Good evening everyone, How often do you walk or exercise your pups in a day. Jack is 15 weeks now and I have read about the 5 min for every month rule but my boy is full of energy. Right now I get up walk him for 20 mins then go to work when I return I take him to the dog park which is 15 min walk there and back and runs around with other dogs for a good 20 mins. Then right before I go to bed I take him around the block so another 15 - 20 mins......is this too much? I had visiors at the weekend who said to drop the night walk...but I am worried he will not sleep as well if I do ...let me know what you guys do with your pooches. Thanks Elaine
Hi Elaine If you're going by the book then technically this is too much exercise. We have stuck to the five minute rule with our now seven month old and have tried to tire him out in other ways- make him earn his meals with training sessions, feed him from a Kong wobbler or frozen kong, play hide and seek by hiding bits of kibble round the house and getting him to 'find it!' This has worked well for us and we have never felt that our pup wasn't getting enough stimulation.
Sorry but yes, it really is too much for the age . Gentle short training sessions can be mentally tiring for pups , which is just as good as physical exercise . Keep the sessions short and stop for play after five or ten minutes , before he gets bored which he will ! It really wont be long before you can up the ante and take him our for good long walks, but protecting his joints is vital at this age x
The 5 minute rule isn't a rule just some good guidance. There is debate as to whether the 'rule' allows for one walk a day or two. So it is confusing . I think it is probably more important to consider the nature of the walk rather than strict duration. For instance in your morning walk is your pup allowed to meander along at his own speed, to stop and watch the world go by and smell the roses or does he have to pretty much walk along at your pace. The style of walking has probably as much impact on growing joints as duration. Personally I wouldn't give such a young pup 3 walks a day, as it is important to consider those joints and protect them for the future. Puppies don't need exercise to tire them out training is just as effective and is fun for both of you. Training can be several short sessions a day, an ideal time for some impromptu teaining is when you make a cuppa - while waiting for the kettle train and practice a hand touch, or a sit, or a down etc
Hi @EmmaHughes It is shaped like a Kong, only bigger, that once knocked over it springs back up. There is a hole on one side so the dog knocks it around and bits fall out but it takes longer than a normal Kong. Look them up on Amazon, that is where they are cheapest I think.
Thanks for all the feedback...I think I have been fixated on exercise and tiring him out rather than training and experience. So today I took him for a 15 min stroll...off lead enjoying the snow...then after work we have just had 30 mins training in the garden ...by training I mean he retrieved the ball about 10 times and spent the other 15 mins digging in leaves. He is sleeping now as he would if we had been to the dog park. I think I will save the dog park for the weekends.....thanks everyone. Elaine
For fun why not bury some treats/bits of kibble in the leaves for him to find using his sense of smell - really tires out dogs. Or throw some of his kibble into the garden for him to find - dogs love it, it uses their senses and tires them
Yes, scatter feeding is excellent. It's how my lot get their breakfast every morning in Spain. I go out into a half acre field, pop them on their raised beds then throw their kibble all over the field before releasing them to find it. It keeps them busy for about fifteen minutes and they LOVE it. Far more interesting than the five seconds it would take them to scoff the same from a bowl
Hi I think I need to take a leaf out of your book as to walking to tire out my puppy Mason. We walk quite a way in the morning I don't work but still have things to do and a slightly shorter walk in the afternoons. Darent say how long as I will be shouted at but it seems to work for us.
Odd that I have just read this post as I've just chopped up four cocktail sausages as a treat for Bailey and put them in his Kong Wobbler - 10 mins so far and he's still bashing the wobbler all over the place - much better than the three seconds to inhale the sausages if in his bowl! I also use an old muffin tin and twelve tennis balls - put some kibble or other treat (I use chicken, cut up hotdog sausages, cut up cocktail sausages, small cubes of cheese) in each hole of the muffin tin - just a couple of pieces in each hole - and cover with a tennis ball. Bailey loves that as he has to choose between eating the treats or play with the tennis balls.
Mental stimulation really helps with their training too as it gets them used to learning new things. Harley goes for 1-2 walks a day (she's 4 years old) between 1hour - 1.5 hours each. We then play lots of games each day - hide the ball somewhere in the house and she goes to find it. Hide treats in a room under toys, in blankets, on top of shoes etc. These type of games tire her out more than going for a half hour walk. We also do training every day - sit, paw, check ears and whole body, figure of 8 through my legs, lie down, put treats on her laws and wait until I say 'go on' etc etc. If you give them too much exercise when they are young, not only is there a risk to their joints, but they also become more likely to want longer and longer walks to tire them out. Someone I know walks their dogs 3 X 1.5/2 hours a day because her dogs got walked do much when they were little, plus she won't play mental stimulation games.
He's having fun. how old is he now? With the 5 minute rule is that 5 mins starting from when they can 1st go out (11 weeks for my pup) or 5 mins starting from when born so would be 10 mins for pup at 11 weeks?
It's based on their age. So it would mean 15 minutes for a three-month puppy. Remember, it's simply a guide not a "rule". What is appropriate exercise is based on the type of walking you're doing more than the duration. Here is a much more useful chart: https://www.puppyculture.com/new-exercise-chart.html
So Alfie has been allowed out for a couple of days now and i have been driving him to the local park (prob a 3/4 min walk away from my house) then we walk a little bit on lead and then he gets a few minutes off lead playing sniffing, practicing recall etc then back on leads for a minute or 2 (we may walk, run or just stand still whilst on the lead). in total he's had about 10 mins out. Yesterday i drove to my dads and met him for the end of his walk with his dog this was prob 20 mins 1st half just us 2. Last half with dad and his dog. most of the walking is off lead and Alfie stops sniffs plays cuddles all along the way so not constant exercise. once we met up with my dad the puppy was playing with dads dog a lot and running about a lot (still managed a couple of recalls even with dads dog there). By the end of the walks he's still v energetic and playful. I would rather be able to walk him to the local park than drive him but we can play more in the park so thats where he gets the most out of it. Basically don't want to over do it but would like to give him a variety of experiences.
I've always been a bit skeptical of this 5 minute rule personally (I do still stick to it, better safe than sorry after all). I've read and heard a lot of inconsistency on it, ie some say it must be stuck to at all costs, others say its just a loose guide. Interestingly enough, the breeder I got my pup from interpreted it as 5 mins for every month of age x2. So in other words, a 3 month puppy should get 30 mins and not 15
