Re: Have We Done Any Damage?? As with most things " puppy " , gradual changes are best, so each month increase a little more so that by the time he is around 9/10/11/12 months of age, you aren't really worrying about overdoing things , it sounds like what you`re proposing is spot on , its equally important to socialise pups as soon as possible so keep up the good work and enjoy your little one
Re: Have We Done Any Damage?? Gypsy isn't allowed her first 'free run' until 17 weeks of age - it seems a long wait! But, when we do go it will be for 20 mins a day. She also has 2 X 10 mins lead work in shops, on main roads etc. So my '5 minute rule' is longer than 5 mins all told, but not excessive imo.
Re: Have We Done Any Damage?? [quote author=JulieT link=topic=7615.msg106361#msg106361 date=1409641077] [quote author=Looby Lou link=topic=7615.msg106360#msg106360 date=1409640684] I think older calmer labs would be fine' but my pups tend to trot a lot if the way, so there is impact, and this is what we did with our first lab who ended up with joint issues. [/quote] Hmm...that's not in line with the advice I got from those vets. None of them were concerned about a puppy trotting on concrete. [quote author=Looby Lou link=topic=7615.msg106360#msg106360 date=1409640684] where do all these 5 min rules etc come from? I can't even remember where i read that, but it was only in the last few months while looking at puppy guidance in case we got some. [/quote] Exactly. This 5 minute rule has just appeared with no detail, all sorts of myths develop around it, and before we know it there are endless versions of what's ok and what's not! [/quote] Having had labs who suffered with this, one confirmed by xrays, vets and keyhole elbow surgery we'd rather not take the risk again. I found the article we read on the 5 min rule it's Kennel Club advice, here's the link; http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/get...-your-new-puppy-or-dog/puppy-and-dog-walking/ Wouldn't it need to be evidence based for an organisation such as that to advise it?? Can't see any reference to research or anything and now I'm curious! Sometimes think the internet is more a hinderance than a help at times lol....
Re: Have We Done Any Damage?? [quote author=Looby Lou link=topic=7615.msg106526#msg106526 Having had labs who suffered with this, one confirmed by xrays, vets and keyhole elbow surgery we'd rather not take the risk again. [/quote] That's fine, of course. No harm in doing that. Much better than thinking "oh she's been playing for an hour but it's ok, it's on grass".....
Re: Have We Done Any Damage?? I kept to the 5 minute rule as I just didn't think pushing it was worth the risk to growing bones. Hattie was socialised well because she was a School gate, Cubs etc. puppy so no shortage of cuddles from tiny to tall I upped her walks/exercise slowly until she was well over a year, she is now a 7 year extremely fit girl This advise came from her breeder and our vet so I went with the professionals
Re: Have We Done Any Damage?? My breeder told me not to take my pup out for a walk, but at 16 weeks old I did, for a very short one, a matter of a few hundred yards, and he broke his elbow :'( I made sure with my second pup that I abided to the 5 minute rule until he was almost a year old. However, a friend of mine had a pup and it was climbing stone steps and tumbling down them and generally having a hooly and she is fine. A retired vet believed that it was sensible to let pups free run and go up and down steps as it strengthened their muscles.
Re: Have We Done Any Damage?? we started off being quite concerned that we were overexcercising Bryn as part of socialisation - taking him out and about with us in town etc... you can easily bust the 5 mins doing that... but now i think we interpret it really as 'vigourous' excercise ie charging about on retrieves, chasing other dogs etc, not ambling alongside us on a 30min stroll through the fields.. or a trip down the high street so at 18 weeks Bryn's routine consists of something like a 20-30min off lead stroll on grass in the morning and if he's seeming very energetic in the evening then a quick 10min round the same field... during that time he has moments of madness and will do a couple of retrieves, but mostly he follows a pattern of walk-stop-sniff-walk-stop-sniff... we don't let him upstairs and we built a ramp up the steps we have leading to our garden to stop him from charging up them...
Re: Have We Done Any Damage?? My common sense has always persistently told me that letting puppies run around and exercise themselves is beneficial to their health and strength, and that not allowing them enough exercise could actually be detrimental to their physical and mental well-being. So we allowed Pops almost as much running around in the house and garden as she wanted. She played with our elderly lab (poor boy! : ), chewed her toys, played with us, and went out with us for lots of little visits to meet the neighbors and other dogs for socialization purposes. When she was tired, she would curl up and go to sleep. If she got over-tired, we would pop her in her crate for a while. That is however NOT the same as taking a small puppy for hours of walking. I think it is sensible to watch your pup for signs of tiredness, and not to allow them to get over-excited or over-tired. Go with your instincts. You wouldn't drag a toddler around for hours - but you wouldn't stop them playing in the house and garden, or at the park, for fear of hurting their joints, either.
