Catarina Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 My puppy is 4 months old and I plan to go on power walks with it for half an hour. With it being summer at the moment, would it be advisable for her to be walking for that long? Will it tire her out? I plan to bring a bottle of water each for the both of us. Sorry for all the questions, I'm a new dog owner. =D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 What breed is she? Regardless, 1/2 an hour of onlead power walking is too much IMO and could do lasting damage. I'd stick to short walks with plenty of stop and sniff (not power walks) and free play. The bigger the breed the lass forced exercise when they're pups is the general rule. If you want to tire her out, do training for a few minutes instead (look at free shaping to get her to use her brain) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Personally I like my pups to have lots of free play and training to work their sponge-like brains. If they go out on leash for a walk it's for socialising and training. Nothing wrong with a tired puppy but power walking (or trotting for the pup!) is a very unnatural gait for a puppy and I'm not sure that it does their development any favours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 If your pup is a SBT, forget about any serious walking until 7 or 8 months of age at least. Short walks of 10-15 is more than enough for now and you are better off concentrating on the training and some free running and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tralee Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Puppy play is enough for young dogs. Leash training and socialisation is an exception to the rule. It is hard to resist showing off your dog, but you have to remember its age. Four months is like, just two and a half. And juveniles do not have a fully developed temperature regulation system. The hot ground will also hert its paws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I agree, play rather than power walking would be best for development. It's great you're asking questions. Some really good advice on these forums. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 :) I'm glad you are planning on doing stuff with your puppy - but yes, she is too young yet for much walking, esp power walking ..it's a bit like a primary school kid doing marathons. ..too much for soft joints/bones. Have you found the 'puppy problems" section yet? CLICK HERE and when you browse through, you will probably see some familiar questions :) Looking forward to more photos, too! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 No puppy should ever be power walked under 12 months. For larger breeds they should be 18 months to 2 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I have taken 4mth old pups powerwalking. Admittedly I also did weights because I popped them in a backpack so they didnt actually have to do any walking!!! I would walk to the park- let him or her have a romp around on a long light lead then popped them back in the backpack to walk home, usually with a very sleepy puppy. Exercise per se isnt very important or necessary to pups but building muscle by doing their silly zoomies and learning their own body comes first. The play time is also a great time to teach an excellent recall- have some treats and every time the puppy checks in give it some treats and make a fuss, other times call it while its running to you anyway and reward. Once you have a good history of giving treats and being exciting you should be able to call when the pup is slightly distracted and real them in on the lead if they forget that they are meant to come. That is GREAT puppy exercise because it works their brain just as much as their body. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catarina Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Wow, thanks everyone for the all the advice. Well, I wanted to show her off and also to keep fit (more for me, not for her). New Year's resolution and all. LOL She's a SBT and nearly 5 months old at the end of the month. This is her sitting like a human. So adorable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Is she teething? What are you feeding her? Reason I ask is that she looks a bit down in pasterns at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catarina Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Yeah she's teething, her back teeth are growing. What do you mean by bit down in pasterns? I'm a new dog owner, not sure if that's a dog-term. O_O Uhmmmm she's showing me her sad face because I've put a collar around her. Cheeky, manipulative little puppy. It worked because she ended up treats after. LOL We're feeding her wet food in the morning, dry food at night. Sometimes I give her chicken neck or the chicken wing's end part. I also give her watermelon, apples, carrots, honeydew/rockmelon - she loves them. I used to give her grapes too but that was before I found out that it's a big no-no for dogs. I only gave her 3-5 grapes. Hope it didn't do any damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Give her the whole chicken wing, add some lamb neck whole to the diet. You've got a Stafford jaw and she's more than capable of eating meat on the bone. Cut the fruit down and get rid of the wet food, as she is looking very weak in the pasterns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catarina Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 This was her 3 weeks before CHristmas. This one was taken 2 weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 She's gorgeous Catarina, love the pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 What a pretty face she has! Don't worry she will be ready for power walks and exercise before you know it :) time will fly! If you feel like showing her off, you can show her off here. But also taking her up the street and sitting at a cafe is great socialisation for her and another opportunity to show her off :) Pasterns are the bit of leg just above the paw and before that first joint. I believe when they are a bit down, the paws also have a tendency to flatten and splay rather than being nice and tight. Make sure her toe nails are nice and trim, which it looks like they are :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) learning the 'mechanics' /reading the manual on iphones/cars/pups is a Very Good Thing to help with maintenance and discussion :D Bone formation in puppies is so important ..and diet/genetics and exercise all play a part. The bones are soft and growing fast , so need balanced nutrition , and management ,to develop optimally . I suggest you look for photos of Stafford pups/dogs, and see how they are put together :) LIgaments between the foot & wrist hold all this together , and can be stretched /out of alignment .. when growth is not even ....causing a 'sag' I notice you asked this on a 'staffy' forum and received some interesting replies !! this is an extreme case ....compare it to the GSD pic above!! There are all sort of variations on a theme .. and a lot of pups have a slight degree which improved when their nutrition is correctly balanced Edited January 28, 2013 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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