Hi all, My lab puppy, Ollie, is 10 weeks tomorrow, and we’ve had him for just over a week. He’s settled in really well - has slept happily and comfortably in his crate since the very first night, with only a little bit of complaining the first few nights and none now. He’s a very good boy! My only issue is keeping him stimulated and entertained throughout the day. We do lots of little training sessions and he has plenty of toys/kongs to be play with, but even so around the middle of the day he’ll start chewing on the cupboard handles/the rugs/ the bottom step. I think it’s mostly because he’s bored. I’ve started to take him out into the garden every now and again and let him run around, but I’m wary of over-exercising him. Is it okay to let him run around the garden for 10-15 minutes, once or twice a day, or could this be bad for his hips? He’s off-lead (with his harness on in case he decides to start munching the flowers ) so he’s going at his own pace and can chill when he wants to, but even so I’m wary. If this isn’t ideal, what else could I be doing with him to calm him down when he starts to get a bit manic?
Welcome Beth from me, Hattie 10 years and our rescue boy Charlie 7 years. What kind of training sessions are you doing with Ollie? If Ollie starts chewing your house try distracting him with his favourite toy or a treat. Personally I wouldn't really want my 10 week old puppy running round the garden for that length of time. Try getting him to follow you round the garden to start of your off lead heel work which will help you with on lead work. You could train a 'hand touch' to keep his brain busy or you could clicker train him. This kind of training can wear a puppy's brain out as much as running around x
I took each of my puppies outside in the garden for good chunks of time. They weren’t running around all the time but exploring and playing. When I got Molly I searched high and low for proper studies into the effect of exercise on joints and there is actually very little scientific evidence out there. This study: https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/ajvr.73.6.838 Concludes that puppies up to the age of three months actually benefit from being allowed to exercise off lead outside on uneven terrain. I would take your puppy outside. Other things to keep him busy might be a few pieces of kibble in a washed and dried plastic bottle without a lid, cardboard boxes to climb in and chew up or rice bones. It’s also a good idea to carry your puppy out to public places to see the world before he is allowed to go on the ground. This is great for socialisation but will also tire him out.
Our 10 week old has been in the garden all day alternating between sleeping in the shade and exploring!.
I let Harley play for short periods in the garden at that age. She would have short hoolies but also just wondered around sniffing everything. I also drove to the pet shop quite a lot or to the shops and sat on a bench people watching. It really helped with socialising her as well as tiring her out.
Yup us too! We spent this weekend at a train station where Maslow was rewarded for watching people walk past him! He slept for like 2 hours afterwards, it was bliss!
Yes I agree. When Cassie was small I used to take to the woods and let her toddle about exploring, I loved watching her learn to manage all the different settings she came across. It's repetitive lead walking that's not good for their joints. I think they need to be able to run about and play and learn to use their whole bodies to strengthen them. I also agree that other things, new experiences tire them out, for her a trip to town, as a country dog , tired her mentally.
