groups. Similarly, duration of exercise varied amongst breed groups and, once again, those in the gundog, pastoral and hound groups were exercised for longest, whilst those in the terrier and toy breed groups were exercised least frequently. Similarly, when categorised by size, smaller dogs were exercised for a shorter time overall and less frequently than medium or larger breed dogs, although some notable exceptions occurred (e.g. both Afghan and foxhounds were amongst the least and most frequently exercised) that require further investigation. These findings support those of a recent review of the correlates of dog walking, which also found evidence for smaller dogs being walked less than bigger dogs (5) . Such differences in exercise pattern might reflect differences in capabilities for exercising amongst breeds, but might also be related to owner factors and geographical location. For example, many owners choose breeds based upon their lifestyle, and owners might select smaller breeds if they are concerned they will not have enough time to exercise a more athletic breed. Geographical location might dictate choice of breed, with more athletic breeds being more commonly chosen when living in rural locations. Unfortunately, given that data were fully anonymised, it was not possible to assess owner or geographical effects, and further studies, likely including in-depth qualitative investigation, are required.
Although no evidence-based guidelines exist regarding the exercise that dogs in each breed require each day, general recommendations are provided by many canine organisations, such as the UK KC (4) . For example, the UK KC provides guidance by breed regarding the recommended daily exercise, with recommendations varying amongst breeds between >30 min/d to >2 h/d. In this respect, the recommended exercise for many of the smaller breed dogs (e.g. Chihuahua, Lhasa apso, papillon, Pomeranian and Yorkshire terrier) is >30 min/d, although >1 h/d is recommended for some small breed dogs (e.g. Border terrier, Lhasa apso and pug). The typical recommendation for many of the medium breeds (e.g. cavalier King Charles spaniel, cocker spaniel, miniature Schnauzer, Staffordshire bull terrier) is >1 h/d, whilst the typical recommendation for larger breeds (e.g. bullmastiff, Dobermann, English setter, great Dane, Labrador retriever, Rottweiler, Saluki and Samoyed) is >2 h/d, although >1 h/d is recommended for some larger breeds (e.g. greyhound), whilst >2 h/d is recommended for some of the more active medium-size breeds (e.g. Border collie and English springer spaniel). Perhaps the most concerning observation of the present study was the fact that only half of the dogs studied received the recommended amount of exercise. In contrast with the frequency and duration of exercise reported, it was more often dogs in many of the larger breeds that did not meet the recommendations. This suggests that it is particularly challenging for owners to ensure that their dog receives >2 h/ d of exercise. In light of this, evidence-based recommendations are urgently needed to determine whether the 2-h recommendation is necessary; if it is, better education of prospective dog owners is required to ensure that they understand activity requirements of different breeds, and the particular challenges faced with the larger breeds.
A number of limitations, in addition to those discussed above, should be considered when interpreting the results. First, whilst the use of a voluntary online survey increased the number of responses, it was a convenience sample and, therefore, there are concerns regarding selection bias. In this respect, we cannot be certain that the participants were truly representative of the UK dog population as a whole; it might be that owners who exercise their dog more were more willing to participate than those who did not. The use of self-reports of exercise is subjective, and can be unreliable (10) . Third, in responding, owners could only select from a small number of categories, and owners might have had trouble choosing between categories, not least if they exercised their dogs irregularly in terms of frequency and duration. The use of categories also meant that it was not possible to investigate observations more fully. Therefore, these observations should be considered to be preliminary and further studies are recommended to explore the issue of activity amongst breeds in more detail.

Conclusions
Exercise patterns of dogs in the UK vary. The finding that half of dogs in the study were not receiving the recommended activity level is concerning. Further work is required to achieve a better understanding of what physical exercise is actually required within breed, and how this relates to health and owner perception.