Exercising gone wrong

[Michael Romanos]

Six things NOT to do when exercising a Corgi:

1-3 Don't ride a bike or skateboard or rollerblade with your Corgi on a leash.
4 Don't exercise when it is very hot or extremely cold.
5 Don't let your Corgi run loose near traffic.
6 Don't exercise your Corgi immediately before his/her main meal or right after
a main meal.

[MyPemCharlie]

Thanks Michael! I was aware not to feed before exercise, but was not aware that feeding after exercise was a problem. I've been feeding Charlie about 75% of his food after our first walk (about 2.5 miles) and 25% after our evening walk (about 1 mile). He stops so often to "sniff 'n pee" that our walks are more of a casual stroll, than an aerobic exercise. Still I may need to revise his feeding schedule.

I read a few articles on feeding physically active dogs and digestion. There does not seem to be a consistent recommendation. However, several articles suggested feeding an athletic dog 17 hours before exercise, and waiting at least until the dog has cooled down after exercise. Charlie does about an hour of sprinting (retrieving toys, soccer, and chasing after any bird or squirrel on "his" property) first thing in the morning and our walks total about and hour and a half or two. I am assuming he is more active than "average", and is looking very well muscled and fit.

Anyway, I thinking that I should consider feeding him only one meal a day in the evening, maybe 30 minutes after our last walk. He does get some pieces of kibble and occassional treats through the day for walking and obedience training rewards, so his stomach would not be completely empty. Before this thread and some additional reading, I was thinking of always giving him two meals a day. Now I'm not sure. Any thoughts on the one or two meals a day for active dogs?

I also recall that Corgis can be susceptible to blood sugar issues if their tummy gets too empty. Maybe I should give him a small portion of food after our early walk and most of his food in the evening. Being a worrying, overprotective doggie mom again...

[MattC]

Hi Michael, Regarding exercising your corgi after eating...I am assuming you mean a heavier exercise than just a walk. Am I right to think this? The reason I ask is that Nick eats twice a day in the morning and in the evening. I like to feed Nick and then walk him in the morning. After his walk I head to work and he usually takes a nap.

[MyPemCharlie]

Hey Matt,

I know you addressed your Q to Michael, but since I just read about a dozen articles on the topic, hopefully you (and Michael) won't mind me chiming in. Most of the articles I read suggested anywhere from 30 minutes to 17 hours to wait to exercise after a meal. (The longer times were talking about "sports" dogs.) The majority suggested not exercising for 2-4 hours after eating. Like I mentioned, there wasn't much consistency in how much time to wait, but all articles did consistently recommend exercise first and then feeding.

[Michael Romanos]

This is an easy one to address for me because i have been heavily involved in athletics both as a competitor and as a coach. You wouldn't eat a main meal and then immediately go for a 20 minute etc jog. To a Corgi a 20 minute walk at a normal Corgi walking/cantering clip (which is not slow walking) would be the equivalent of a human jogging the same distance. If straight after a main meal you take your Corgi out into the yard or to a park and get him fetching, chasing etc ie speed exercising - that would be much worse than a steady walk. The effects of both these actions are to exert a Corgi when he/she has not had sufficient time to properly digest their food and could have serious repercussions.

[MattC]

Thanks guys,
Judging from your responses I think I am OK with Nick. Our morning walks are more for bathroom reasons than exercise. He gets his full workout midday which is hours after breakfast. He also gets a good round of exercise in the evening long after he has finished his dinner.