Panting Heavily

alexa

Does anyone's BT have problems with exercise/difficulty breathing? Maya walks every day, runs and plays, but I took her on a short hike the other day. Most of the trail was just a flat walk, a couple inclines, but we had to stop at the halfway point because she was panting heavily. We sat down for about half an hour and I poured water over her, then decided to turn around. She could hardly walk on her own, just kept wanting to lay down, so I carried her part way and by the end she was able to walk on her own. I was so scared! 

Could this by a sign of something else? Or is she just not built for long adventures? She seems to get winded so easily...

BulliesofNC

Just like us humans, dogs are capable of doing what they are conditioned to do. What many people don't pay attention to exactly how much exercise their dog actually gets. Some dog owners can go for months on end simply opening their back door for their dog to go outside, use the bathroom, and come back inside to lounge around the house. Even inside the house they may witness a few bouts of energy from a few hucklebutt episodes or a wild run from one room to the next. But in truth, this doesn't constitute to proper exercise and conditioning.
If a Bull Terrier is recognized to be out of breath or fatigued after it has been exposed to a hiking trip, run on the beach, jog out in the woods, etc it might be because they haven't conditioned themselves for any form of exertion for a long duration. Yes, that same Bull Terrier might have no problem with the day by day 5 minute dash out in the backyard or the walk around the block but long term endurance hikes for longer periods of time will surely provide an eye opener for the true physical conditioning of any dog that is not used to that type of regime. Then again, if you someone was to sign me up for a marathon right now knowing my daily exercise regime doesn't come close to the work up needed to successfully complete a marathon you can bet your bottom dollar you might find me huffing and puffing a few miles into the race. The same mentality goes into the expectations of our dogs when we take them on a long walk or hike in which they haven't done before. During our normal daily activities we might be walking all day at work, staying on our feet most of the day, and moving about every waking second. Now is a good time to analyze if our Bull Terriers are getting the same sort of movement and exercise each day. Bull Terriers are an active breed but they too can become out of shape and lazy fast if they can complacent in their every day regiment. Something to think about before they head out on an annual hike.