How many walks a day for an 11 week old pup ??

So Tommy is now walking , as of today and I am doing around 15 mins (or I take Tilly with me an do 10 there, 10 back and 10-20 mins tied up to force a break in the middle) just trying to get a little balance so Tilly can enjoy the time too and she will get at least 1 big walk on top of these mini walks , depending on how many mini walks I do with Tommy.

My big question is how many little walks a day would you recommend for Tommy, today I've done 3 ??

As I was a bit uneducated when I joined the forum we just did what we though was ok with Tilly , never really had a strict routine but she was never overwalked as a pup, now I want to take some real advice.

I probably did more than that with Tyson when he was 12 weeks. They are very tenacious and dont really let you know when it is enough. I dont think 3 walks a day will do any harm in fact the walking together will strengthen their bond.

About 15 minutes for each walk would sound about right to me Dave, i've never had a very young puppy so can only go by what others on here say.

kathytake2 wrote:About 15 minutes for each walk would sound about right to me Dave, i've never had a very young puppy so can only go by what others on here say.

I just want to know how many times a day we can go out , sort of planning around 2-3 times + garden time at the moment and building from that

Ty wrote:I probably did more than that with Tyson when he was 12 weeks. They are very tenacious and dont really let you know when it is enough. I dont think 3 walks a day will do any harm in fact the walking together will strengthen their bond.

I got told it was 15 mins at first, then you can add an extra 5 mins per month. i was also advised when they are little not to let them climb up too many steps as it is bad for there little hips and knees.

Chiara wrote:I got told it was 15 mins at first, then you can add an extra 5 mins per month. i was also advised when they are little not to let them climb up too many steps as it is bad for there little hips and knees.

Sorry but I think people may be missing the point of my question , 15 mins a time , agreed no problem , but how many times ???

What does anyone else have to say about the steps as well though as that is a little more concerning as Tommy makes his own way up and down them all day long and has done for the last 2 weeks since he could manage them ok

2/3 times a day

Three times will do no harm. Plenty of rest in between. No running. Little bones not ready for that until maybe 6 months

Three times a day, Dave. 15 minutes lead walking per walk, maximum, plus a little off lead romping if you trust him (or trust that you're faster than he is!).

That's a routine I've stuck to for 40 years & it seems to work.

Ty wrote:Three times will do no harm. Plenty of rest in between. No running. Little bones not ready for that until maybe 6 months

There's nothing wrong with running around as long as the pup is allowed to set his own pace & is allowed to rest whenever he wants. If he's too hyped with Tilly around, then put him on lead to keep him still for 5 minutes while Tilly does her stuff & then a gentle walk back.

Free running & romping is important in a pup so that his gluteal muscles are built up, which in turn supports the hip joints & helps to prevent hip problems later in life.

Caryll wrote:

Ty wrote:Three times will do no harm. Plenty of rest in between. No running. Little bones not ready for that until maybe 6 months

There's nothing wrong with running around as long as the pup is allowed to set his own pace & is allowed to rest whenever he wants. If he's too hyped with Tilly around, then put him on lead to keep him still for 5 minutes while Tilly does her stuff & then a gentle walk back.

Free running & romping is important in a pup so that his gluteal muscles are built up, which in turn supports the hip joints & helps to prevent hip problems later in life.

Caryll is right. Sorry for not being clear, I meant running with you on a leash and not free running at his own pace.

3 times a day is fine, let him off as he is little he will stay close and will help with recall later. Lots of steps can put strain on puppy joints, I was told if you have a high step at yiour door to lift them down until they are a few months old.

Caryll wrote:Three times a day, Dave. 15 minutes lead walking per walk, maximum, plus a little off lead romping if you trust him (or trust that you're faster than he is!).

That's a routine I've stuck to for 40 years & it seems to work.

Thats why I bought the training lead , he seems to accept it ok so hope it will work well for him, think he will be ok to stop close as he follows Tilly a lot even if it's just to give her a hard time

Caryll wrote:

Ty wrote:Three times will do no harm. Plenty of rest in between. No running. Little bones not ready for that until maybe 6 months

There's nothing wrong with running around as long as the pup is allowed to set his own pace & is allowed to rest whenever he wants. If he's too hyped with Tilly around, then put him on lead to keep him still for 5 minutes while Tilly does her stuff & then a gentle walk back.

Free running & romping is important in a pup so that his gluteal muscles are built up, which in turn supports the hip joints & helps to prevent hip problems later in life.

Whats your input on the steps / stairs Caryll. He's happily going up and down the stairs all day really as I work upstairs and try to encourage him to go up and down by himself for toilet etc so he gets it a little quicker rather than carry him everywhere

Stairs have never worried me with pups. They tend to rest when they need to, so not too much strain is put on their joints.

Larger breeds, or breeds that have hip problems rife, should avoid stairs like the plague until about 9-12 months old, but I don't see any problems with staffs. He's well bred & I can't see that he'd have problems with his hips as long as you don't over walk him on the lead.

Thanks Caryll , what would the forum do without you

Survive, just the same as it did before!

Don't think so I think you and Adolf make a great team

Just don't start calling me Eva!

Caryll wrote:

Just don't start calling me Eva!

Been so busy tonight sailed through 4k posts and didnt even notice to celebrate

davemck3834 wrote:Been so busy tonight sailed through 4k posts and didnt even notice to celebrate

Congratulations!

Agree that 3 times a day isn't too much as long as it's kept at 5 minutes on lead for each month of age. I'm a bit more cautious with Suki when it came to stairs but she is an AmStaff so a bit larger. I think I would still wait for at least 6 months with a Staff though just to be on the safe side.