Mission
walkingdog.io exists to answer one question well: how much walking does this specific dog, today, actually need? The answer is free. It is based on published veterinary and working-dog research. It is reviewed by practising vets. It is not behind a paywall, not gated by an email signup, and not sold to advertisers.
Three commitments guide everything on this site:
- Free and uninterrupted. Core functionality — the calculator, the articles, the sources — has no paywall and no required signup. If we add ads, they are clearly marked and never between you and an answer.
- Honest about uncertainty. Where evidence is solid, we cite it. Where it is thin, we say so. We would rather give you a wider range than a confident wrong number.
- Vet-reviewed, not vet-replacing. Working vets read and annotate our articles before they ship. That improves accuracy. It does not turn the site into a veterinary consultation.
Why this site exists
The catalyst was mundane. The author of the calculator asked three different sources — a pet-store chart, a breed-club leaflet, and a chat with a vet nurse — how long a 7-month-old Border Collie should be walked. The three answers were 20 minutes, 2 hours, and "whatever tires her out". They cannot all be right. For high-drive working breeds the consequences of under-stimulation are real; for puppies of any breed the consequences of over-exercise are real; and the "chart in a leaflet" treats every dog the same.
There is genuine research behind better answers — from working-collie field studies, from brachycephalic airway cohorts, from longitudinal weight-loss trials, from AAHA life-stage guidelines, from the Kennel Club's own breed-specific notes. It is just scattered across journals that dog owners don't read. walkingdog.io is an attempt to pull the useful parts into one place, translate them into plain language, have a vet check we haven't mangled anything, and give you a number.
What walkingdog.io is not
- Not veterinary advice. If your dog is sick, injured, or acting differently, call a vet. Full details on the disclaimer page.
- Not a replacement for your judgement. You live with this dog. You see the gait, the panting, the post-walk behaviour. The calculator proposes a starting range; you decide.
- Not a training service, a behaviourist, or an emergency line. Those are different professionals for different problems.
- Not a data broker. See the privacy policy — we don't track and we don't sell.
Editorial standards
Every article names a byline and, where applicable, a vet reviewer. Sources are cited inline and aggregated at /sources/. When we get something wrong and someone tells us, we correct it visibly and update the last-modified date. We do not retroactively edit articles to change their conclusions without noting the change.
How the site is funded
Lightweight, clearly-labelled display ads (Google AdSense) and — in future — a companion app help keep the core calculator free. We do not take sponsorships from food, supplement, or gear brands that would have an interest in our recommendations. If that ever changes, we will say so, on this page, before it does.
Get in touch
Corrections, vet-review offers, press, partnerships: hello@walkingdog.io