Molly is 5 months old and full of beans, she loves nothing more than a good tramp through the woods for an hour or so. At home she then has a drink and snuggles up for a good snooze - my question - is an hour too much for her at this age? Our trainer says she should only excercise for 5 minutes per month of her age, ie. 25 minutes and that any more could damage the development of her joints. I would hate to do any long term damage, would appreciate any tips you may have.
Too much exercise?
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Andrea, this has been a popular topic before. I'm like you, we've always walked Bodie a lot at a young age. We have three types of walks for him, a short, medium and long walk. The short walk is usually going around the block. A medium is going a few blocks and pushing close to a mile. A long walk is 2-3 miles. Those are usually reserved for the weekends.
I've never seen any signs of fatigue or soreness after the long walks. The only thing we do see is him getting thirsty. So depending on how he's holding up and availability of a vacant house I'll grab a hose and give him water during out walk. But usually he's fine until we get home. However, with spring and summer approaching I think having more water breaks will be important.
So I wouldn't worry about it too much. No super long walks at his age. Watch his body and for signs of discomfort and fatigue. If you see any then cut the walk short.
I've never seen any signs of fatigue or soreness after the long walks. The only thing we do see is him getting thirsty. So depending on how he's holding up and availability of a vacant house I'll grab a hose and give him water during out walk. But usually he's fine until we get home. However, with spring and summer approaching I think having more water breaks will be important.
So I wouldn't worry about it too much. No super long walks at his age. Watch his body and for signs of discomfort and fatigue. If you see any then cut the walk short.
I would be very careful - it's not about how tired they get but how their joints cope.
My breeder advised I didn't walk 30 minutes until Daisy was six months because of her growing joints and the way too much pressure and exercise can affect how they grow.
My breeder advised I didn't walk 30 minutes until Daisy was six months because of her growing joints and the way too much pressure and exercise can affect how they grow.
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I say that as long as she is running on her own in the back yard, and you taking her on walks for 30 minutes at a time (not to stressed of a walk) she should be fine.
The general rule is to not exercise them until they're 18 months due to the fact that their joints and bones are not fully developed before that.
The general rule is to not exercise them until they're 18 months due to the fact that their joints and bones are not fully developed before that.
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I have always been under the impression that a far greater danger for overworking joints is more common in larger breeds that grow very quickly and are predisposed to joint problems. That being said, you still have to be careful with young dogs and work them up to any sort of exercise. Really, I think it's up to you. There's also danger in a pup not getting enough exercise and then overextending themselves because they're out of shape. As nobody has the resources to xray or closely monitor a growing pup's joints on a regular basis, you just have to use your best judgement. I would say as long as the pups don't seem too tired and you're not forcing them, they should be fine. If you're really concerned, maybe split the exercise time into 2 sessions. It's just one of those things that you can worry your head about but it won't do you much good, lol.
Yep, you have to be more careful with larger breeds in that you wait a longer period to exercise them than you would a smaller breed. I would wait until 12-18 months for a larger breed that takes longer to finish growing, but some smaller breeds are ok to exercise once they are six months and over.
It is still a danger with any puppy and I would be very cautious not to over exercise any pup under 6 months of age regardless of breed, and older for larger breeds.
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I would say your trainer was about right. Its not good to over exercise a young pup as it could cause problems when the dog gets a lot older. Then again each dog is different some pups cant go for 30 mins without getting to tired so there is a great deal of common sense to apply as well. One hour of gentle lead exercise is equivalent to 30 mins tearing around the park at full speed.
Basically until 18 mths a beagle is still growing so you need to be careful what you do. We do agility and dogs cannot compete until they are 18 mths old. You can start training as early as you like as long as the training does not harm the dog, eg: you teach the dog commands from an early age, as the dog develops you introduce it to the more strenuous parts. By the time your dog is 18mths old if trained right it is ready to compete. This method also relates to normal training and exercise, do more strenuous stuff as the dog matures.
Basically until 18 mths a beagle is still growing so you need to be careful what you do. We do agility and dogs cannot compete until they are 18 mths old. You can start training as early as you like as long as the training does not harm the dog, eg: you teach the dog commands from an early age, as the dog develops you introduce it to the more strenuous parts. By the time your dog is 18mths old if trained right it is ready to compete. This method also relates to normal training and exercise, do more strenuous stuff as the dog matures.
I have to agree with Barking Mad on this one. I would say that an hour of exercise everyday, particulary if it's free running and strenuous for a 5 month old is a little too much.
It's not the fatigue that's the problem because most dogs if fatigued will slow down and even stop on a walk...they know when they have had enough. It's the growing joints that you need to be careful of. Also you should avoid letting growing dogs do too much jumping on and off high things that's why agility is restricted until the dog is full grown.
It's not the fatigue that's the problem because most dogs if fatigued will slow down and even stop on a walk...they know when they have had enough. It's the growing joints that you need to be careful of. Also you should avoid letting growing dogs do too much jumping on and off high things that's why agility is restricted until the dog is full grown.
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