Proper Amount of Exercise

[Black Tie Mom]

I've recently brought a new puppy home and he is a little over 8 weeks old. I also have 2 dogs at home that I take on daily hikes on our property. How much exercise is too much for an 8 week old puppy? I have just been taking Beau on short walks and leaving the hiking for my older two. Will too much exercise stress Beau's joints? All of these questions that never entered my mind until little Beau came home!

Lori

[Patty1231]

You'll find differing opinions here on how much is too much on young rottie puppies. I prefer to err on the side of safety. In my opinion, you are doing things correctly. Save the long hikes for the older two and continue short walks with your puppy, particularly at only 8 weeks. At this young age, I prefer only play time in the yard and save the leash walks for another couple months, particularly until after all his shots have been given at 16 weeks. I saved the mile-long walks, particularly since I live in town and walking is on hard surfaces, until he was 12 months (shorter walks in-town and longer walks in the park were our routine - we kept busy with training classes). Now at age 2, we can walk where we like as long as we like. As I said, you'll find differing opinions here but that's how I did it and how I was instructed by the breeder.

[groupieindenial]

I noticed in the beginning a bit of fetch wore out my guy. Now he's almost 4 mos, and a 1/2 hour - 45 min walk does him good. If he starts to lag, thats when you know it was too much. If he's got tons of energy when you return, it wasn't enough. Just the rule of thumb I go by.

[Urika]

I got my puppy when he was almost 9 weeks. He walked all of 5-10 minutes a day on a leash at that time. He's 3 months now, and he'll walk a good forty minutes a day, and that's divided up between an AM and PM walk.

[rottsnroses]

Originally Posted by Patty1231

You'll find differing opinions here on how much is too much on young rottie puppies. I prefer to err on the side of safety. In my opinion, you are doing things correctly. Save the long hikes for the older two and continue short walks with your puppy, particularly at only 8 weeks. At this young age, I prefer only play time in the yard and save the leash walks for another couple months, particularly until after all his shots have been given at 16 weeks. I saved the mile-long walks, particularly since I live in town and walking is on hard surfaces, until he was 12 months (shorter walks in-town and longer walks in the park were our routine - we kept busy with training classes). Now at age 2, we can walk where we like as long as we like. As I said, you'll find differing opinions here but that's how I did it and how I was instructed by the breeder.

This is pretty much exactly what we have done with our dogs. At this age, they need more rest than exercise, and too much exercise can put unecessary stress on growing bones and joints.

I don't let the pup tells me when it's enough exercise for the simple reason that some pups don't know when to stop. Both Max and Luna were like that and would literally go or play until they dropped. At this age, we played a little ball or tug, worked on basic doggie manners, or just had a little romp around the yard. We put the emphasis on fun and positive experiences, and I always tried to leave them wanting more, rather than playing with them until they were worn out. With Max it helped build ball drive out the wazoo, and this works great for me in obedience training, particularly since his food drive has dropped off. He will literally do anything for a tennis ball, a tug or squeaky toy.

[German Vanegas]

The above is a great reply; I like to add that many dog owners, due to lack of knowledge, end up hurting their puppies' skeletal and joint structure. People make the mistake of over exercising their puppies with long walks, jogging, running, and so forth. I recommend waiting until the dog is at least 18 months of age before strenuous exercise is introduced. Prior to that take it easy, as "rottnroses" stated above, puppies need more rest than exercise

[Soulworx]

Yip i agree... our bailey (9wks) will only be getting back yard access for the first few months, gradually building up to short walks on the beach (to limit joint stress and impact). Defiantely no jumping or twisting until he is at least 2, and has approval from your vet. Even then, as you do own a large breed, any activities that promote jumping or twisting should be kept to a minimum and on a soft surface. E.g. throw your frisbee/ball low or far enough that he won't be able to catch up on it before it lands.

Just remember when your tempted to go on those long long walks with your pup the pain they might put him through in the future. Hold back until he is ready and he will thank you for it later in his life.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally Posted by Patty1231

You'll find differing opinions here on how much is too much on young rottie puppies. I prefer to err on the side of safety. In my opinion, you are doing things correctly. Save the long hikes for the older two and continue short walks with your puppy, particularly at only 8 weeks. At this young age, I prefer only play time in the yard and save the leash walks for another couple months, particularly until after all his shots have been given at 16 weeks. I saved the mile-long walks, particularly since I live in town and walking is on hard surfaces, until he was 12 months (shorter walks in-town and longer walks in the park were our routine - we kept busy with training classes). Now at age 2, we can walk where we like as long as we like. As I said, you'll find differing opinions here but that's how I did it and how I was instructed by the breeder.

Ditto with us.

We did a lot of play in our yard with Julius when he was that age. He would drag his leash around to get used to it being attached to his collar but no "formal" walks for him for months.