Someone on a different post suggested I shouldnt be walking my pup at 14 weeks and she should be confined to the garden until shes a year old.

we just take her out for 2 ten minute walks each day. I dont want her to be scared of everything when we can finally walk her properly so am trying to introduce her gradually.

People I spoke to said she should come into contact with as much as possible at her age if she's to develop properly and she is far too heavy to carry now.

She loves her walks and doesnt run about even off the lead she just trots next to us.

Am I taking a massive risk with her hips

P.S Part of it is also to try and preserve my sanity by getting rid of some of her energy

I've been walking my dogs as soon as they had had they jabs. I think as long as you keep the walking sensible with not too much road work then they should be fine, after all running round the garden is no different surely

I was always told that once the injections have taken effect (about 10 days or so after the 2nd one) then take them out and about as much as possible - very little free running for several months apart from normal playing in the garden - use the walks as a training exercise to meet and greet, and learning to walk nicely on the lead. A couple of 10 minute walks is fine for the first couple of weeks, then gradually build it up. The important thing is that the pup should never get physically overtired from its walks when it is still young - the mental stimulation will tire it out! Take it to the town centre so it gets used to crowds, take it to look at the trains, the buses etc etc - anything you can think of where it will get a new experience. Walk the pup with other dog owners and socialise, socialise, socialise! Have fun! :)

I have been taking her for longer walks on Sunday and she is usually quite tired by the time we get back and sleeps for a couple of hours afterwards.

They are only slow walks, no running involved, just exploration but we have had her out for over an hour before.
Should I stop doing this. She seems to love it so much.

Also what happens with Guide Dogs then. I thought they were trained and exercised from a very early age.

This what they do with the Guide Dogs - slowish lead walks anywhere they can think of! Charging around, particularly up and down steps or slopes, is what causes the physical damage, but they shouldn't come to any harm going round town. This isn't really for exercising - it's for training.

Rachel

Try and tire her our mentally rather than phsically. Do lots of training with her get her to learn and think.

You can take her out but only for a short time and try to take her to different places and sit with her let her watch the world go by so to speak. She shouldn't need long walks at her age there are plenty of things you can do at home home to tire her out. Some people teach the dog to know the names of their toys. I got Bailey to find treats then toys. You can do this inside and out. Training doesn't need to be formal but can be fun :)

Once she gets to six months build her excise up over the next six months so by the time shes a year old she will be able to go out as long as you want almost.

HTH

Tracy :)

PS I can remember how heavy a 14 week old lab can be! I carried Bailey everywhere with me till he could go down at the age of 13 weeks!

Hmmm I remember having a similar argument with someone who was adamant that you restrict your dog on a leash for the first 18 months of its life :( Felt dreadfully sorry for their poor dog!
Some people do have extreme views on how to raise a dog. Many people keep their dog confined, restricted etc.. and then wonder why they have a problem with recalls, dog aggression, nervousness etc... :rolleyes:
My pup came out and about with me all the time from when she was fully innoculated. I kept her off hard surfaces as much as possible like pavements and roads till she was six months old, but she came out in the car to places and met people and other dogs all the time. She grew up to be beautifully mannered, sociable and never a problem with any joint.
Just be sensible about it and don't have her jumping over things or pounding on hard surfaces till she's a bit older. What you are giving her now is fine :)
Lara x

Oh good. For a minute I was getting horribly paranoid that I'd ruined her for life.

I know how much she loves her walks so would have hated to see her face when I told her she couldnt go any more.

The only pavement she goes on is to the nearby park. and beleive me that is the slowest walk ever because she has to smell every little thing on the way.

Hi

I was told by my trainer that every puppy needs 15 minutes walking on roads/tarmac to bring their paws up and stop them splaying, and apparently road surfaces are the best for the job...

I have done this with Will and he has lovely tight paws... any opinions?

Chloe

Edited: thats daily i should add

Personally I wouldn't road walk for as long as 15 minutes with a baby puppy - not until they're about 5 months old. I put strain on joints as more harmful than loose feet, but could be proved wrong.
Socialising without the strain on limbs is most important, though.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

To be fair, all the pups in the class were around 5 months of age - so not small puppies.

Thanks for pointing that out Jo :)

I do pavement walking (I won't say "road-work" because that can be misinterpreted :)) with mine from the start, to bring them 'up on their toes' and stops them having soft, flat, spreading feet - a huge fault in a breed that, when adult, should be able to trot for 20+ miles without getting sore feet! Their walks, when young pups, start off at 5 - 10 minutes (ie only about 100 yards by the time they've examined everything!) when they are 14 weeks and build up from there. When they're adult they go with a bike up the lanes, or we jog on the road. :)

Hi JeanG

I had Dallies too - fantastic breed. I had one of Pat Wilson's - Dalregis - do you know Pat? I also had one of Ch Knightstone Ned Kelly's pups. They were just fantastic dogs.

Chloe

Hi Chloe,
Yes I know Pat - very nice woman. And Ned Kelly was a great dog - terrific ring presence if I remember! :)

My two dogs (10 month Akita Bitch - Kia, 4 month Lab Bitch - Jinx) get the following.

10-15 mins walk round the block in the morning to stretch their legs and do their business
20 mins mad dash round the garden at lunchtime
approx 45 mins mad leggit round a field in evening.

The evening walk is sometimes changed to 30mins walking the streets if time is tight and if the weather is horrible

and then about once a month I take them on a 2-3 hour walk around the Derbyshire Dales that involves lots of swimming in the rivers and stopping to stare at the sheep on these days they do not get any other exercise and I only do a couple of short walks the following days.

Do not know if that is right but the dogs seem to trive on it (hopefully not going to cause us all problems later on it life)

Also without the above the dogs get very restless and distructive!

I think it is fine for a young puppy to walk 2x daily for 10mins. What sort of socialisation would she get if you did not let her out the garden??

This is the crucial part for meeting strange people, kids, dogs etc etc. By all means walk her, but dont walk her legs off!

You should try to give her the same amount of exercise a day every day, its no good doing overall 20mins a day, then upping it to say a hour at the weekends, as this can be very damaging on the joints.

Someone else mentioned mental stimulation! This will wear that little puppy out no end!

Vicky

OK! It looks like I’m going to be different to most of you. I give around 10 minutes walking at max gradually working up to around 30 minutes GENTLE walking by 6 months. Some of this is lead walking and some of it is free. I believe in giving free walks as soon as possible and firmly believe it helps with puppies coming back when called. Freedom is normal not something to get all excited about. I don’t walk them to the park or field, I put them in the car so there is no walking to get there. This also has the advantage in getting them use to journeys in the car.

Regards, John

John,
I would agree with you . I also take pup in the car and then have just a small easy walk .
I think the advice Rachael was given about not walking outside until a year old is bad advice as socialisation is one of the many important things a dog needs to learn
:)
Lel

In a nutshell, puppies need lots of socialisation, plus some mental stimulation and physical excercise. Not necessarily all at once, though. :)

The reason some people say that the garden is sufficient for physical exercise is because the puppy can run around and play all he wants, and then flop down when he has had enough. He doesn't then have to walk all the way home again when too tired. He can't be walked just that little bit too far by his eager human. :D

Mental stimulation is very tiring for a pup and good for getting rid of some of that pent-up energy. A few minutes' training, several times a day is much more effective than a single 10 minute session because the pup can concentrate better and not get bored. Hence he will learn better too. :)

Socialisation is very important and can be done in many ways/situations without the pup needing to walk further than a few steps. It does not have to all be done during the daily walk. Stand outside the corner shop watching the people and traffic go by. Dog clubs. Puppy socialisation classes. Trips in the car. Meeting/greeting neighbours. The list goes on.

I think what you are doing is not too far off the mark. :) Yes, I would take a 14 week pup on 2 gentle 10 minute walks each day - that includes getting to/from the park though, if not using the car! The rest of the physical exercise would be taken in the house/garden as the pup decides he wants it. :) I would not take him on a long walk at the weekends though until he's much older. I'd keep each day about the same and build up very gradually over the months. At a later date if you want to tire a dog out, then introducing a third short walk (if your schedule will allow) can be more effective than lengthening the other two, because after a while a dog will preserve energy for the long walk by using an efficient pace (trot) rather than having a good run, which defeats the object somewhat. :D

The main thing to remember is do all things in moderation and learn to spot when the puppy is losing interest or getting tired. Keep everything fun for both you and the pup and I'm sure you'll have a lovely puppyhood with her! :)

There is a very good book that I would recommend to anyone. It is a good fun read. "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey. Even my husband enjoyed it and he doesn't "do" books! :D :D :D

Best wishes, Monty's Mum :)

I took my puppy out for his first walk at 12 weeks after his injections. He was off the lead and stayed really close to our older dog and us and he has been out with us every day since. It's done him no harm what so ever and is the most natural thing in the world. Two best puppy in shows, one reserve best puupy in show (is this bragging?) and a first at his only champ show says his movement is fine. But most importantly he really does enjoy his walks

Karen

Hiya Rachael.

I think the person on the different post may have been me. (it may not, but I was having a conversation about restricting exercise)

In my case, I have German Shepherds, and although they do have playtime in the garden, and road work, and socialising...I don't allow them to 'free run' in my fields or in parks, or indeed to climb, until they're a year old and their bones/joints have fully developed.

Just thought i'd let you know....like I said, it may not have been my post you read....but anyway, just a bit of an explaination!!

Take care

Lisa (keep enjoying your walks !! :D)