The last few months have seen an increase in dog ownership, but do you know how long and how often you should walk your canine friend?

The experts at Kennelstore say that one of the most important factors is the breed. There are some dog breeds that are more energetic and excitable than others, and because of this, they will need more frequent and vigorous exercise. Furthermore, there are other breeds that have instinctive preferences for play and exercise that they were purposely bred for.

According to a PDSA animal wellbeing report, 13 per cent of dogs within the UK are not walked daily.

In general most dogs benefit from between 30 minutes and two hours of physical activity per day.

So let’s look at the amount of exercise needed by specific breeds.

The Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, King Charles Spaniel, Miniature Dachshund, Pomeranian, Chihuahua, Bichon Frise, Papillion, Pekingese and Miniature Pinscher need at least 30 minutes of daily exercise.

However it is recommended that the Bull Terrier, Cocker Spaniel, English Bulldog, Miniature Poodle, Pug, Miniature Schnauzer, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, Shetland Sheepdog, Cairn Terrier, Whippet, West Highland Terrier, Tibetan Terrier, Dogue de Bordeaux, Basset Hound, Saint Bernard, Border Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier breeds should have at least one hour of daily exercise.

And for the larger breeds such as the Border Collie, Siberian Husky, Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Dalmatian, Boxer, Golden Retriever, Samoyed, Alaskan Malamute, English Springer Spaniel and Weimaraner it is two hours.

And there are top tips for walking your dog.

Bring some water if the walk is longer than an hour; change the route to keep the dog stimulated; ask before approaching other dogs; let your dog sniff around; always carry poo bags; make sure your dog has a collar on and wear reflective clothing if walking after dark.