Puppies and Exercise: How much is too much? When you get your first dog, especially a puppy, one of the first things people want to do is take the puppy for walks and show him or her off. Many owners are excited to let their new puppy explore, going for walks on hiking trails or around a lake, letting them climb on rocks and fallen trees, etc. While exercise and different exposures are good for your puppy, how much walking and exercise is too much? Puppies need to have limited exercise while they are young, too much strain on the joints can cause growth problems and structural damage when they’re older. When playing with your puppy out in the yard or in the house, watch your puppy carefully. If they start panting heavily, are drinking a lot of water or constantly sit or lie down, it is a sign that they are tired and need to rest and you should stop playing with them immediately. Watching your puppy’s behavior is the best way to see when they’ve had enough. A good rule for how long your puppy’s walk should last is 5 minutes for every month old. If your puppy is 2 months old, this means a 10 minute walk – 5 months old, a 25 minute walk. This time is the TOTAL time for a walk, not one way, so a 2 month old puppy can be walked 5 minutes from the house, with a 5 minute return. Even if your puppy doesn’t show signs of being tired, it’s not a good idea to push them, ESPECIALLY if you choose to walk them on hard ground. Mental exercise is just as important as physical exercise, and can help tire that pup out too! Several small training sessions for a young puppy each day will exercise their minds. A simple game such as hide-and-seek challenges your puppy without pushing them, they get mental exercise by using their nose and sense of hearing as well as a limited physical exercise. Have a family member or friend hold the puppy while you hide, then call your puppy. Having treats ready for when the puppy finds you makes the game fun for them. Another simple game to play with them is the old “find the cup with the treat’. Choose a small, healthy treat your puppy loves and put it under one of three plastic party cups with the puppy watching. Shuffle the cups around a let the puppy sniff out the right cup. The puppy will love getting the “prize” and will be eager to play. The most important thing to remember with exercise, regardless if it is mental or physical, is to NEVER push your puppy. Short, frequent training sessions throughout the day (even just minutes!) is better and less stressful than one or two hour long sessions. Training should be fun, but shouldn’t burn your puppy out. A puppy that is mentally and physically exhausted will not be healthy or happy and physical problems can occur. If your puppy is pushed too hard, the eagerness to play games and learn will disappear and training will no longer be fun, making training harder. Remember, take it slow! We all want to do as much as possible with the puppy and have fun, but the time flies by and you will be able to start doing more with your puppy sooner than you think.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 05:05:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015