Exercise For Puppies How Much Is Too Much

[chicko]

hah Bikle are you going to break him?

[bikle]

i think i did!

is that why he still poops inside??

haha

(seriously though.. now im really worried)

Edited September 5, 2006 by bikle

[Dogsfevr]

Breeders will generally tell puppy owners how much/type of exercise but many people do not follow the advice.As ellz said pups are like young toddlers.

Dogs arent fully growm till 12 months & with large/giant breeds 18 mths so any heavy /inappropriate exercising can create all sorts of health issues.

Around the block can vary but as a pup at 19 weeks it would be depending to the end of the street & back.

Also with breeds longer in back you need to build them up slowly .

Remember there simlpy babies

[bikle]

My breeder sent me to this site for all info in regards to training/obedience/feeding etc:

http://www.jimanie.com/Training.html

and all it says is:

"If you jog, take him with you, as long as you keep in mind his age and the conditions of the day. (Jogging is only for dogs over 9 months of age, and limit it to an easy, short distance, until he is at least 1 year old.) "

and later down the page says:

'Leash break the pup by attaching the lead to the collar and carrying him outside, away from the house. Put him down, and then follow him around for awhile. Try gently leading him in the direction that you want him to go. As a general rule, teach the pup to walk at your left side. If he resists, tug, do not pull, on the lead. Call his name, tug, and start walking. He'll get the idea soon enough. You can accomplish much with treats in a young puppy - bribery always works! By taking the dog on a walk daily, you will quickly leash break him, and he will soon be looking forward to his walks, and will rush to the door when he sees his leash in your hand. I highly recommend buying a "Flexi-lead" of medium strength to walk your pup. You should still train him to walk on a short lead even if you use a flexi.'

Oh dear! Raising a puppy is so damn confusing.

[BrunoBella]

I always do my best to do as I'm told and my breeder provided great advice. I have also got good advice here on DOL.

I didn't explain our lead training properly in my previous post so will expand here:

Bruno started lead training in slow spurts.

- We started off lead training in the backyard and then gradually out and about at a maximum of three times a week.

-His first walk was 10 days after his third needle. 12 weeks I think?? (I'm getting old.!) We went to the end of the driveway. Also at this time, I took him to visit different areas (cafe's, friends places) so he could get used to the world without having to walk.

-Next one (two days later) was past two houses and back (about 15 to 20 minutes of sniffing). We continued our drive based visiting.

-After a few weeks we made it to the end of the street (about 250m) By this stage all the neighbours are laughing at me cause I'm the only one who walks their dog such a short distance

-Then we finally made it around the 500 m block.

-At abour 5 months we added another few hundred metres.

-Now at 6 months he does about 7-800 metres except for the occasional 4 km round trip (done that one three times in four weeks).

Our walks are not exercise (bruno gets heaps of exercise in the back yard) they are a mobile training session to desensitise bruno to loud noises, distractions and people .

He is doing very well with his training (eventhough he has hit the teens)

[BrunoBella]

Bikle no wonder you're confused. You have been given terrible advice.

If you jog, take him with you, as long as you keep in mind his age and the conditions of the day. (Jogging is only for dogs over 9 months of age, and limit it to an easy, short distance, until he is at least 1 year old.)

Jogging is even worse than walking

By taking the dog on a walk daily, you will quickly leash break him, and he will soon be looking forward to his walks, and will rush to the door when he sees his leash in your hand. I highly recommend buying a "Flexi-lead" of medium strength to walk your pup. You should still train him to walk on a short lead even if you use a flexi.'

Flexileads are hopeless for training. They just teach dogs how to pull!!

And a daily walk can be dangerous.

That is terrible advice

I'd throw that away and start again

[fido666]

My Duncan broke his leg at 5mths old off the end of a flexilead, I will never use one again on a puppy. The break and subsequent restriction from the bandage/splint caused a growth defect which needed surgery to correct it but it will never be 100%. He will also be prone to early onset of arthritis. I was just socialising him in the local park, not hard walking him. Over exercising my breed Collies can cause them to go down in their pasterns so I wouldn't really walk them before 9 months of age. I do feel it is also important to socialise them, you can do this without over stessing their joints though.

Cheers,

Corine

[dogsonly]

Please help us as buyers. Everyone seems to have differing advice. Can breeders please answer these questions for us and maybe forum leaders. Just saying don't overexercise is not taking care of your puppies that you on-sell. We need specifics as some people love to jog, others a brisk exercise each day and unwittingly take their puppies with them. I take gentle walks from age of last injections in the meantime play with them gently - lots of tummy rubbing and getting to know you exercises. Lead is trailed around until they get used to being attached to it. Often good breeders are too busy to email again and again with questions as they have another litter on the way.

[ellz]

Often good breeders are too busy to email again and again with questions as they have another litter on the way.

This last sentence speaks volumes. A good breeder will ALWAYS have time for emails and phone calls from puppy people, no matter HOW many other litters they might have on the way and no matter how long after the sale of the puppy!

[morgan]

Many years ago I had a large 6 mth old puppy who had terrible cowhocks, and the breeder advised me to roadwork her to strengthen her legs. This made them worse!

A fellow exhibitor warned me to never exercise puppies on a lead, as they needed to stop and rest the moment they felt like it, to avoid stress on their joints. Until they were fully grown, they were only to have free exercise on grass, and never encouraged to keep playing past their limits. I have done this ever since, taking pups in the car to off leash areas for a quick romp and socialisation session, then home again when I have wanted a change of scenery for them.

Haven't had leg problems or arthritis in any of my dogs since.

[bikle]

Bikle no wonder you're confused. You have been given terrible advice.

If you jog, take him with you, as long as you keep in mind his age and the conditions of the day. (Jogging is only for dogs over 9 months of age, and limit it to an easy, short distance, until he is at least 1 year old.)

Jogging is even worse than walking

By taking the dog on a walk daily, you will quickly leash break him, and he will soon be looking forward to his walks, and will rush to the door when he sees his leash in your hand. I highly recommend buying a "Flexi-lead" of medium strength to walk your pup. You should still train him to walk on a short lead even if you use a flexi.'

Flexileads are hopeless for training. They just teach dogs how to pull!!

And a daily walk can be dangerous.

That is terrible advice

I'd throw that away and start again

I don't use a flexilead. I walk him on a lupine lead and a flat collar.

Throw away the advice and start again?

Throw away the advice of my breeder - a lady that has been working with the breed and producing champions and grand champions for over 20 years?

And not walk him? Because he is a 'toddler'? In my mind, Doug (in development terms) should be more like a 10-12 year old boy. Definately not a todler. He is 2/3 of his adult weight. He is experienced the world, met a thousand people, socialised with dogs and had learnt a handful of basic commands... and he's a todler?

I just don't understand what I am supposed to do.

I don't want to hurt my puppy but I am sick of being made feel guilty, silly and negligent for following the 'wrong' advice .

The exact same thing happened with his vaccinations...

Edited September 5, 2006 by bikle

[Dogsfevr]

No one said dont walk but surely people understand a pup is a pup not a little adult.They will try to walk as far as you take them but it doesnt mean there able to too

Your dogs body is 19 weeks /5 months no where near a 10/12 yr old & to think like that will cause you confusion.

Its like saying a 10 yr old should be able to do the same as an 20 yrs old its not realistic nor achievable .

Leash training is very important & small walks do the job plus socialization but around the block twice aday for a 19 week old i would never do that.

We live on acre properties so a walk for our small breed at that age would be 4-5 houses done & back.My large breed pups dont go that far they just get basic lead training & manners & the small walks help co ordination but as much as they want to go further it doesnt happen.

[BrunoBella]

I'm sorry you misunderstood my post bikle. I was not trying to make you look guilty, silly or negligent. My explanations were about the advice you were given.

I know how hard it is. I got so much different advice from people with my first dog, Bella, which has led to me spending the last 7 months trying to fix the things that I did wrong. With my second dog, Bruno, I now no so much more.

There are lots of people with different ideas:

No vaccinations versus three vaccinations

No walking versus walk everywhere

Feed dogs commercial dog food or feed them raw...

All this stuff makes my head spin so i just try and pick out the good bits and use them.

Don't worry too much and enjoy having a puppy

[poodlefan]

Bikle:

I don't want to hurt my puppy but I am sick of being made feel guilty, silly and negligent for following the 'wrong' advice .

Breathe deep Bikle - I don't see anyone trying to make you feel guilty or suggesting you are silly and negligent. You've had your dog for about three weeks now? He's not going to have suffered any long term damage yet.

I totally understand you don't want to ignore your breeder's advice but suggest that you do a bit of your own homework rather than accept it in blind faith. BTW - does your breeder exercise her dogs by walking them round the block? If she does, I'll be surprised - most breeders tend to have a few dogs and free run them together in groups.

Here's some things to consider:

* Unless your breeder is a vet, or a canine sports health practitioner consider their advice as that of a knowledgeable "lay" person. I'd put DOL in that context too.

* Most canine health professionals will tell you that the best exercise a puppy (or a dog) can get is free play - because it works all the muscle groups, not just the ones needed to walk. Free play involves much turning, bounding etc - quite different exercise to walking.

* There is a wide school of belief (you've been exposed to it here) that says repetitious exercise on hard surfaces can lead to skeletal issues in developing pups. Pups tire easily - but will often continue to push on to please us. The fact that they do, doesn't mean they should.

* Your breeder is breeding primarily for the show ring and for family homes - if you have any ambitions to compete in dog sports, you will place physical pressure on your dogs's anatomy far greater than your average pet or show dog endures - that means that you have to be SUPER careful to keep your dog in optimum health. Sports dogs can break - and that's why dog sports people tend to be very big on husbandry for their dogs - we have care regimes for our dogs that many dogs would never experience. As the owner of a breed with a long back and short legs, you have additional challenges to face in terms of keeping your dog sound.

From a training point of view, consider the following:

Leash training (I dislike the word "breaking" as much for a dog as for horses) generally has an aim. That aim is to keep your dog focussed on you while walking without tension on the lead. A leash is primarily a method of control. Where the dog is if it is "free walking" is less important than when you have your dog under close control such as in the "heel" position - many handlers teach these as different exercises.

However, when I have my dog on lead, I want it paying at least partial attention to me. I don''t want it wandering all over the place, sniffing here and there, with me following. As leader, I decide where we go and what pace we go. Sniffing etc happens off lead for my dogs or when I take them to spots, they don't take me. As we start with puppies, so we continue - decide NOW who controls pace and direction when walking on lead or expect your dog to haul you all over the place as it gets stronger. When I see people letting their pups tow them from one point of interest to another I just know that 6 months down the track, there will be issues with loose lead walking. Think now about how you want your pup to consider what being on lead means.

Flexi leads seem like a great idea - a wider range for the dog while still attached to you. The big problem for many trainers is that in order for the dog to extend the lead it HAS to pull - most of us are putting a lot of effort in to keeping that lead without tension all the time.

Can I politely suggest that a breeder, regardless of their record in the litter box, is not automatically an expert in canine health or dog training. If you want to make a decision about what exercise and training methods you use on your puppy, I'd recommend you do a bit more homework.

There is a wealth of information on this forum,, on the internet and in books. By asking questions as the OP in this thread did, you are going to get a range of responses - some of them with opposing views. Its not a matter of who is right and who is wrong but of deciding for yourself, based on the best informaiton you can get, what is best for your dog. There will always be differing views - most of them quite passionate!

Oh, and for the record... my dogs got two vaccs as pups and are vaccinated annually. :D Right now, based on the information I've gathered, that is the best decision for me. Many of my friends disagree.

Vive la difference! Base your decisions on your own research and take comfort in the fact that you are doing the best you know how for your dog - we all are.

Edited September 5, 2006 by poodlefan

[bikle]

Bikle:

I don't want to hurt my puppy but I am sick of being made feel guilty, silly and negligent for following the 'wrong' advice .

Breathe deep Bikle - I don't see anyone trying to make you feel guilty or suggesting you are silly and negligent. You've had your dog for about three weeks now? He's not going to have suffered any long term damage yet.

I totally understand you don't want to ignore your breeder's advice but suggest that you do a bit of your own homework rather than accept it in blind faith. BTW - does your breeder exercise her dogs by walking them round the block? If she does, I'll be surprised - most breeders tend to have a few dogs and free run them together in groups.

Thankyou for your great advice poodlefan.

I have had him since he was 8 weeks old, so nearly 3 months. I have only been walking him for the last 3 weeks -

I am sorry I sound so stressed and mad. I am just going through a hard time at the moment and have found that the conflicting advice I have been given over EVERY aspect of the bringing up of my puppy hard to deal with.

The reason I joined DOL is to help with my 'homework'. I have wanted this pup for years and started researching breeders etc for over a year before I got him.

I want to be a responsible dog owner. I want my pup to have a long and healthy life. I want him to have strong bones, a strong back and not suffer arthritis in his later years and I am willing to put the time and effort in to make the chances the best possible for him to achieve it.

I have stopped walking him until I can get more information. I am googling my head off and plan to speak to my vet this week.

Thankyou again..

[BrunoBella]

Excellent post Poodlefan :D

[poodlefan]

Bikle:

I am sorry I sound so stressed and mad. I am just going through a hard time at the moment and have found that the conflicting advice I have been given over EVERY aspect of the bringing up of my puppy hard to deal with.

Don't worry - I am a total stress bunny too - I just found the better I got myself informed, the more confident I felt about my decisions. I still stress about some things - vaccs for example.

No wonder I never had kids - the stress would have killed me! :D

Incidentally, Corgi's can make great little agility dogs - something to think about.

[bikle]

No wonder I never had kids - the stress would have killed me! :D

Haha. That's exactley what I am thinking..

How the hell will I handle a baby?!

Im sure you'd get a thousand times more things to worry about and a thousand more people telling you what you are doing wrong.

Incidentally, Corgi's can make great little agility dogs - something to think about.

That was my main reason for getting one! Mini-working dog.. (though.. I don't think he gets the 'mini' bit, he's already convinced himself he is a giant breed)

Have alread contacted my local obedience/agility club. Was planning starting on the 17th doing basic obedience... no Agility until he is old enough (18 months I am told).

Is that OK? Starting obedience classes at 5.5 months? or is he too young??

[dogsonly]

Well sorry I tuned out for a while - family commitments. Great views on this subject. I presume anyone bothering to be a part of this forum is interested in the welfare of their pets. Some breeders and some owners are really going to differ on what they do....

However, I just wanted to say that there indeed is a difference between breeders and buyers in that we the buyer tend not to have a dog or two about for the pup to play with and indeed this is different from walking them on or off lead. Since I bought a second puppy some 8 weeks younger than the other and a different breed - I have noticed some important differences.

They romp together - get tired and rest. They get terribly excited when going outside even the moggy gets excited when going to our front garden.

My Welsh Springer Spaniel is a ground sniffing dog ie., when I try to walk her leisurely she instead likes to lead as fast as she can following trails. My moggy is not a ground sniffing dog and trots along happily at my side when we practice inside my yard....unless he decides he wants to romp with her - then he races up to her & bites to get her to play. I am trying to make my WSS go slow - I've even from time to time reverted to dolly steps to slow her down but she is keen to be out there and has a powerful pull. I am not walking this puppy - she is walking me.

I love it when she stops and smells a flower & looks back at me as though to say - well there it is - so special.

Love your dogs and thank you to all the breeders who bothered to answer this question it has given us food for thought. :D

[dogsonly]

Often good breeders are too busy to email again and again with questions as they have another litter on the way.

This last sentence speaks volumes. A good breeder will ALWAYS have time for emails and phone calls from puppy people, no matter HOW many other litters they might have on the way and no matter how long after the sale of the puppy!

I just wanted to clarify that I am not speaking of the breeders of my current dogs... both have been available... just some breeders of my past dogs.