Safe age to start walking puppy.

Alfasudcrazy

My new Dobie 'Scampy' (4 months old) has already made herself right at home and has blended right in with the other dogs I have. Such is her sweet character she melts even the (broken but mending) heart of my other Dobie Nero who despite his best efforts to hate her ends up drooling over her.


As many who have followed my dogs fortunes may know if they have good memories Bonnie my Dobie who recently died had in her last of only three years suffered increasingly from severe arthritis on her right rear leg (knee area). I am afraid this same fate could befall my Scampy if I bring her for walks with the rest too soon. However I hate leaving her behind when we go for walks and Scampy too is becoming more upset as she realises she is being left out of something the other dogs like.

However I don't think it would be fair on Scampy to have her trying to keep up with the running speeds of the older dogs - so my Q is how long should I wait and any other advice for avoiding later joint problems as regards exercise for young dogs.

joyce2009

hi i'm glad scampy has settled in so well,,,as regards walking i think the recommended amount is 5 min per month of dog so at 4 months 20 mis is loads,,,hope this helps,,,:)

star-pants

Well if she has all her shots - she's grand to go outside for a walk (week or so after final shot).
The general rule of thumb is 5mins per month, so she's allowed a 20minute walk.
I wouldn't really let her do much running out on her walk, and maybe keep her to softer ground.
Perhaps you could bring the others for a shorter than normal walk, come back, then bring her out for 15-20mins with the other dogs?

cucoigcrice

Ideally we would recommend gradual introduction so small walks and often i.e 10 minutes twice - three times a day. Depending on the dog itself. You could give some cod liver oil which is great for coats and joints. Hope thats helpful:D

votejohn

with regards to the 5min per month rule, where does that exactly come from?

Surely pups in the wild would run around all day, go hunting with its mother, keep up with the pack, etc?

And what about a household with two pups playing all day compared to a pup crated for long periods of the day? Are the two pups playing at a high risk of arthritis in later life?

And what about walking a shih tzu pup compared to a dalmatian pup?

Or pups exercised off leash in fields compared to pups walked on a path foot path?

star-pants

votejohn wrote: »

with regards to the 5min per month rule, where does that exactly come from?

Surely pups in the wild would run around all day, go hunting with its mother, keep up with the pack, etc?

And what about a household with two pups playing all day compared to a pup crated for long periods of the day? Are the two pups playing at a high risk of arthritis in later life?

And what about walking a shih tzu pup compared to a dalmatian pup?

Or pups exercised off leash in fields compared to pups walked on a path foot path?

Pups in the wild wouldn't really be domestic dogs though, so i would assume different rules may apply. We have domesticated dogs and thus changed some of their abilities perhaps.

I think pups playing isn't always the same as walking, because they play and stop and rest and play etc, so they rest when they need it. But you do try and make sure they don't have anywhere high to jump off so they don't do impact damage.

Walking time does depend on the breed and age of the dog. Some breeds are more energetic than others, so you have to wait and see what your dog is like.

Pups really shouldn't be off lead randomly though - unless in your own home. If you do have them off lead out in a large field that's just a big play area to them and perhaps keep a close eye and not let them push themselves too far.

Over-walking would be more along the lines of leashed walk, whereby you're walking them on a hard surface without stopping as such.
They do say if your pup is very very energetic at home and plays most of the day, they may not need as long a walk, or some may need a bit more of a walk. It's just a guideline, you'll know yourself after a bit if the walk is enough or too much for your pup, and you can adjust accordingly. You just keep an eye on how they are during and after the walk, see if they're tired or not.

note: this is just my view on it/reading up on stuff, not saying it's set in stone or anything like it.

Sigma Force

Our pup when walking goes at his own pace they actually stop and start a lot at that age so take it easy enough, they might want to run a bit depends on the individual dog though.

20 mins should be enough to start with, you'll know yourself if the pup is getting tired. Starting walks on grass first can help their feet adjust, some pups find concrete a bit rough at first but they toughen up over time.

You'll probably spend more time standing around waiting for him to stop chewing on something or sniffing something.

Our guy now 8 months old runs as fast as the older dogs around the garden, he does it a couple of times then takes it easy and potters about. No harm in allowing a pup to run around like mad, they need it they're so full of beans at that age they just get tired easily so running around, nap running around, nap.

Magenta

votejohn wrote: »

Surely pups in the wild would run around all day, go hunting with its mother, keep up with the pack, etc?

I assume you are referring to wolves and wild dogs. You cannot really compare the physique of a wolf or wild dog to that of a pet dog. Wolves and wild dogs have natural selection on their side, our pets don't. I'd like to see a Pug out hunting with its pack

gypsygirl

star-pants wrote: »

Perhaps you could bring the others for a shorter than normal walk, come back, then bring her out for 15-20mins with the other dogs?

Good advice, this is what we did with our pup and it worked well, the bigger dogs were relaxed after their first walk and a bit slower on the second so she could pretty much keep up with them, now she's does the full walk with them and is usually able to keep up with them, we mostly keep to soft ground though as she's still only 8 months old.

cucoigcrice

The larger the dog the more careful you have t be with regards to exercise i feel this may be due to the rate at which they grow and the effect over exercising can have on the bones