limited exercise for puppies

[paddy555]

In the last few years I have learnt the 5 mins for each month until mature rule.
The last pup I had, a BC, was nearly 13 years ago and I didn't know this then. She was very energetic and ran a lot. We have had no side effects. She was quite thin around 15 months so I took her to the vet. They laughed and told me I had a very fit dog and to be pleased. Even when I took young BC's for vaccinations no vet ever mentioned limited exercise.
Before that I had several BC's and again, not knowing this rule they all ran. Looking round at our farmers they all have BC's and as youngsters they are all running around usually after sheep. If a dog doesn't mature until around 18 months none of them leave their young BC's for that time and most have them working pretty young.

I appreciate this would be a very firm rule with say Newfies, GSD's etc but I would be interested in comments about medium sized dogs eg BC's.

I hope no one will argue, I am just looking for what others have done.

 

[splashgirl45]

i had a lurcher and tried to be careful with the amount of exercise she had but how do you stop a lurcher from galloping around? she was PTS last september as she had bad arthritis in her hips and it couldnt be relieved with strong pain killers and i wasnt going to put her through anything invasive as she was nearly 13. who knows if i let her do too much too young? my new small terrier cross is a live wire and again i tried to keep to the rules but he was bouncing all over the place so i just did the best i could,,,,i think with larger breeds it may be more important but we can only do our best...

 

[Moobli]

I always take the exercise "rule of thumb" (ie no more than five minutes of walking for every month of his age) to mean forced exercise on hard surfaces - ie walking the pup on lead on concrete. My pups get as much running around unforced (ie off lead) on soft surfaces (garden, our fields) as they like, as they can rest when they wish. I do try to avoid excessive jumping (and no ball chasing at all) until they are 9 months plus.

Our sheepdogs are usually out at work (although not necessarily fully trained) by around 12 months old, dependent on ability. I do tend to be more cautious with my GSDs than with my collies.

 

[Ambers Echo]

We have a 6 year old labradoodle. I tried to follow the 5 minute rule but gave up very, very quickly when my dog was bouncing off the walls! Also ignored the no steps rule pretty quickly. Spoke to my vet at her 6 month check who said she was fit and well and there was no need to limit her exercise.

 

[paddy555]

thanks for the replies, especially WGSD the insight into the exercise of a working colllie. Hadn't thought of no ball chasing. I too cannot see a young dog knowing the rule book and limiting itself. Mine have always bounced off the walls.

 

[Sprout]

I didnt know about the 5 min rule of thumb when my BC was a puppy - she is nearly 12 now, fit as a flea, no joint issues etc.

I now have an 11 month old Great Swiss Mountain dog and I have been VERY careful with her, but she is a big girl and slow growing.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Didnt do much forced walking on hard surfaces-still dont as have no need. lots of walking on woodland tracks and grass etc. There was a study that showed that free play on grass etc was beneficial to joints in growing pups. I tried to limit jumping as much as possible (difficult with Quarrie as he's not yet met something he couldnt jump!) and didnt do any throwing of toys until they were nearly a year.

 

[Clodagh]

We make a vague stab at the 5 minute rule for the first few months, no jumping or stairs (if possible) for a long time. From about 5 months pup was coming on our daily mornig walks,they are about half an hour - forty minutes I guess, all on grass.

 

[Shady]

There is not a chance in hell of limiting a Weims exercise if they have access to outside, they will just do the wall of death in your house and trash it, they also play rough with other dogs and bar crating you just have to do damage control. I have no stairs inside and i did limit walking to brief sorties into the woods, no road work or ball throwing but it's always a toss up between possible future health problems verses a frustrated , unhappy dog.

 

[TheresaW]

Luna gets taken for a 20 minute walk in the mornings on the pavements. We have a massive garden that she goes mad in, much as we try to keep her calmer. To be fair, she vents a lot of her energy digging craters. We have lots of forest and grass where we do take her for longer walks on a lungeline, so she’s not dragged about, she can mooch and have a sniff/dig if she wants to.

 

[Chiffy]

Very interesting thread. I also took the rule to mean forced walking. My young flatcoat would have been climbing the walls with so little chance to be out and about. No jumping, climbing or ball throwing but she runs free across the stubble and plays in the garden. I do limit too much rough play if it goes on too long. Ofcourse they don’t know when to stop and take care of themselves and we need to intervene and limit some of the things they try to do.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Ofcourse they don’t know when to stop and take care of themselves and we need to intervene and limit some of the things they try to do.

I do wonder sometimes if the 'naughty' puppies you read about/told about are actually fractious because they are over tired.

 

[RunToEarth]

I do wonder sometimes if the 'naughty' puppies you read about/told about are actually fractious because they are over tired.

Yeah I think you're right. When I have left the pup (now 15weeks) to her own devices with mum the rough play goes on for too long and she becomes too mouthy and boisterous and goes on to pick and pull at things (like the towels hanging in the kitchen) which she knows she isn't allowed. I've now become quite strict with how much rough play she has before she goes in her room with her crate where she goes straight to sleep. She is out and about with me a lot off lead at home in the paddocks and stubble but I don't really do any forced exercise asides from the occasional lead training.

 

[Clodagh]

They are very much like children, and get recalcitrent and horrible when tired.
When I pick up my pup in February - OH still doesn't know! - I will have to extra careful as I haven't had 2 young dogs together before and Pen will only be a year old.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

The 5 minutes related to on lead walks. My lot play fought and ran round the garden like lunatics. I did have to force them to rest and I believe they became fractious with tiredness. Bear was generally happy to be in his crate, Zak squeaked a lot, but still does.

 

[Chiffy]

My pup is exactly like yours RTE, as the play gets more exciting, she gets more boisterous and then almost doesn’t know what to do with herself, biting at anything. I send her in her crate, she crashes out to sleep and when she wakes, I have my nice gentle girl back again! So I stop too much play so she calms down and doesn’t over stretch her body.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I didn't know about the rule either. My BC is 9 now and very fit and supple. No issues with his joints yet.

The only thing I limited was jumping to catch things, especially that twisting jump that they do.

Mine has always been easy though, I've been very lucky. He does do a lot and is kept busy mentally too. I think that's something that can be overlooked quite easily with BCs, it's not just the physical exercise that they need.

 

[Alec Swan]

I've never given any thought to in any way limiting the 'exercise' which a puppy gets whether they live in a kennel or my home. Mostly, I allow them to monitor themselves. As pups they will play until they're tired, they'll flop down and rest and then they tend to re-start when they've slept for a while.

If by 'exercise', it's meant that it's protracted 'walks', then again, the puppy is allowed as much as it can cope with. I have no intention of walking out 3 miles with a puppy and then carrying it all the way home! It's really a matter of common sense I think. I also think that there is, or should be, a distinction between what a pup is 'allowed' to do and what it's 'asked' to do. I tend to ask nothing of pups until they're about 9-10 months of age, allowing them to please themselves up to that point.

I went to Burleigh a couple of years ago and saw a Golden Retriever pup on a lead at the start of the day and I'd guess that it was about 8-10 weeks of age. I saw it again at the end of the day, the poor little sod was exhausted and it was still being dragged along. The idiot on the other end of the lead was oblivious to the pup's obvious distress. I also remember an interesting programme on the telly where a team filmed and followed a pack of African Wild Dogs. The pack decided to up sticks and move and they were followed. There was a pup with them of 10 weeks and over a 48 hour period, the pack travelled (I believe) 24 miles without any seeming ill effect. I bet the poor chap was knackered!

Alec.

 

[AandK]

I have to be honest, I thought you should be careful on how much exercise they have as a pup full stop (have always had labs) rather than just on the lead. I have learnt something new now! We have a 2yo lab and a 4.5 month old, having to limit the rough play as the 2yo gets a bit overexcited (the pup is very laid back in comparison!), but we're just starting to introduce short off lead walks now he is settled (only had him 4 weeks) and getting to know his name. Just wary of him doing too much too young as a big breed.

 

[Chiffy]

Be as careful as you like AandK, if you are managing your pup and he is not desperate to run around. We are saying the 5 minutes a month business is difficult for many pups to keep calm and not become destructive, so a bit of extra free running in a controlled environment does them no harm.

 

[Goldenstar]

I am extremely strict about this with my puppies , very small I will carry them to the yard let them down a while then pop them in a crate then carry them back to the house I don't leader walk until six months apart from basic training and even then I severely restrict them .
I lift them i to and out cars until about a year and they never follow a horse until they are two .
I have never had a Lab be creaky until they are well into old age .I cringe when I see exhausted puppies being dragged about on leads and six month olds following horses I am also a weight freak I don't tolerate fat dogs either .

 

[Slightlyconfused]

I limit it to five minutea for every month i always have done but thats high intensity.
And those that say they have a hyper pup how much brain training do the have? Its not just the physical that tires them out its the mental too.

 

[AandK]

Be as careful as you like AandK, if you are managing your pup and he is not desperate to run around. We are saying the 5 minutes a month business is difficult for many pups to keep calm and not become destructive, so a bit of extra free running in a controlled environment does them no harm.

I've not disputed what anyone has said on here, only that I thought it was limiting exercise full stop, but now know that isn't the case. It's nice to know the off lead walks won't do him any harm, he will be happy with that too!

 

[Clodagh]

I would not go for a normal length walk with a small puppy, either on or off lead or on either grass or concrete. By 5 months we had the phasant poults here so Penny was coming out to the pens, walking round them, sitting and staying and learning all sorts of useful life skills.
As Alec says it is just common sense, you want to go for a walk and the pup to have as much enthusiasm and energy on your return, not dragging themselves into their basket.
I always assumed the 5 min/month rule was a guide, to enable people who were not used to dogs to make an informed decision.

 

[MissTyc]

We stuck to it religiously with the terrier pup. He was carried a lot, including into the forest or fields, put down for his correct amount of walking and then picked up again. Free play in the garden was unrestricted and off lead walking became a thing around 6 months ... Stairs, furniture, etc - forget - he goes where he wants, including over the dog gate, under the garden fence, into the pond, etc ...

 

[Moobli]

They are very much like children, and get recalcitrent and horrible when tired.
When I pick up my pup in February - OH still doesn't know! - I will have to extra careful as I haven't had 2 young dogs together before and Pen will only be a year old.

Who is this pup? What have I missed?

 

[Moobli]

I didn't know about the rule either. My BC is 9 now and very fit and supple. No issues with his joints yet.

The only thing I limited was jumping to catch things, especially that twisting jump that they do.

Mine has always been easy though, I've been very lucky. He does do a lot and is kept busy mentally too. I think that's something that can be overlooked quite easily with BCs, it's not just the physical exercise that they need.

It is very noticeable with our young dogs that a 10 minute training session on sheep is far more tiring to them than an hour's walk.

 

[Clodagh]

Who is this pup? What have I missed?

Another lab...Tawny's mum is having her last litter, this pup was meant to be Pen but the breeder didn't breed Bec in the end last year. So now we have Pen...but I still want another Tawny. You can all tell me now that it willbe nothing like Tawny at all - I know that!! Pup will be called Thisbe, as litter has to start 'Th' and Bee for short. So no more saying 'Be quiet'!!

 

[Alec Swan]

Most would agree that with pups (just as with foals and any young animal), too much too soon is often asking for problems later on. I do wonder though if the conditions which we set ourselves should be perhaps linked to the breed of the dog concerned. What about Patterdale terriers, or any other working bred terrier? Limit their exercise at your peril, I'd suggest!

With the larger and perhaps the slower growing breeds though, caution is the word, just as in their feeding regime. If we consider the giant breeds which have only been bred as ornaments for the last 100 years, I'm thinking Mastiffs and the like, then too much early encouragement really wouldn't be a good idea. Labradors? There was a lady who offered me a job running her dogs in Trials and she kept Timspring Show Labradors. She was subsequently murdered under the most bizarre circumstances, but that's another story!

Anyway, back to the lady concerned, her dogs were grossly overweight and simply would never have been got Trial-fit without a great deal of work and an acceptance from her. I asked her how she dealt with the worry of HD as 'most' Labs at the time, were rotten with it. She said that they were never allowed on to concrete until they were 9 months old and they had no established routine for exercise or walking, as in they received none. She felt that the risk was too great.

Perhaps the larger breeds are at greater risk from over-doing exercise when young. I wonder how the GSD breeders deal with their pups, does anyone know what sort of protocol they have? I see so many working GSDs bred for competition with the most awful pasterns, and I wonder why.

Alec.

 

[Moobli]

Another lab...Tawny's mum is having her last litter, this pup was meant to be Pen but the breeder didn't breed Bec in the end last year. So now we have Pen...but I still want another Tawny. You can all tell me now that it willbe nothing like Tawny at all - I know that!! Pup will be called Thisbe, as litter has to start 'Th' and Bee for short. So no more saying 'Be quiet'!!

Aww how fab! Lucky you. Love the name too.