How we calculate walk times and weather risk

Our tools turn published guidance into quick, specific answers. Here's exactly how they work, what they can't know about your dog, and where the numbers come from.

By Tyler Polk, founder of PupnikUpdated September 24, 2026

Daily exercise by breed

Each of our 100 breed guides gives a typical daily range for a healthy adult, such as 60–90 minutes for a Labrador Retriever. We set each range from the breed's original job and energy level, cross-checked against breed-club and kennel-club exercise guidance (the American Kennel Club breed standards and the UK Kennel Club's exercise categories). Ranges are deliberately rounded, and individual dogs vary a lot, especially between working and show lines.

"Exercise" means all activity: walks, play, swimming, and training. For mixed breeds, the calculator uses a size-and-energy table (for example, a medium dog with moderate energy gets 45–60 minutes).

Puppies, seniors, and adjustments

• Puppies use the widely used rule of thumb of 5 minutes of structured walking per month of age, up to twice a day, capped at half the adult daily maximum per walk.
• Growth plates are assumed to close around 9–12 months for toy and small breeds, 12–15 for medium, 12–18 for large, and 18–24 for giant breeds. We advise against jogging and repetitive jumping before then.
• Seniors start at about 10 years for toy and small breeds, 8 for medium, 7 for large, and 6 for giant breeds. Their daily range is 50–75% of the adult range, split into more, shorter walks.
• Short-nosed breeds are capped at about 20 minutes per walk, because heat and breathing are the limit, not stamina.
• Distance is minutes times a typical pace: about 1.2–2 mph for relaxed walks, puppies, and seniors, 1.8–2.6 mph for moderate dogs, and 2–3 mph for active dogs.

Hot weather risk

We start from the heat index, calculated with the US National Weather Service formula, so humidity counts. We then assign a base level for a healthy adult dog: under 68°F is low, 68–74°F low to moderate, 75–81°F moderate, 82–89°F high, and 90°F and up dangerous.

The base level goes up by one for each risk factor: short nose, overweight, puppy or senior, thick or double coat, giant size, and strong sun (daytime with under 40% cloud cover once it feels like 75°F or more). The short-nose, obesity, and age factors follow the Tufts Animal Care and Condition (TACC) weather safety scale. The coat, size, and sun factors are our additions, based on common veterinary guidance. We also apply the "rule of 150": if temperature (°F) plus humidity (%) is 150 or more, the risk is at least high.

The pavement estimate adds 40–55°F to the air temperature in full sun, scaled down by cloud cover, and 0–10°F at night. That reproduces the widely cited measurement of asphalt at about 125°F on a sunny, still 77°F day. It's an estimate: surfaces, wind, and shade vary, so always do the 7-second hand test.

Cold weather risk

We use the NWS wind chill when it's 50°F or colder and windy, then assign a base level from widely used veterinary thresholds: 45°F and up low, 32–44°F low to moderate, 20–31°F moderate, 10–19°F high, and below 10°F dangerous. Following the TACC scale, small or thin-coated dogs, puppies, seniors, and wet weather each add one level. Thick-coated northern breeds subtract one.

Weather data and your privacy

"Check my weather now" asks your browser for your location, rounds it to about 10 km, and fetches the current forecast hour from MET Norway's Locationforecast API (licensed CC BY 4.0). We don't store your location. You can always enter the weather manually instead.

Pupnik community data

Some breed guides show how long that breed actually walks with Pupnik. Those figures come only from completed, GPS-verified walks in the last 90 days. We publish them only as aggregates, and only when enough dogs and owners are in the sample that no individual can be singled out. Until a breed crosses that threshold, its guide shows the published-guidance range only.