Could anyone please tell me how much exercise I should be giving my 5 month old Dobie, Rolo? I know he'll need lots of exercise when he's older, but I don't want to damage his joints by giving him too many long walks while he's still a baby. How long should his walks be, roughly?

Also, is it okay for him to romp round the fields with my Lurcher (and his pals)?

Any advice would be greatfully received.

Sparkles

Hello Sparkles,

Exercise for a pup under 9 months of age, especially a large breed like a Dobe, should be for socialising only. Ideally this should not be trotting on hard surfaces for any length of time, ie. the road, or for any longer than about 20 mins and definately not racing at top speed and cornering quickly. Ball chasing should also not be done as this puts extra pressure on the hips and can cause problems later on.

We have beardies and we don't allow our puppies to go for walks with the other dogs until they are over 9 months old and they are not allowed to race around for any length of time.

Playing with other dogs is very important, so this should be encouraged, but not galloping for longer than about 10 mins at a time and only on grass or other soft surfaces.

manda
X

Hi, excellent advice I follow that with my Goldens.

Briony :-)

Many thanks for the advice. I nearly made a very big mistake. I was going to walk him for half an hour at a time with my Lurcher. I think I'll take him to the field in the car - it's a 30 minute walk, otherwise - so he can have fun socialising with all the other dogs each day, till he's older.

Are a few 10 minute walks in the woods allowed throughout the day?

Thanks again,

Sparkles