Exercise questions and concerns!

Arlo is nearly 13 weeks and going great; we play tug a few times a day and I take him for small walks every day or 2 at the moment. The other night I witnessed what it was like when he had built up energy...he was chasing his tail, running, jumping and chewing literally anything physically possible..this scared me a bit!!

After searching this forum looking for some threads on amounts of exercise, I saw some people walking there dog for up to 3-4 hours a day over 3-4 walks. I know this wouldn't be everyone but it got me thinking...dayuuuumm
I'm 20 years old and this was a huge step getting a staff, I did thorough research and I'm dedicated to his happiness..my questions and concerns are...

Will it be a problem if when Arlo is 18 months old, he misses a 2nd walk for the day? I've read that if you exercise your dog a lot every day, then naturally they become accustomed to that amount of exercise and may be frustrated/bored/destructive if they dont recieve it
Does it work the other way?
What would be the minimum amount of exercise? Please keep in mind I'm asking these questions not because I'm lazy and can't be bothered spending the time, exercising him but rather I'm worried that some days the time won't be there..

I would suggest try playing certain mental games such as searching for food you can hide it in certain places, this will tire the little guy out. Kongs filled with food are great as it keeps them going for a while. Plenty of games you can play you will find them all on YouTube. You are right not walking your dog for to long at the moment while he's growing. But maybe 2 walks a day and maybe one of these in a free play where he can run off lead.

Also to add no it won't matter if he does not get a second walk when he is older. Just make sure he gets to use up most of his energy up on the one walk. But it goes back to again supply toys play games etc if you cannot get him out for the second time. When he's older what I tend to do with my cairn terrier is get her out for a good hour run and if needed or if I can with work etc I would get her out that night to stretch her legs.

They're all different in what they need for exercise. Our staffy Milo is now 18 months old, we had him from a rescue centre when he was 7 mths old. Our routine which seems to suit him well, luckily as we're no 'spring chickens', is hubby goes on his own in the mornings and lets him run in the park or sometimes he's kept on lead if there's strange dogs around that he doesn't know. This is only for about an hour & Milo always pulls hubby home   . Once home I'll play with him off & on in the garden or he plays by himself with his boomer ball which he adores and really tires him out quickly (maybe you should get one of those?). In the afternoon I take him out on my own down the green outside our house which is about 1/2 mile both ways. I take him on his 30ft training lead to play with his tennis ball. I keep him on lead obviously as there's service roads either side. I give him ongoing lessons with his recall, sit/stay exercises etc.,

This doesn't seem much but he'l settle down and sleep or just look out of the window, lay in the garden etc so it must suit him.

The one thing I have noticed is that if we've been out for a 3 or 4 hours he can be a right monkey when we get back but not always. He'll try to sit on your knee & lick your face etc. When I have to correct him verbally he'll then try to nip and then he'll have one of his 'crazy spells' that they all get - you know ears back, tail between legs and woohoo charges around mega fast lol. Funny to watch but hurts if he crashes into you  

I'm sure he sleeps all the time when we're out as the sofa is always warm where he's been lying and nothings been touched since we left so i reckon its a bit of pent up energy which he needs to release. A little walk down the green again before bed soon sorts him out.

Hes a good lad and we adore him (I love the cuddles and licking but only on my terms )

I'd agree with that - have the aim of a couple of 20 minute walks a day if you can but if you can't manage 2 for some reason, don't stress. Do be aware that dogs learn routines very quickly and if you always walk at the same time then miss a day Arlo might be confused but it shouldn't result in excessive behaviour. If it's 'just' zoomies, then don't worry. It's quite normal! If it's manic tail chasing, then that's slightly different.

Mental exercise can be tiring as well, so anything that gets the mind working is good. And an off lead run is great. I love to see puppies off lead from the word go, before they build up the confidence to leave your side.

If you are getting this hyper behaviour, the first thing I'd look at is food. What are you feeding?

I'd say frustration and 'bad' behaviour is more a product of poor nutrition and the dog not knowing its boundaries. I'm happy to be proved wrong but I just can't see a well-trained dog fed on quality foods suddenly becoming destructive or loony because his exercise options have been limited, so I don't think you need worry on that score.

Thanks so much for all the replies! Has definitely made me less worried!
I think it was me connecting the zoomies with what he did for that day...I had a long day at work so he didn't have as much free time and play time as usual; so it got me thinking '*, what if this happens when he's an adult and he can actually tear stuff apart if he wants to!'
I feed him Royal Canine medium size breed for puppies; however recently he has been sneakily munching down our older dogs food who's a grazer, so have had to start being really strict with that!

kong with peanut butter stuck in the freezer overnight when he's older should keep him busy for abit. also training tricks for a few minutes.

I wouldn't be over concerned about missing the second walk every now and then. As long as he's getting plenty of physical exercise regularly and mental stimulation then you should be fine. Zoomies are a part of the Staffy make up so don't be overly surprised by those

can't add to already great advice

Walks that include exercising are very important especially if you have high energy dog as it gives physical and mental stimulation and build your bond. But it doesn't mean that if you miss one walk you cause damage as well balanced dog can handle it .

As a general rule until 18 months of age they should get 2 walks per day for a 5 minute length per month of age. After that 2 walks of 45 minutes can do it.

Suki was a bit destructive if she missed a walk but is okay with it now if the walk is replaced with a game of tug of war

Always remember it's quality rather than quantity. Two good walks are better than four crap ones. I know this sounds obvious but don't judge a walk by the time you are there for, rather what you do while you're there.

Zoomies are very normal by the way Axl is 3 and he still does them even if he's just had a huge walk I'd just say enjoy them and make sure you move out the way! Lol