I am getting a 12 week old puppy in 2 weeks, I have read I need to exercise him for 5 mins for every 4 weeks he has been born, but does this include light walking on a lead? or is it running and playing in a field? I was hoping to walk him around the area etc and then have fun play time chasing balls etc in the fields, am I expecting too much too soon?
The 5 mins a day is for lead walking. If he's able to play and rest then you don't need to count free runs that in with the five minute rule, just be sensible and remember his growing bones Here is a good article - http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppy-exercise-how-much-is-too-much/ ...
Hello there, and a warm welcome to the forum. How exciting getting a puppy! Tell us more about him. It's not possible to answer your question with any certainty, because there is no science or research or evidence behind the '5 minute rule' - it's just a rough guide. Some people think it's 5 minutes once a day, some twice. Some think it's total exercise, some only lead walking, some hard surfaces, soft surfaces and so on. So it's just a guideline that means moderate exercise for a puppy. There is an alternative take on things here, which I think is also useful guidance. https://puppyculture.com/appropriate-exercise.html I think the advice about rolling balls, and keeping tug toys low is very sensible. No frisbees or repetitive fetches until they are quite a bit older.
