How Much Do You Exercise Your Bc Pup?

[BCNut]

Hi all

Just wondering if there's anyone out there with (or previously has had) a Border Collie pup that they're trying to get a gauge on how much exercise is needed?

I only ask because my young man has an insatiable appetite for it at the moment - but I know i need to be cautious of damaging his joints at this young age (almost 7mths old).

We jog or bicycle ride everyday x1-x2 (trot or running pace for him), and throw frisbee for him - when he's tired of that, we play fetch with ball. Or 2 long walks (>1hr each). Plus frisbee and ball.

With this, he's happy to snooze all day, or follow me around the yard (2 acres), weather permitting - and he's nice and relaxed. Only problem is, when i put him in his kennel at night, and then come out to get him in the morning there is evidence of a wild night out...toys strewn everywhere, scarecrow attacked and sometimes he might take out a dripper for a munch. No barking or digging though.

Is this just his young mind ticking over a bit and will settle in time - or does he need more exercise/or changes to his sleeping routine?

Thanks

[BC Crazy]

Hello caindO1 & welcome,

That sounds like tonnes of exercise for a 7 month who by the way is just gorgeous. I personally wouldn't be jogging or running him, especially on any hard surface as he is much too young.

Same goes for the frizbee. Too much jarring on young joints IMHO. Playing ball on a soft surface is O.K. but I always like to keep the ball bouncing low so as he is not jumping in

the air to high, again it's taking care of those very young joints.

I would be making him brain tired more. Teach him trick's, simple obedience & things like that to make him think as their mind needs just about as much exercise as their body.

10 min obedience lesson. Maybe teach him some simple tricks like roll over, hi 5 or whatever but learning is very tiring stuff you know :laugh:

When you feed in maybe put one meal inside a Kong, makes him work for it.

As for the antic's of a night, that's typical puppy play. I see he has a very snazzy dog kennel but is their any reason he can't sleep inside as he would probably settle a lot better

if he was. Hope I was of some help & enjoy your beautiful Calvin :)

[Kavik]

I agree with BC crazy :)

Training and mental stimulation would tire him out and help him settle, lots of exercise without the mental stimulation will just make him fit :)

There are heaps of things you can train, from obedience to tricks (which can be useful as well, especially if you aim to do sports later, body awareness stuff is fun to train and useful). I keep my sessions short and fun and high energy. You can use toys for rewards as well as food - so you can make him earn that frisbee or ball instead of getting it for free :)

And sleeping in a more confined area at night should help him settle more easily.

[BCNut]

Hello caindO1 & welcome,

That sounds like tonnes of exercise for a 7 month who by the way is just gorgeous. I personally wouldn't be jogging or running him, especially on any hard surface as he is much too young.

Same goes for the frizbee. Too much jarring on young joints IMHO. Playing ball on a soft surface is O.K. but I always like to keep the ball bouncing low so as he is not jumping in

the air to high, again it's taking care of those very young joints.

I would be making him brain tired more. Teach him trick's, simple obedience & things like that to make him think as their mind needs just about as much exercise as their body.

10 min obedience lesson. Maybe teach him some simple tricks like roll over, hi 5 or whatever but learning is very tiring stuff you know :laugh:

When you feed in maybe put one meal inside a Kong, makes him work for it.

As for the antic's of a night, that's typical puppy play. I see he has a very snazzy dog kennel but is their any reason he can't sleep inside as he would probably settle a lot better

if he was. Hope I was of some help & enjoy your beautiful Calvin :)

Hello :)

Thanks for all the info! Calvin's vet said he's ok to jog and bicycle with me as long as it's kept at a trotting pace for him - same goes with frisbee - no jumping higher than what he normally does just mucking around out in the yard, so i'm very careful with that. He has 6 monthly check ups due to his exercise regime and is on jointguard as a prophylactic. But I do still share your concerns :S

As far as tricks/obedience goes - I think he's mastered it all - even with distractions. He's such a smart little fella...sit, drop, stay, come, hi-5, shake, rollover, spin, scoot, beg, we even do little back stalls. At the moment we're working on naming his favourite toys which is taking a bit longer.

He eats from kongs when i have to go out, but from a bowl when i'm here - so starting tonight i will kong him at all times!

You're absolutely right, in that he sleeps straight through when he's inside - its only been for the last 3-4wks he's been outside at night, as I have gone back to nightshift and would like him to be confident outside overnight so he can toilet himself when he needs. Having him sleep inside when i'm here and outside when i'm not seems to shake him up even more.

Thanks again!

[BCNut]

I agree with BC crazy :)

Training and mental stimulation would tire him out and help him settle, lots of exercise without the mental stimulation will just make him fit :)

There are heaps of things you can train, from obedience to tricks (which can be useful as well, especially if you aim to do sports later, body awareness stuff is fun to train and useful). I keep my sessions short and fun and high energy. You can use toys for rewards as well as food - so you can make him earn that frisbee or ball instead of getting it for free :)

And sleeping in a more confined area at night should help him settle more easily.

Thanks also Kavik!

Will be canvassing youtube shortly for new tricks to start tonight!! :)

[BC Crazy]

He is young to be on Jointguard IMO. I could exercise my girl all day & she would still be up for a game as soon as we got home :laugh: She is my little energizer bunny, she just doesn't stop.

Sounds like Calvin is all over those obedience skills & some tricks too, clever boy. Well done Calvin

[Kavik]

Hello :)

Thanks for all the info! Calvin's vet said he's ok to jog and bicycle with me as long as it's kept at a trotting pace for him - same goes with frisbee - no jumping higher than what he normally does just mucking around out in the yard, so i'm very careful with that. He has 6 monthly check ups due to his exercise regime and is on jointguard as a prophylactic. But I do still share your concerns :S

As far as tricks/obedience goes - I think he's mastered it all - even with distractions. He's such a smart little fella...sit, drop, stay, come, hi-5, shake, rollover, spin, scoot, beg, we even do little back stalls. At the moment we're working on naming his favourite toys which is taking a bit longer.

He eats from kongs when i have to go out, but from a bowl when i'm here - so starting tonight i will kong him at all times!

You're absolutely right, in that he sleeps straight through when he's inside - its only been for the last 3-4wks he's been outside at night, as I have gone back to nightshift and would like him to be confident outside overnight so he can toilet himself when he needs. Having him sleep inside when i'm here and outside when i'm not seems to shake him up even more.

Thanks again!

OK for your basic obedience - a fun challenge! Will he sit/drop etc on command if you are lying down/kneeling/curled in a ball on the ground/on a chair/running/waving his favourite toy? I ask for each of these as well as stand one after the other and am sometimes surprised which things will catch my dog out! You can have fun proofing things!

ETA: Some fun tricks

Walk backwards

crawl

bow

front feet on object

back feet on object

all 4 feet in a box

nose touch hand or object

Edited July 18, 2012 by Kavik

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Heel backwards, forwards, sideways - keeping in heel position while you go sideways, towards him, and away from him. Left and right side (definitely do as much heelwork on the right as the left if you want to do agility).

leg weaves ie he weaves around your legs, come to heel, left or right side and front. Go backwards while in front of you ie he's facing you and goes backwards - with you following, without you following...

and then there is this list.

http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2010/01/the-puppy-one-hundred-and-thirty-five/

and this one

http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2009/02/idea-list-for-shaping/

Should keep you busy for a while.

I would limit each trick session to about 5 minutes but you can have several sessions a day and maybe have several different tricks you're working on at any given time.

The most important trick would be working through frustration ie when the dog can't figure out what to do to get the reward, you need to encourage the dog to keep trying and not give up or get frustrated (bark, zoomies, scratching, sniffing etc). And you need to manage your own frustrations. And quick games of tug or chase the boss between can be good to break training up.

[BCNut]

Heel backwards, forwards, sideways - keeping in heel position while you go sideways, towards him, and away from him. Left and right side (definitely do as much heelwork on the right as the left if you want to do agility).

leg weaves ie he weaves around your legs, come to heel, left or right side and front. Go backwards while in front of you ie he's facing you and goes backwards - with you following, without you following...

and then there is this list.

http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2010/01/the-puppy-one-hundred-and-thirty-five/

and this one

http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2009/02/idea-list-for-shaping/

Should keep you busy for a while.

I would limit each trick session to about 5 minutes but you can have several sessions a day and maybe have several different tricks you're working on at any given time.

The most important trick would be working through frustration ie when the dog can't figure out what to do to get the reward, you need to encourage the dog to keep trying and not give up or get frustrated (bark, zoomies, scratching, sniffing etc). And you need to manage your own frustrations. And quick games of tug or chase the boss between can be good to break training up.

Wow! Now...wheres that clicker :laugh: ! Thanks for the tips.

He did puppy pushups for every bite of his dinner tonight. Poor guy didn't know what hit him!

[Nekhbet]

jointguard wont necessarily be a help considering the damage to growth plates comes from the impact of the dog pounding the pavement. I would never even jog a young dog for that long no matter what the diet. My boy is about the same age as yours and he gets a lot more training then he does walks. He is never jogged at all and wont be until he's about 18 months old.

If you can contain him at night and dont let him fall asleep early then you will find he wont shred the backyard. It's more the fact he has access to things and he is awake, just like a baby dont let him nap around you during daylight/evening hours and he will be more likely to sleep rather then destroy.

[Jumabaar]

My 14mth old Kelpie pups really only get free play (so them being allowed to do their own thing off lead) still and training. They might go on a proper 'walk' once or twice a week for maybe half an hr or so, do obedience training at a club and have started agility foundations. They also tag along to flyball for basics. They are buggered after training and probably only do 3x15 minute sessions and spend the rest of the time crated while I work the older dogs. They are TRASHED after that!

I am guessing all the exercise your doing is actually making your pup fitter and fitter!! Meaning that your never going to keep up with his exercise requirements. But it sounds like others have suggested some great strategies to tire him out mentally rather than physically.

[persephone]

I am guessing all the exercise your doing is actually making your pup fitter and fitter!! Meaning that your never going to keep up with his exercise requirements.

yes, indeed - as he gets fitter, you will need to do more & more!

Training him to NOT race around will , altho difficult , make him tired :) Think kids after working hard at school/homework , as opposed to hooning around with their mates :)

[dancinbcs]

Puppies under 18 months should never, ever be run next to a jogger or a bike for more than about 5 minutes. If you have a 2 acre yard that is plenty of space for a puppy to self exercise. Walks should only be short, 30 min max at a steady walk, and for training. Throwing a ball along the ground is ok but not a frisby or anything else that requires the dog to jump. Young Borders do tend to jump a lot and it needs to be be discouraged as much as possible. They are one of the most injury prone breeds of dog because they don't know when to stop and the chiropracters do a roaring trade with them.

A few things to remember about Border Collies. They are capable of running more than 40kms a day as adults so you are never going to be able to exercise them enough to tire them out. As others have said, the more you exercise them the more exercise they need, so you should be encouraging the dog to chill out when you want it to by confining it inside or in a crate overnight until it learns to relax. Praise the dog for being calm.

Lots of short training sessions are much better than one long one a day but no amount of training will stop a destructive dog from destroying stuff. Provide lots of stuff the dog can destroy and teach it to know the difference. I use a toy basket and anything in there is for them. Anything else is not. If you don't want something destroyed keep the dog away from it when you cannot directly supervise and correct any interest in the wrong things. Most dogs become less destructive with age but not all. Some destroy their bedding every night for years. BTW, not all Borders are destructive. I have had two super destructive ones, one that never touched a thing and several that just chewed up the odd thing they weren't supposed to. All related but different natures.

[Starkehre]

All of above.

Sorry to surprise you, but many vets do not understand puppy exercise requirements. Vets are terrific diagnostics of illnesses and administers of drugs and sometimes great surgeons. Your vet has given you incorrect information regarding biking for a dog of this age.

When you wish to know other things, ask the brains trust here. There are many experienced Border Collie folk in this forum that are always very happy to offer correct and sound advice.

Free running only, plus short on leash walks consisting of training, plus brain training stimuli.

I would suggest you take the conception of tiring your puppy physically completely off the table. If you want calmness, you train for calmness. Right now you are training your dog to be energetic and busy.

Crate inside at night for calmness.

If you want an always busy, high energy dog, you will not loose this by training calmness now. You can train your dog "in drive" to teach it to switch on and off.

IMO we should never "have" to exercise their dogs because of what their dog might/will do regarding damage/anxiety etc. It should be done out of physical or mental needs and also enjoyment. Your dog is too young to fit into the physical need category and therefore more damage than good can/will occur.

Awesome work with your training :) Lovely pup. Wish you the best with him.

Added, I would not be feeding joint formulas to an adolescent that does not have known joint issues. I would not be recommeding you using it as a preventative and over working your pup. JMO

Edited July 18, 2012 by dyzney

[BCNut]

Thanks again for all the further posts.

I think i need to clarify some things. The vet stressed the importance of the pace and vigour of running/biking - SLOW. And it is. The main reason he came with me on bike rides is because i hurt my back and walking was off the cards for a while, the riding is never done faster than I could walk. And as for my jogging; well...i'm sure if Calvin could laugh at my attempt at jogging pace, he would, its certainly not strenuous :laugh: He certainly never gets a great deal of pace up and the time we do this for would be faily close to 5 minutes.

The vet recommended a glucosamine formula and I chose jointguard for no particular reason other than it was just that.

I appreciate now that I have underestimated the mental exercise side of things and am taking steps to reconcile that.

I'm interested in this concept of 'self-exercise'; what exactly does that mean? The title in itself suggests he be left outside to his own devices during the day? I thought this was the very thing that led to destructive behaviour.

Calvin isn't destructive - I think 1 dripper (which indeed I left in an inappropriate, reachable place for a puppy - he didn't pull it out the ground) and one CD which was had already fallen off the scarecrow hardly describes a destructive puppy - I should've been more specific it seems.

I just dont think he was sleeping that well out there. But, knowing him reasonably well, I think an exchange of some physical exercise for more mental ones, focusing on keeping him awake as long as possible during the day - nanna naps are out! I think this will make a significant difference.

Thanks again

[JulesP]

I don't walk my border collie puppies until they are about 12 months old. They go on lots of outings but they don't go on formal walks.

Self exercise means the puppy chooses how much it does. It can stop and rest when it needs to. It isn't being walked along on a lead.

I wouldn't be feeding a young pup jointguard or any joint formula. They really shouldn't need it.

And I would be letting the puppy rest when it wanted to.

[persephone]

nanna naps are out!

Why?

Dog's sleeping habits are different to humans ....and a growing puppy needs to nap /rest body and mind .

Once again - by training him to be busy and stay awake, you are creating a hyper dog.

train him indoors with you .. train him to sit and lie quietly - with a chew toy or bone.

train him to pick things up for you

train him to follow you , to stop when you do ..and just 'chill'

self exercise is an easy concept :)

pup is provided with interactive toys that pup LIKES and is interested in .

pup then learns to play alone - develops independence and also develops its thinking and movement skills with no pressure to perform.

interactive toys your pup may enjoy (ours do) are things like leather footballs - plastic drink bottles with a handful of kibble inside , a length of safe cotton rope- knotted at one end ...

a big cardboard box - which can be jumped on/hidden in & chewed :)

a sandpit to dig in /hide treats in ...

and maybe some things from HERE

Edited July 18, 2012 by persephone

[Starkehre]

In explanation - On leash exercise whether it be walking, jogging or alongside a bike is not free exercise. Even if the dog is coming along willingly, this does not mean that the physiological is not crying out for rest, even if it is walking pace alongside a bike for minutes, it is still known as forced exercise.

Dogs have an innate need to please us, follow us and be with us. Working dog breeds particularly want/need to work and many of them have relatively medium to high drive, so as pups they do not know when enough is enough.

As an owner it is up to us to know how much forced and free exercise our pups should be allowed to have without causing long term injury and growth issues.

But, it sounds like you have all the answers and do not need any help.

Best wishes :)

Edited July 19, 2012 by dyzney

[Kavik]

When I worked in a dog daycare, one of the things that really stressed me was the overexercise of young dogs. Assuming that just because they are still running around like nutters that they don't need a rest. It was a highly charged atmosphere and the dogs were so amped up, some of the energetic dogs wouldn't relax at all during the day, and some if we tried to enforce rest on them would just bark.

[Clyde]

When I was a child we had working BC's and Kelpies. I understand the importance of not over exercising dogs, particularly certain breeds, but our working pups would run along next to us on horseback until they couldn't run anymore, then they'd be piggy backed on the horse. The fellow next door breeds top notch working Kelpies and his pups go out with him all day and are expected to keep up In fact this is what all the farmers did when I was a kid. None of the dogs had joint issues, they would work all day and night if they could. My brother still has work dogs and pups are also expected to keep up. He has a new 7 month old who is out with him all day, everyday.

Just wondering what has changed, aside from opinion? Are we breeding softer/weaker working breeds?