Molly is now 3 months old and it is time for her to meet the world. I read that a labrador puppy should only have 5 minutes of exercise per day for every month of their life. This has left me confused. I see a need to take her out and expose her to as many experiences (dogs, joggers, smells, cyclists and cars etc) as I can. How do I accomplish this on just 15 minutes a day. Indoors she gambols everywhere. I tell her she's a Labrador not a lamb. On the end of a lead she is at her most sedate. She is not a puller. She learnt very quickly that if she pulled I stood still, so she gave up on that very soon. I cannot see how a couple of 30 minute walks, we don't of far but there is lots to investigate, a day is going to do her any harm. On the plus side, all that learning (don't chase joggers etc) leaves her very tired and is a rare oasis of peace for me. Obviously I don't want to do her any harm. So the question is, what do I consider to be exercise for a growing puppy with seemingly boundless energy. Don't think we'll be going anywhere soon. Howling wind driving the rain here in the Thames Valley.
Re: Puppies and Exercise At 3 months old twice a day for twenty to thirty minutes and my pup was beat. I had to carry her home many a time. Just watch your pup. These times in books are just guidelines and all pups are different. For socialising your dog can be near a supermarket entrance etc so not much physical exercise but plenty of mental stimulus
Re: Puppies and Exercise It is tricky - when my boy was young, I pretty much stuck to the 5min guidance. With labradors, it's possible that over exercise raises the risk of joint problems. Those people on the forum that have dogs with problems would say doing something that might increase the risk isn't worth it. I made the most of the short time we had by being off lead in busy areas. I didn't count trips out for socialisation - bus trips, tube trips, sitting outside train stations, trips to the pet store - as exercise. I relaxed around 5 months, and Charlie got more exercise from then on. I know other people stuck to the 5 min guidance very strictly until their pups were over a year. I didn't though, Charlie was (and is) high energy, and prone to being podgy. Plus I had a vet who thought Charlie needed more exercise.
Re: Puppies and Exercise Harley is 21 weeks old and I walk her to the park every day which takes 10 mins each way. We then play in the park and she gets to meet joggers, children, cyclists and other dogs, we usually stay in the park also playing fetch with a ball for 30-45 mins. Sometimes I put her in the car to go to local shops/the pet shop etc for socialisation - I don't count this in her exercise. I try to keep to the recommended walking times for a pup, especially after reading about how over exercising can put a strain on their bodies and cause problems as they get older.
Re: Puppies and Exercise The five mins rule is guidance only , put in place for those who may otherwise take young pups for long hard walks . I also think that the rule applies to what I refer to as hard surface walking, roads and pavements and not your own garden or soft surfaces such as fields and woodlands . Big dog pups are more prone to joint injuries so jumping is something to be aware of , in and out of cars, up and down stairs are the things to be wary of with a youngster . Its applying common sense really , several short walks being far better than one or two longer ones , socialisation is so important for pups so yes, supermarkets , schools , town markets are all a brilliant introduction to the big wide world
Re: Puppies and Exercise Likewise I counted socialisation trips as separate to exercise... Looking at rabbits in Pets at Home definitely wasn't exercise - very interesting, but not exercise; nor was standing outside the supermarket. Walks were in addition to socialisation trips, and both did help to tire her out! Clare
Re: Puppies and Exercise The five minute rule is a useful guideline for exercise. Once the jabs have taken then my advice would be to maximise socialising while your pup is young and receptive. It's easy to carry a pup around, so we used to take her to the supermarket and I'd sit outside with Holly while my wife went inside. The supermarket was beside the railway and on a main road so it got her accustomed to trains, fire engines, buses and all manner of new noises. And she LOVED all the attention from people!
Re: Puppies and Exercise Thanks to everybody for their input. I have decided that if we ignore time spent stationary and sniffing (essential for a happy dog), time spent semi seated as I try to train her NOT to leap at people, dogs etc and time spent as I wrestle yet another undesirable item ( discarded tissues seem to be a favourite) from her jaws. A half hour amble will take us a few hundred yards and that will be sufficient. Are Buster Cubes and Treat Balls safe for her. I give her quite a proportion of her food via them. It gives her something to do and makes meal times last longer than a nano second. Seriously. Any damage done now cannot be undone, so I will err on the side of caution. Happy New Year Folks
Re: Puppies and Exercise I had a problem with DexiD4DivaDog (sometimes I really wish she had a shorter name!) and I got her one of these bowls on good old eBay which really does the job of slowing down eating marvellously ....
Re: Puppies and Exercise Kong wobblers are a fab way to feed a meal. The dog has to roll it around and knock it over to get the food out. I brought an anti-gulp ball, but unfortunately it didn't have much difference than a bowl. The kong wobbler takes 5-10 mins to get all the food out . You can get them in pet shops, eBay and Amazon. Personally I use it for Harley for lunch and tea, she uses her bowl in the morning
Re: Puppies and Exercise [quote author=Mollly link=topic=3818.msg43853#msg43853 date=1388518193] Are Buster Cubes and Treat Balls safe for her. I give her quite a proportion of her food via them. It gives her something to do and makes meal times last longer than a nano second. [/quote] Kong wobbler fan here, too. Only he bashes it round so hard it's a bit noisy - and he doesn't stop when it's empty. So I use standard kongs mostly, but kong goodie bones stuffed with the right shape biscuit use less food (so you can leave more) and last a long time - sometimes, but not often, he hasn't managed to get the biscuit out when I get back from wherever.
Re: Puppies and Exercise You could also either scatter her food on the floor or spread it on a flat tray that way she can't gulp, I do that with my greedy boy . There has been some discussion about non gulp bowls causing the dog to breathe in excessive air, can't remember exactly but it's on here somewhere. I didn't find it worked. x
Re: Puppies and Exercise Sorry forgot to say, I stuck to the 5 minute rule to avoid any damage to growing bones and joints, it's just not worth the risk as far as I am concerned I started to slowly increase Hattie's walks when she was about 18 months, but I am probably over cautious
Re: Puppies and Exercise [quote author=charlie link=topic=3818.msg43917#msg43917 date=1388575139] There has been some discussion about non gulp bowls causing the dog to breathe in excessive air, can't remember exactly but it's on here somewhere. I didn't find it worked. x [/quote] That's what keeps me coming back to this great forum .... there's always something new to learn; a new opinion to take into account.
Re: Puppies and Exercise I don't how to link it, but our Vet member said her dogs still gulped and took in too much air and killed an insisor tooth on it . If you search ANTI GULP BOWLS you will see the various opinions. Hope that helps
Re: Puppies and Exercise [quote author=charlie link=topic=3818.msg43922#msg43922 date=1388575868] I don't how to link it [/quote] http://www.thelabradorsite.com/forums/index.php/topic,1866.msg14912.html#msg14912
Re: Puppies and Exercise I feed my dogs from steel bowls on a raised table or platform so their head and neck position remains higher than if they were feeding from the ground.
Re: Puppies and Exercise my yellow pup is 17 weeks old now and we walk her am and pm for 15-20 mins each time, we are lucky that she can be off lead all this time. our garden very water logged at the moment so cant play in there so take her across onto the green a few times a day too
