Long Walks/Exercise - what age to start?

[ChrisD]

Hi,

New to the board and new Rottweiler puppy owner here. My pup is coming up on 13 weeks, what a fun pup and a great barn dog! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am more familiar with GSDs and am wondering what exercise is appropriate as they grow, for example 6mo, 8mo, 1yr? Right now he is doing 15-20min walk/free play and/or lots of play with a friends puppy at the barn where my wife works during the day. I always let pup set the pace during exercise.

The reason i ask is that my wife and I are avid horse people and loved taking our dogs on walk/trot trail rides (short ones with my German "show" GSD, lol). I know that Rottweilers develop more slowly and I want to make sure I take it slowly with him, so I was hoping to hear from some people and get general recommendations. Thanks!

[Budderz]

I am not a puppy/ rottie owner as of right now (so I'm sure you'll get better info from others here) but from what I've read, It's great to go for long walks with puppies, but take note of when the pup's getting tired. and if I understand you correctly you take the pup to the barn, that shoud be great socialization for the pup and give him a chance to meet other animals and dogs. when our family had a lab pup (a little older than yours), we took it on two hour long walks (and sometimes I would walk it twice as long) and it would still be full of energy and would want to play all day. We could never tire it out. It all depends on the individual pup and what works for it/you in the end. Also long walks could be good for training. It's always good to take pups on walks. my freind had a rotti and when he would go outside to play with us (we were younger around 13 or so) he would take the dog with him and the dog would remain outside on leash playing with the whole day until it was time to go home to eat and he loved it. =)

[DaveS]

Our vet told us to walk our puppy just far enough that he wasn't too tired to make it home on his own. At 8 weeks we went around the block twice a day. Now at 16 weeks my wife takes him for about a mile in the morning and my son and I do a mile+ in the evening. A couple of times when he had the zoomies we did two miles. Our vet told us not to let him run for long periods on pavement or cement.

[rottcrazed]

Keeping up with the horses is something even an adult dog is going to have to work up to in time.

For a puppy, I would be more concerned about making sure he is comfortable with the horses and making sure he understands where he can and cannot be around the horses as well as he needs to learn to respect the horses' space. When you are up on a horse, you cannot do anything to prevent him from being crushed should he decide to bolt at something and cross pathes with one of them. That is obedience training too.

My brother has one of the pups from my second litter on his horse farm in BC. Rex is now 6.5 months old and they are still making sure he understands his place. He still tests even now, but he is a puppy and he is going to do that. He has learned to give the horses a wide berth, but being as young as he is, you never know. He walks the pastures with my brother and their other 2 dogs and the odd horse, which is more than enough exercise, but that is all right now.

So, in short, walk with your pup yourself around the horses. Do a lot of his training around the horses. Let him learn from your other dogs where to be and where not to be. BUT, a young pup like that is NOT ready for lengthy walks like a trail ride.

Kristi

[ChrisD]

Thanks for the replies. He will not be going on trail rides with us until he is at least 18 mo and his OB is solid, I agree you have little control when on horseback, but that is the long term goal.
Right now we are working on manners around the horses and he gives them a wide berth. Our friends Weimeraner pup had his foot stepped on 2 weeks ago, not pretty, so he is closely supervised around the horses.

The exercise amounts I was looking for were regarding walks/play with me, not trail rides, just some general amounts while he is growing.

[rottnkidd]

Chris - Here is an excerpt from an article I bookmarked awhile back for someone else. Perhaps some of the info will be helpful to you. The url is at the bottom should you want more info.
Best wishes-
kathy

Exercise: Puppies, like babies, should receive age-appropriate exercise. They should be allowed to play or stop playing at will. They should not be encouraged to walk or run long distances or for long periods of time. Excessive leash walking, for example, can cause repetitive stress injuries to their developing joints and muscles. Excessive leash walking would be similar to walking on a treadmill, and should not be confused with the leisurely stroll taking time to smell the flowers. There is a huge difference between a puppy sprinting around the yard, stopping, and resuming play at will, and one who is kept moving at a consistent pace for the same period of time.


It is generally accepted that you should not jog with your dog until it is at least a year old, and then it should be kept in mind that their stamina needs to be built up over time.


Until they develop strength and good coordination, the risk of falling off stairs, or other high places, should be avoided.


Finally, the risk of repetitive stress injury to a puppy's growing body is a concern in the most general of senses. All joints, bones, muscles, ligaments, are at risk of injury if a pup is encouraged or forced to repeat the same motion over and over for an extended period of time. This can include, but is not limited to, long walks at a constant pace, trotting for long distances, excessive stair or hill climbing. If done in moderation, these things can be safe and beneficial; if taken to excess, it has the potential to damage their growing bodies. Your puppy needs exercise to develop properly, just remember they are babies at 9 weeks, and only young adults at one year, scale their exercise to their developmental stage.

from - Hip Dysplasia - A Mini Tutorial for the Puppy Buyer

[ChrisD]

Thanks for the info Kathy, thats a good article and has some good rules of thumb.

On a side note, we had an amazing socialization opportunity yesterday at a Christmas fair in a small town where they block the streets off. There are hundreds of people walking around, live music, strollers, people in costumes, wheelcharis, dancers, young and old. It was a blast and Cyrus had the time of his life. The look on his face & head tilt was priceless when he discovered an accordion playing, and he made quick friends with the hot dog man..lol. He was invited into several shops and enjoyed "browsing" the merchandise. Added bonus, after about an hour he was tuckered out and slept peacefully in the car while we had dinner! Socialization is an amazing thing, I can't wait for puppy class next week.

[JaniceH]

I am an avid walker and my 3 year old rottie Teazle and I walk for miles.

However, as a pup her exercise was limited to allow her joints to grow healthily. I didn't take her for a walk until she tired because I think she had more stamina than was good for her joints. But she did go for 2 walks a day. I was careful, and gradually increased the mileage as the months passed and also bore in mind the terrain she was walking on. I live in ther countryside where there are mountains beckoning but she didn't climb her first, which was an easy one, until she was about 18 months old. Because she was to be my walking companion for life it was important to me to be patient with her exercise regime and take things slowly.

There wasn't much difference in the length of the walks during the week from about 6 months of age till the present ie. 2 proper walks a day for about 40-45 mins. These were mainly off leash too but only because of where I live and because it was safe to do so. At weekends we walk anything between 6-14 miles on one of the days, and maybe about 4-5 on the other day.

I am probably the only person who wanted my pup to grow up quickly so we could get out into the hills. She is the best walking companion I could wish for.

[DonnaJo]

Hi Chris,

I'm a fellow horse owner too. The only thing I can say to you is don't take him to far as a puppy. He is still in devlopmental stage as far as his bones growing, and growth plates are not closed yet.

I will tell you a story about one of my first purebred dogs I owned, it was a dalmatian and I used to take him on horseback rides with me when he was a puppy, I think probably about 4 months old, was quite a long time ago. LOL

Anyways he would put tons of extra miles on running in and out of bush. He lived to be 13yrs old but was very stiff and had bad arthritis, I often wonder if this was caused from to much exercise to early in his life.

Alll my dogs I have owned since don't get to go on horse rides with me until they are over 1 yr old and very very obedient to my commands.

Hope this helps.

Donna

[Gerts]

Hey Chris,

I too am a horse owner. My puppy was also about 4 months old (like Donna's) when I took him out every day with the horse. We played long and hard that first year+, with rides of distance under our belts...(until the dog's prey drive made rides just impossible) My horse, bless his wonderful attitude, was on his last nerve with that dog!

Anyways, total ignorance on my part 5 years ago, set my dog up for a "slower life " now.
He gets stiff very easily and sometimes whines a bit getting off his dog bed after a walk or jog. He has to be cooled down for an extensive period after exercise with occassional rubdowns before he can go lay down for the evening or he has some pain in his shoulder when rising.

I am absolutely positive it is all my own fault for pushing him too hard before he was mature enough.

That being said, let your puppy just be a puppy, and remember he/she is still just a baby! I would suggest at least 18 mo. or longer if puppy matures a little slower, give him/her ample time.

I have vowed to actually use my brain with my next puppy, so that I don't have to see it in pain because of my stupidity!

Enjoy your riding!!

[ChrisD]

Thanks for the feedback Gerts and DonnaJo, I'm sorry that happened to your dogs, they are such great companions. As I mentioned Cyrus currently spends his days lounging around the barn while my wife trains. His exercise regimen is mostly self directed playtime with another puppy and short walks.

As suggested, I'm going to wait to do any trail rides with him until 18mo, it will be free playtime and walks till then. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.