Germany is right to make sure dogs get exercise – but I don’t see how a new proposed rule can be implemented

Calling for an hour of exercise a day is all well and good, writes Janet Street-Porter, but all dogs exercise different – just like us

Every dog needs different treatment when it comes to exercise (PA)

Dog ownership is soaring and animal charities report up to a 400 per cent increase in enquiries about adoption and fostering.

Breeders say their waiting lists are full, with desperate wannabe owners turning to the internet and unscrupulous puppy farms.

Owning a pet has helped many of us get through the boredom and depression of the last few months, but will we be prepared to carry on exercising our new pets when we return to work?

In Germany, where one in five households own a dog, a proposed law would make it mandatory to exercise your pet outside for at least an hour a day. Agriculture and food minister Julia Kloeckner has introduced the legislation, which also includes a ban on keeping dogs tethered to a chain (other than working animals in exceptional circumstances) and leaving them at home alone all day. She says “animals are not cuddly toys – their needs must be taken into account”.

Reaction has been mixed – some reckon the new law is patronising, others say it can’t be applied to all dogs. What about the elderly and arthritic? And in hot weather, isn’t it kinder to give your pet a swim instead?

Kloeckner says she wants to curb mistreatment at the scores of illegal puppy farms – but each one of Germany’s 16 federal states will have to find a way to implement the new rules.

I doubt similar legislation would work here – although it could be a novel way of implementing an anti-obesity strategy. Your dog could help walk off those excess kilos… it wouldn’t work with my border terrier Badger – he stops to sniff every post and tree at five-metre intervals before leaving his calling card. All dogs exercise differently, just like us.