my JRT puppy has now had all her jabs, is excellent on her lead [and harness]. i've been taking her for walks around the block and in a grassed area nearby for about 20-25 mins each time and she seems fine, even playing afterwards.
i was wondering how long you would walk a 11-12 week old pup, and what you would step it gradually up to when he/she was 4-5 months old? would you do the same for all breeds?

ive been advised that 15-20 min walk for my 5 month old boxer is ample.

As a very simple rule of thumb, 5 minutes per month of age. So at three months you would be looking at up to 15 minutes, by six months it would be up to half an hour. It is the gradual increase which slowly builds up the muscles as the bones develop.

Regards, John

john would that be once a day or twice a day?

I would be happy per outing providing there is plenty of time to rest in between. A morning walk plus an evening walk would literally give all day to rest! Of course this is the maximum, not the minimum and on no account should the puppy be over tired. Remember, right now you are building for the future :)

Best wishes, John

cheers john,i think my legs are more tired than my pup's!!!

i'm now feeling very guilty taking my pup out for up to 25 minutes each day this week! and i must admit i am baffled by the thought of a 6 month old pup only having 30 minute walks - though i understand why it's advised[about letting her muscles develop slowly etc].

but having observed my 11 week old puppy this morning who has been following me in the garden whilst i did a lot of tidying up/moving stuff etc. - she has been on the go, running up and down the garden and around and in and out of the garage, for nearly 4 hours and must have done the equivalent of an hours solid walking!

when i walk her she shows no sign of being tired, and actually plays more at home when we return! and she isn't a hyperactive dog at all. i'd say she was a very normal JRT.

if i had another dog here, or children, i'm sure she would tear around far more than she does, with just me here.
i really don't think i could cope with a bigger and more boisterous breed if i could only walk her/him for 30 minutes @ 6 months of age.

A puppy trotting around in the garden is not anything like a puppy out on a walk. In the garden most of the time it is stopped sniffing, playing with something or laying down chewing something. On a walk it has no options, for as long as you walk so he! Even taking one year of a dog's life as equal to seven of a human then six months old would be equal to three and a half years old so how far would you walk a toddler?

You asked the question, I've answered it, if you don't feel like following my recomendations that is up to you.

John

.....'trotting' round the garden? lol!
my puppy runs all over, chasing her ball, her squeaky toy and her raggy toy etc. she races me to the garage and to the kitchen door, she runs after leaves in the wind, she pounces and runs away from and towards her toys over and over again. when my grandson calls round she plays for ages and runs alongside him - she doesn't trot!
how far would i walk a toddler? - well i used to walk my grandson to his home from nursery and that took us about 40 minutes and he still lives to tell the tale!
i really don't know what sort of puppies you are talking about john.....

If you know the answers Bluebird why did you waste my time asking the question?

But when her growth plates are damaged from over walking you will remember that you were advised not to walk her too much won't you

hey everyone - this thread's really got me thinking about how much i exercise our ruby (13 week cavalier.) moonmaiden - wld particularly appreciate your advice cos i know you have cavs too.

i realise now that she should only be going on 15 min walks - i did one this week which is to my absolute favourite local spot - it took us 15-20 mins to get there, but there was a lot of snuffling & meandering round on the way. then we sat in the sun, admired the gorgeous local view and chatted to local landowner & his JRTs for 20-30 mins & had water (both of us!) then walked the 15mins back. do you think this is ok? i sensed she was quite tired when she got home, but she did potter round for a bit, didn't flop straight away or be brattish-overtired.

anyway - maybe i shall leave that partic walk until she's a little bit older again and stick to shorter ones.

one more Q - as i don't drive, our walks have to start from home. i worry that she'll get bored before long with what's w/in 15 mins walk there & back - if we had a rest there before walking home, how long do you think the rest needs to be? or do you think i should just try to cope with her boredom in some other way? or find a doggy-friendly taxi firm when hte family can't help?!? [actually - think that's what i'll do - as i can't drive cos of medicine, i can use what i previously used to on the car on taxis - so maybe that'll be the way forward.....]

You could always invest in a doggie carry bag like they have for babies so you could carry her part of the way

I'm really lucky as well have enough land for the dogs to exercise themselves New puppies get enough exercise chasing the older dogs & flake out indoors when they get tiried

The roads are not safe enough to do road walking on :( too many fast cars & lorries sadly

hey thanks for the welcome on your pages every one! i was trying to get an educated explaination as to why the length of walk my puppy should be so short, or have at least a discussion or exchange of ideas - not to be branded a cruel and uncaring dogowner.

Having re-read the thread I can't see where anyone implied you were cruel and uncaring, Bluebird. I did however get the impression that you thought John was talking nonsense - but maybe that's me misinterpreting what was written. If so, I apologise.

bluebird- i agree they were very blunt with you ,and a bit patronising i hate it when someone talks down to you because they think they know more ,well i am sure your dog will do just fine on his walks ,sounds a right litte rascal!

The point is, when she's in the garden playing she can stop when she's had enough (if she's allowed/encouraged to! ;) ) When she's out on a walk she still has to keep going - to get home if nothing else! As for how long your toddler walked - do you walk the pup at the same speed as the toddler walked? How many steps to each one of yours does the pup take?

And the sort of pups John is talking about are working gundogs who need to be able to carry on all day, in all weathers, when they're adult. So it's vital that they aren't damaged.

john and co--gosh that was a bit blunt! theres no need to time yourself when walking a puppy common sense tells you when he's had enough ,if your only out for 30 mins how the heck is he going to ever get use to all the things he needs to encounter, by the time they've stopped and looked at everything and said hello to everyone your 30 mins will be up!

you can spend an hr out but 30 mins means walking, extra.
Meeting people and things you are prooly going to be stood still, so you need to use youre noodle a bit :-D

If the walk is just that a walk then 30 mins is fine.

if you are playing/retrieving/running etc, then 15-20 mins is enough, this can be done twice a day..

This is what I have been told...

and my lab is fine on it...

You go your way Minstrel and I’ll go mine

John, i have read your post and i have been given the same advise. bradley gets 20min twice a day. Ive been told about his development ie his chesct won't get big etc (boxer). This seems to suit myself and him. On the morning walk around 6am he chases his ball for approx 15 mins and then we have a gently stroll back to the car.. In the evening again we do the same time 20mins but without the ball a little sedate (if a boxer can be sedate) where we meet and socialise. Is this ok

Your doing fine Emma. It's building for the future. You will find his physical development will follow. At 14 weeks old I took Anna to an exemption show. She was there for possibly an hour but most of that time she was laying beside me being made a fuss of by all and sundry! There was so much for her to see including some horses, hawks, terrier racing and even a couple of roundabouts but in all that time she was only walking for about 10 minutes. Plenty to think about, tired mentally but not physically. That’s what you are aiming for.

Regards, John

It saddens me when people ask advice then poo poo it .
I will just say this more damage is done to a dog in the early years and with bad diet and over excersice than anything else,there are more cruiciate ligiament ops done now than ever I have just today taken in a Lab to our rescue who damaged a disc in his back through being allowed to charge around like a looney when he was young .
When a dog is young they are developing all the time for instance I am always keen these days to feed a dog off the floor when young this advice was given to me for my young GWP and it made a lot of sense I hadnt actually thought of it before till someone pointed it out and thats after 20 odd years of owning dogs.Im always willing to heed new advice.
Lets read / listen advice given and if we dont agree just ignore the advice and leave it for someone else to read and get benefit from not try to belittle the person giving freely advice built on years of dog ownership.

Something about horses and water I think Mattie ;) It's a shame for the dogs but there it is.

Best wishes, John

my own 51/2 month GSD gets about 40 mins a day which consists of moring around 6am a wonder round the field for a toilet, lunch time for a wonder and then maybe a little play then evening another wonder round.
If she is walked for 30 mins in one go then no more going out for the rest of the day, she just goes in the garden for a toilet. We also do once a week i(f my partner isn't working) trip to the local woods for a major sniff out of ravvits and such like, but again she does not go ut for the rest of the day if we do this (then once we get back clean the car out of sick :-D
So far so good no probs.

I wish someone had given me your advise John when I got my ESS. Sadly he has HD :-(
I am sure now that this is partly due to us over exercising him. We were told that you can't wear out a Springer and they need to be on the go all day - not true! He is much better now but we still restrict his exercise (he is 1 yr old now)

You are not far away in what you are doing co28 :)

Sorry to hear your troubles Rachel. HD was discovered in humans many years before it was ever found in dogs. How many people who suffer pains in the joints in later life or who have to have hip replacements suffer as a direct result of over exercise as toddlers?

Regards, John

Hi Rachel, you and I both suffered from bad advice on exercise before CD. Johns 5 minute per month rule is very simple and easy to remember, and doing a bit of training/playing also exercises the young mind - think JG and co told me this. At the end of the day what's done is done and we have to get on with it ( especially our dogs) and share experience so other people learn. Dont know about you but I decided to put guilt aside, control the charging about and enjoy life with Morse. :)

I just received this email which is a profile on a lab we are helping to rehome just to press the point home a bit more................(not an ad for a home )

>>>>>>>>>>>>> xxxxxxx She loves

people and other dogs - in fact she just adores everything in life!
However, she must not be allowed too much exercise as she has had a problem
with her hocks, due to being unintentionally over-exercised as a puppy.<<<<<<

I hope people will take notice of this thread it is very important.

I must admit I am reassured reading this thread. I am sick to the back teeth of being told that Sparky should be running around free for miles and miles by now (he's not even 5 months yet!) by other dog owners. We walk into the park for about 5 minutes - let him have a run off lead and a play with other dogs for a short while (5/10 minutes) - sit by the pond for a while telling him to "leave" the joggers, then 5 minutes back to the car. Well meaning people smile pityingly at him, saying "Well that wasn't a very long walk was it?" and "Got to go already?" . I must admit I then rise to the bait saying that we don't want to overdo it, but end up feeling like some cruel woman who won't let her dog have any fun! THEN I start doubting myself and worrying that I'm not doing it right. He plays in the garden, does plenty of training exercises in short bursts, goes to obedience class each week, and we take him out twice a day - though I also take him 2 minutes up the road to sit at a roundabout and watch the traffic whizzing by (he's still a bit nervy with cars, etc).

Having read all your comments I feel much better!

Exercise is the easy bit Tracy, he can do that anywhere including in the garden. Socialisation and training are the harder bits.

A walk on the lead:- lead training, great!

A free run, marvellous!

Seeing joggers and ducks and learning that not everything in this world is there for him to chase, wonderful!

Your doing a good job and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise :) You have another 10 to 15 years to wander in the hills.

Best wishes, John

John, what do you mean by i am not far away, far away from what?

Cordelia

Not far away from what I would be doing Cordelia :)

Regards, John

oh i see so not a bad thing then, to much or could i increase.
We are going to Orkney on 4 weeks so do not want to overdo it.

Cordelia

Oh, you'll have to say hello to Snorri then, Cordelia! That's where he hangs out ....
:)

snorri, lol who's that. We will be in Evie. My partners sister owns the little shop there

Snorri is one of the 'regulars' on the Forum - apparently he sits outside Safeways with 2 blue-eyed Border Collies .......
:)

If you were one of my puppy buyers I would be very happy Cordelia :)

Have a lovely holliday in the Orkneys and remember, there is no need to be to regimented about the exercise, the damage tends to be cumulative so if you need to walk her a little further one day then just balance it out the next day. Obviously nothing silly but an extra few minutes one day walking to see a waterfall or something will do no harm.

Best wishes, John

Oh yes we will, this will be our 5th time there but first time with two dogs.
How can i get her interested in the water?

Cordelia

Have a look at this thread Cordelia http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?tid=32902 There is quite a bit about it on there (Towards the end of the thread)

Regards, John

Edited, Sorry, I see you have already found it! ;)

Hi Tracy

I pleased by this thread too :D

I am fed up to the back teeth of people telling me MY pup should be running free for an hour or more after a ball. She's a baby "okay a toddler ;) "

I've gradually built her up to this, and she is fit and healthy eats well and loves lying on the sofa watching the cricket with my Dad.

John does this sound okay to you?

This is an average day; Sal's almost 11 months old and we go a gentle walk on the lead of course about 40 minutes along the road, she is not phased by cars bus queues or anything now sometimes we hop on the bus ;) on the way back or sometimes on the way there, she loves the fuss from the passengers.

Then in the late afternoon we go to the park or riding stables or water park by car.
We walk about 20 minutes around the area stopping speaking to riders or other walkers. Then we have a run off the lead with her ball much in action. But we also practise stays and long distance downs there too for about 20 minutes in total no set plan though, I just play it by ear and who's around.
Then we walk back to the car park via the ice cream man and queue with everyone else for our ice cream (we share she has the bottom of the cone and some of the ice cream).
Get back to the car and have a sit down on the bench another stroll if in the park to see what bedding they have in.

Once a week we meet my nieces from junior school, we walk there and back about 40 minutes but we don't do the park walk that day. At the school she's patted to death:D then she practices dancing with the girls when we get home, and they put her through her paces with one of them hiding her kong in the garden, and the other keeping her eyes covered :D then sending her to find it?

I meet someone the other day who runs yes runs his Lab alongside his bike for 4 miles a day the pup is only 10 months old. I can't tell you what I said it would ruin my ladylike reputation on this board :D.

Karen

I'd be quite happy with what you are doing Karen, Plenty of socialising which is important even at 11 months, and just as important, plenty to occupy the mind!

It's the gradual build up which is so important. Her bones will now be firming up and she will be putting on muscle.

She will also be expanding her brain. As an example of this, in gundog work you throw a dummy out for the dog to retrieve and send the dog. It should have no trouble remembering where it is. If you throw two out a reasonably bright dog might be able to remember where they both are. With training a halfway decent dog will start to be able to remember the position of all three! We throw the dummies then do some heelwork before sending the dog just to make it slightly harder. After a while of working a good dog can quite easily remember the position of four dummies even after going for a walk in the wood before being sent out for them.

Training is not just about the physical things :)

Regards, John

Thanks John,

Actually she enjoys finding her toys I might get her a dummy and get her to remember where it is. Who knows I might end up with the only "working gundog that's a Staff" ;)

Actually she's tired out after training sessions in the garden, and that's through using her brain rather than her "brawn".

Karen

Stranger things have happened Karen! Brainless will tell you, there is already one Norwegian Elkhound working gundog and hopfully soon a second!

Regards, John

hey thanks for the welcome on your pages every one! i was trying to get an educated explaination as to why the length of walk my puppy should be so short, or have at least a discussion or exchange of ideas - not to be branded a cruel and uncaring dogowner.

I answered your question Bluebird, you rubbished my answer. People were only telling you that you were wrong.

John

john-- she may not be wrong her pup may be fine on longer than 30 mins walk after all most people walk puppies for longer and they certainly don't all end up with HD ,thats more common in bred puppies where breeders are more interested in making money out of their bitch rather than the health of the pups.

The thing is Shaunie, Most joint problems can be brought on, or exacerbated by over exercise. You cannot give a dog OCD by over exercise, this is either inherited or possibly linked to diet. But, if OCD is there then you can certainly make it worse. HD is a totally different matter. With this you most certainly can bring it on with over exercise. I would go so far as to say that there is more inflicted HD than inherited HD! With a puppy you never know what you have. You will not get a good guide with ex-rays with a young dog because the bones have not fully hardened so really it is not until around a year old at the earliest that you can test. And that’s in the UK. It is not until 2 years in the US! The first you would know that you have a problem is when the puppy starts to limp. I for one prefer NOT to take that chance.

Working gundogs are not bred for money. In general they are some of the best tested dogs in the UK! We test because we know that our dogs are going to have to work long hours.

As I said before, people are free to make their own mistakes. I answered the question and have been insulted for my trouble. I shall not post on this thread again.

John

Hey John....ignore it ;) :D or do what I did :p

Christine, Spain.