The Markiesje is a small Non-Sporting breed with energy at 4/5; plan on 60 to 90 minutes of activity a day to keep that engine honestly spent. Puppies build toward the figure over their first year; seniors, from about 10 years, soften its intensity rather than its rhythm.
Pure marching is the least efficient filler of a Markiesje's minutes; varied days tire this breed faster than longer ones. With energy at 4 out of 5, an unexercised Markiesje invents its own work; the official bill is 60 to 90 minutes, every single day.
The Markiesje's growth stages run 8 weeks at about 2 to 3 lb, 6 months at about 8 to 9 lb, 12 months at about 12 to 14 lb, ending at the adult range of 13 to 15 lb and 13 to 14 inches tall. Home ground: Netherlands. The record groups the Markiesje with the Non-Sporting breeds.
Under exercise is the root of most Markiesje behaviour complaints presenters bring to trainers, ahead of any question of character or breeding.
For scale: the Markiesje stands 13 to 14 inches and weighs 13 to 15 lb, counts as a senior from about 10 years, and needs 60 to 90 minutes of exercise daily. Keep those numbers in mind and the rest of the page falls into place.
Busy walks, games, training and household involvement fill the programme; it is an active, cheerful little companion, not a survivalist. Landrace dogs bond selectively in the record's template; the real Markiesje bonds merrily with its whole household. Puppies need frequent, gentle exercise and careful socialisation on the ground. Heat is the hard limit for a Markiesje: panting that will not settle or disorientation are stop now signs, never push through signs.
Build a Markiesje's fitness like an athlete's: the 60 to 90 minutes are a peak to maintain, reached gradually after any layoff or illness.
Trainability scores 2 out of 5, so the Markiesje learns on its own schedule; short, rewarding sessions beat drills, and patience is the main tool. Harsh handling flattens a sensitive companion; warmth and clarity produce a polished, devoted little Dutch dog.
The evening audit never lies with a Markiesje: a dog that settles, chews its own toys and sleeps has been exercised; a pacing, pestering one has not.
Keep the breed's paperwork habit from day one: vaccination records, insurance papers and a simple weight log turn this page's general answers into your own dog's specific ones over time.
The same 60 to 90 minutes, moved to dawn and dusk and cut into shorter pieces with water and shade. A Markiesje cannot sweat its way out of midday heat, and the bill is postponed on dangerous days, never paid at noon.
Short lead walks begin once vaccinations allow, built up in small increments on soft ground. The Markiesje's adult range of 60 to 90 minutes is a destination reached over the first year or more, not a starting point for an eight week old puppy.
It can meet the clock, 60 to 90 minutes, but two sessions with sniffing, play or training mixed in suit most Markiesjes better than a single march. Variety is mental exercise, and mental exercise tires a dog of trainability 2/5 as honestly as distance does.
Two breeds, one decision: the honest differences that matter day to day.
What a Markiesje costs to keep, line by line, from the first puppy year to the lifetime figure.
How much exercise a Tenterfield Terrier needs, what fills the minutes best and how training doubles as exercise.
Last updated: November 4, 2026