all that glitters Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 At what age would it be safe to do with my GSD pup? She will be safe to go out in a few days (had her vaccination last week) and I was wondering when you know your overdoing their pup exercise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seita Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Depending on the size of your block that should be ok but make it fun and go slow to let pup sniff and check things out. I don't usually take puppies for walks until they are virtually adults and on the rare occasion that I do take them for a walk it's very short to a park or somewhere safe to let them loose to have a bit of a play. I preffer to let pups play free rather than force them to take boring walks, this way they can stop when they are ready rather than risking overexerting them by taking them for a set walk. I'd be inclined to take your pup for a short walk to a park or drive to a nearby park and let it play loose or on a long lead. I'm lucky that I have a large park that my house backs onto so I just go out the back gate with my puppy (3.5 months old) and let him play on a long line. I just stand or sit or walk a very short distance (maybe 100-200 meters either direction of my house) and let him check everything out and sniff and play or whatever he wants to do. It's more about the mental stimulation than the physical. This is also a good time and way to teach a recall from early on as you've got the long line for security and provided pup knows how to come in the backyard it's the beginnings of teaching pup to come despite there being distractions around it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 You may find walks boring but they are not for the dog, they are a primal aspect to be a dog, please encourage people to get their dogs off their property and for a walk! Not many people have a park that backs onto their property. I think it's extremely irresponsible not taking your dog off your property until they are adults, dogs need socialisation. It's unlikely that the OP will over excercise their puppy from going aroung the block, they just have to watch their puppy to see how they are managing it and alter the walk accordingly. OP, Speak to your breeder or someone who actually knows something about your breed. If you go to the breed sub forums you'll find a thread for GSD's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all that glitters Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Well we took her for a walk around the block, but carried her for half of it, so she could still see the sights and sounds, but could rest. She loved it! She got excited at the sight of another dog on the other side of the road being walked, and wanted to say hello to people walking down their driveway. Got a bit freaked at the 2 loud dogs that were bashing and making a hella noise through their fence, but she ended up walking past so I was proud :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Sounds good. Keep it short, make it interesting and get her out to different places as often as you can. Early socialisation and training are a must if you want a well adjusted adult GSD who is a pleasure to own. As long as you do not overdo it physically, you cannot over-socialise a young GSD. They do not need a lot of physical excercise, but exposure to as many sights, sounds, smells and people are a must at this age. Good luck with your puppy. Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkeyre Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Do you know of anyone who has a very friendly dog that you can walk with her for the first few times to get her confidence up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seita Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 (edited) You may find walks boring but they are not for the dog, they are a primal aspect to be a dog, please encourage people to get their dogs off their property and for a walk! Not many people have a park that backs onto their property.I think it's extremely irresponsible not taking your dog off your property until they are adults, dogs need socialisation. It's unlikely that the OP will over excercise their puppy from going aroung the block, they just have to watch their puppy to see how they are managing it and alter the walk accordingly. OP, Speak to your breeder or someone who actually knows something about your breed. If you go to the breed sub forums you'll find a thread for GSD's. If that was directed at me, I never said I don't take them off my property, read my post carefully - I said short walks to parks etc are good. I just don't do long boring walks with pups, I take them to parks, dog clubs, public places anywhere I can really but I just don't force them to walk for a set distance. I just preffer to let pups exercise themselves in safe places rather than a forced walk. As per Dr Billinghurst's recommendations in his books 'Give your dog a bone' and 'Grow your pups with bones', I belive Ian Dunbar says similar things about walks. It's easy to overdo walks with pups which can lead to injuries and damage to their still growing bodies which is why I don't recommend long walks until pups are fully grown. Edited May 31, 2009 by Seita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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