Can I just ask, the 5 mins per month guideline that you go by, is that twice a day or once?

Molly my current dog has had elbow displaysia from 4 months old and although I didn't give her hours of exercise I do wonder if I over did it a bit and made her worse.

Hopefully, we should be collecting our new pup this week and she will be 12 weeks but has been kennelled in isolation up until now.

What do you think may be a good starting point with her?

Great advice from Labradork and everyone. Ivan is a prime example of a dog not knowing his limits. When we are on days out with a big gang of Leos he is in his element. He would run jump and horse play for 12 hours straight if I let him. There is just no let up with him.

As most of you will already know that before he was immunised fully I used my youngests son push chair to take him out so as he was well socialised. I would also take him everywhere with me in the car so he was always out and about (still do). This way they get the stimulation and not the strain on young growing bodies

Some great advice there, i know someone who rescued a young springer, she just kept running and running him in the end up to 5 hrs a day, she was inexperienced and eventually he was rehomed to the police, because he needed something to do.

Meg when she was young used to have a couple of walks a day of about an hr, and this was from around 5 months old, thankfully it didn't do her any harm, but i wouldn't do it again, because of growing joints and coming to expect more s she got older.

Its a very good point that you don't know what life is going to throw at you, and personally i always give my lot one day of a week (never the same one) because you just don't know when you might not be able to give them their daily two hrs, and i don't want sringers doing the wall of death round the living room. Works for us anyway

I'm on 45 mins twice a day now that my puppy is nearly 10 months old, but up until she was 8 months, we were only doing 2 x 35/40 min walks. Of course, she did twice the amount me and Georgie did because she would always be running on ahead, running back, but my actual walk itself would only be 40 mins. max. At home, they have the door open all day long to go in and out in the garden and play if they want to, right up until 8.30 pm. at night, so my two walks are ample for her needs at the moment, coz being a large breed, I do have to worry about overexercising those growing joints, I don't want problems later on with hips and elbows, nor do I want her to think she's gonna be out for 4 hours a day with me coz that's not gonna happen!

Sometimes, she doesn't get that 2nd walk, but she's more than happy to go out in the garden with me for a bit of training or ball games or frisbee, and is ready to settle back indoors. I agree with Tassle here, coz I found when she was young, the more short walks I did with her, the more hyper she became and the more she wanted before she'd settle, so I decided to do what I'm doing now and she seems more than happy with it.

That's not to say once she's fully mature, I won't do the odd long walk with her like 2 hours or something, just as I did the other week-end, when I went on an hour long walk, but it was a slow walk, chatting with my friend, walking through the woods, no dogs to run around with and no ball to chase, you've just got to be sensible with what you do.

Every large breed dog I've met that does have problems at a young age, has always been overexercised from what I hear from their owners, and I've never done that and I won't be doing that with this new one! None of my dogs has ever suffered with joint problems or arthritis until they've been well over 10 years old and that's the way I'd like to keep it.

I once knew an older lady with a jr puppy and she used to walk for miles and miles every single day, more than I'd walk the horse sometimes and when I said about how much I walked my big dogs she turned around and said "oh, that wouldn't be enough for my jrt, they need loads and loads or exercise" why is that then??? Has one of them told us???? I'm sure I heard a vet say to me once, little and often, be sensible about it, and that's how I've always done it.

I think too that is far far too much for a 4 month old pup for the reasons outlined already. I wouldn't even walk my pup that much each day and she's coming up 10 months soon. I have discussed with my vet just recently this subject and agreed that now and then its fine, for instance, a day out with pup at the beach for a full day, but rest her the next day after a heavy day like that. That once in a while will do her no harm, but certainly not everyday. JMO of course.

I also like to grow my pups slowly for the same reasons, they are only on puppy food up to 6 months, again, JMO.

I also agree with the others that its far too much exercise at that age... my pups were held on the 5min per month rule... then I (ha ha) trained them, so they were mentally tired too... well Jamie was very good, Deacon far too lazy... but as they are biggish dogs I don't overdo the exercise until 18mths til I know the bones, joints and sinews all fully formed... but I had a dog with HD so very very wary....

Hi ALi,

Don't worry about Molly. If you think we were out for about an hour, or a little more yesterday and we walked slowly on lead for most of that. Molly only ran baout with Yiannis for maybe 20 minutes total and we could see how her feet turned in over time. That, to me, meant that even if she wasn't sore by then, it was time to stop.

With your new pup I'd try to find out if she's been walked by the kennel staff at all and for how long. I'd start off with little and often though also. Bear in mind that just a walk to the corner of your road and back will be full of new smells etc and where it may take you 5 minutes to get there and back, with a new pup, If allowed to stop and sniff where they want to you could be out of the house for half an hour.
Decide in advance what sort of walk or where you're going to walk your new pup. Decide exactly how long the pup may walk for (about 15 minutes if 33 months old) and stick to it. Then allow the pup a second 15 minuted walk later in the day - it doens't have to be in the same place.

Give the pup some mentally stimulating games and allow her to try to wqork things out. This will tire her out also, meaning less of a need for excessive exercise.

I don't think for one second you'll have any problems with your new pup and exercise. It's better to be over-cautious in the first few months with a new pup where exercise is concerned and as long as she gets plenty of playtime with you in the house and fresh air in teh garden at home, you can't go far wrong.

Walks are not the be all and end all with dogs of any age. You've already seen fo eryourself how things can be so much easier of you don't worry abotu them. Try not to worry. Enjoy your new pup for who she is. Take her for short walks twice a day. Play with her lots in the house and do some lead training in the garden before you go out (or rmaybe she'll lie doen to go to sleep in the middle of the road like one of my GSDs did once!).

Good luck.

Laura xx

I agree with what most people are saying here

One of the first things a dog in my house has to learn is that life is dull most of the time. They have to settle and be calm. Walks will come, brain work will come, but in the main life is dull

Too many people fall into the trap of overexercising a high energy dog. To start with it seems to work but in reality you are training it to be fitter and fitter.

Walks are random for me - I have a min amount - at least an hour a day, but I have the option of a really long walk to tire them out on special occasions.
Training is far far more important than walking

I also know of a couple of collies around here who, if they think it is what you want, will run and run until they overheat and collapse having a fit, their work drive is stronger than their ability to look after themselves, their owners have to be really carefull not to overexecise them

With Etta I am doing short training sessions most days, she has some food in a treat ball and usually has a marrow bone or a stuffed kong to settle with in the playpen during the day.

She goes out to town or boot sales for socialisation and learning to walk nicely by my side. She has had a couple of walks for about 20mins and one huge one by accident.

The rest of the time she witters around with the others with the odd manic session when she uses Celt or Moot as a climbing frame----she is wary of the others as they won't put up with her.

I wouldn't do huge formal walk/runs with her yet, she gets overtired and then finds it hard to settle.

rune

I'd say it depends on where you're walking and what speed you're walking at. All mine have been out for 2 hours as soon as they are able to go out, but we build in a lot of rest for the pups and pootle about a bit while the others charge about with their ball chasing. We build short training sessions into the walk etc. I have never abided by the 5 minute rule and never will. As long as you're walking on fairly soft ground such as woodland etc and don't walk too fast etc they'll be fine. I wonder how some people manage to socialise their dogs if they follow the 5 minute rule, we sometimes don't see a soul for hours unless we actively go looking for them.