Walking

Hello

Can anyone advise me how long we should be walking Lola, she is 15 weeks old on Saturday. Don't want to overdo it as have been told this can be harmful.

Thanks

Sam

5 mins for every month old they are for first year so would be 15-20mins.

Although what they are walking on makes a diffeence too, if walking on grass its less impact on joints anyway compared to concrete or tarmac.

Hi John, thanks for the info, have overdone it then. We go to a country park. Grassy hills, she can go for 40 mins plus no problem, running and bouncing about, she is very hypo don't think 15-20 mins would be enough!

Yeah they can easily go much longer unfortunatly. But the reason the amount is recommeded is to reduce chances of joint issues when your dog is older.

When your dog is at a young age over exercising can have a big impact on joints as the bones are still growing at such a fast rate and their bones are still very soft and the joints are not properly settled in yet or something along them lines.

Though some people would disagree with this theory totally.
http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/126329-myth-over-exercising-puppies.html

Personally I try and stick to the 5min for each month rule, worked fine for Molly she is not overweight, she has grow up just nicley and we know we did not let her over do it so reduced risk of joint problem I feel.

They also advise not letting you pup go upstairs ect aswell as this puts alot of stress on the joints again.

It has been proved that over-exercising a young pup can cause long term joint problems. The growth plates can be stunted or stretched, the tendons that hold the joints firm can be loosened leading to possible HD/arthritis.

I don't know why there is still the hot debate about this in some quarters - ask any large breed breeder & they'll tell you no long walks and no high impact exercise.

A 5-10 minute walk and a 10-15 minute run around twice a day at your pup's age is more than enough. Don't forget that they will also get exercise in the home with play. If that doesn't tire them out, then try some mental exercises like seek. It's often the over-active mind that keeps them going, rather than the need for physical exercise!

Many thanks, from today I'll cut it right back to what you have suggested.

Agreed all around. It's always better to be safe when they are still growing so as not to cause any problems down the road. A couple of games of tug and some mental stimulation will help tire them out.