How much exercise does a Broholmer need?

If you are thinking about getting a Broholmer, you should take a closer look at the breed beforehand so that you know what to expect. In this article you will learn how much exercise a Broholmer needs.
The Broholmer is a large Mastiff type dog that needs an average amount of exercise. As a basis, you sThe Broholmer is a large Mastiff type dog that needs an average amount of exercise. As a basis, you should plan 1 to 2 hours a day of exercise. On weekends it can be a longer walk through the woods. In addition to physical exercise, it is important to keep your Broholmer mentally stimulated.
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How how much activity does a Broholmer need?
Like any dog, the Broholmer needs a certain amount of daily exercise to be content and happy. However, a Broholmer needs much less exercise than breeds such as the Australian Shepherd.
If you take a Broholmer for 2 to 3 daily walks of 30 – 45 minutes each, you have a good base that he will definitely be happy with.
The Broholmer is a Danish Mastiff and like all Mastiff breeds just loves to lay next to you on the couch and chill.
If he gets the necessary amount of exercise, the Broholmer is a good family dog who loves children.
Make the walks interesting for your dog
A Broholmer doesn’t need a lot of exercise to be happy if the walks are varied and interesting.
It’s not done by walking your dog the same route every day and having him walk only alongside you. How often do I see dog owners who just want to tear off the walk and have no consideration for their dogs’ needs.
This is how you make a walk interesting for your Broholmer
- Choose different routes. You should have 2 to 3 different house routes so that you can vary and your dog doesn’t always see and smell the same thing.
- Let your dog sniff and explore the area in between. After all, this is exhausting for your broholmer and makes him tired. Do not pull him everywhere just because you want to finish.
- Let your dog sniff for treats in between. You can just throw treats in the leaves or in a meadow and let your Broholmer look for them.
- If you are in the woods and there is a fallen tree trunk, let him balance over it. That way you’ll have a little forest agility session.
- Let your Brohlmer run free or take a long drag line with you and give your Broholmer more freedom
If you run with a dog the same route every day and he only has to run next to you, not sniffing or playing he has exercise but is in no way utilized.

Can you run with a Broholomer?
Once your Broholmer is at least 1 year old you can slowly start running or even biking. However, you must know that the Broholmer is big and heavy and with 70 cm and 50 – 75 kg not a top athlete.
Smaller or normal running units of 5 – 10 km are definitely possible after you have slowly accustomed him to the higher load.
It is important that you do not go directly 5 km running with your dog, but increase the distances bit by bit.
In the beginning, it is enough to alternate jogging a few hundred meters and then go back to normal or a little faster.
If you have never run before, you won’t be able to do 5 km without training first. If your Broholmer is not used to run faster for 30 minutes at a time, it is also too strenuous for him.
Running in the summer should be avoided or done in the early morning. If it’s too hot, your dog can overheat quickly. Dogs do not have sweat glands, but cool their bodies mainly by panting.
On a strenuous jog in the summer, your dog could quickly suffer heat stroke.
Exercise Broholmers mentally
In addition to physical exercise, it’s important to keep your Broholmer mentally challenged.
Keeping a dog mentally stimulated is often difficult for many and they don’t know exactly what to do with their dog or research the wildest games,
But to train a Broholmer or a dog in general mentally is not as complicated as you think:
It starts with learning the basic commands like “sit” “down” “here” etc. Learning commands and later executing them is already a mental activity for dogs.
You can also teach your dog tricks such as a “high five”.
You can also exercise your Broholmer mentally every day at feeding time. Teach him not to go to the bowl until you give the “OK”.
If you make him wait for 1-2 minutes in front of the full bowl, this is very exhausting for your dog and at the same time it is a good training for frustration tolerance.
Sniffing and searching games are very exhausting for dogs. If you really don’t have time, you can hide treats in the living room and let your Broholmer search and sniff for them.
Or you can hide treats in a sheet and let your dog search for them.

Broholmer has too little to do
A Broholmer also likes to just lie on the couch or in his dog bed and snore sometimes. This is just a big advantage of the Mastiff breeds in general. They are basically very relaxed and don’t take it too much if you don’t have much time for a few days.
But also a Broholmer can become conspicuous if he has too little exercise and mental occupation. This can manifest itself very differently from dog to dog. Typical symptoms can be:
- Increased aggression
- Barking
- Destructiveness
- Peeing in the house again
- Dog runs restlessly around the house
- …
Conclusion: How much exercise does a Broholmer need?
On average, a Broholmer needs 1 to 2 hours of exercise daily plus mental activity to be happy. Make sure that you offer your dog interesting walks and that you do not run the same route every day. Then you’ll have a great family dog in your Broholmer.
Jean Kobben-stock.adobe.com (Contributed image)