Hi , I am the owner of Bruce an 11 week old chocolate lab mix. I know that running with puppies under 12-18 months is discouraged however Bruce seems to be super hyper with out our runs in the park. I thought it was the panacur worm medication causing hyperactivity however we've been off the medicine for three days and there isn't a change in his desire to run. When I let him outside to use the bathroom he will run in circles on the grass which is fine. When I take him for a walk in the park or on nature trails he wines & wines until we run. He will not run unless he is chasing me. In theory I could just stop allowing him to chase me however he still has an abundance of energy and demands to run 1-2 miles at a time by whining and barking. If I skip the walks all together he goes mad. I'm lookin for suggestions on wether I should contimue to allow the running , if so how can I get him to run ahead of me or without me in an open field. If I should discourage the running what else can I do to burn this energy?
I've never been super-cautious about exercising my puppies but that amount of running does sound excessive even to me and I would worry about the effect on his joints. Games such as tug and whippit / flirt pole are great for puppies - the games are both physical and start teaching release / control. The pup learns to go from a high energy state to calm very quickly. If you start some other simple training it will tire Bruce out as much as more physical exercise. You could try teaching an off-lead heel - not aiming for an exact position but just trotting next to you while you do lots of sudden turns, stops and change of speed (so this is where you could do a few metres of running followed by a stop, a turn, a slow pace etc). You could try simple puppy retrieving or playing catch with a ball. Also encourage him to go round, under and through objects (like tree trunks, cones, large cardboard boxes,, your legs etc) You could train a 'down' and start proofing it against distractions. Just one more thought, I assume you're in the US, as in the UK vets usually recommend that puppies don't go into areas where other dogs may have been until they have completed their vaccinations.
Further thoughts (sorry I'm on a roll!) Now is the time to socialise your puppy to all the sight and sounds that you want him to be happy with when he is an adult. So traffic, children, pushchairs, wheelchairs, umbrellas, fire engines, livestock - whatever is around where you live. Socialising means that he meets these things and has a happy experience while they happen - so feeding treats while the rubbish collection lorry goes past for example. Taking him to different places - carrying him if necessary - will tire him out too.
Hi there and welcome The reason that formal exercise is discouraged for puppies is, as Joy has suggested, because it is thought that such exercise may place a strain on a puppy's joints. And even potentially trigger the development of conditions like hip dysplasia. The evidence to prove that above average levels of exercise can damage a healthy puppy's joints, is mixed. Of the more recent studies, one study published in 2006 supported the view that jarring or prolonged intense activities such as chasing at speed may increase the risk of osteochondrosis which causes lameness and joint damage. And that was in adult dogs. We might reasonably assume that the risk in puppies would be greater. A Norwegian study published in 2012 found that climbing stairs before three months of age increase the risk of hip dysplasia while off lead exercise during the same period reduced the risk. The advice given to puppy owners to limit exercise seems sensible to me. Especially if we consider how a litter of puppies would naturally behave, playing for short periods of time within a short distance of their home base or 'den'. Puppies do enjoy chasing and a few minutes chasing you or another dog around a small grassy area is unlikely to do any harm. I do understand how keen you are to go running with your new friend. But taking an 11 week old puppy out for a 1-2 mile run seems to be an unnecessary risk. Whereas there are no downsides that we know of in waiting for a few months before building up your puppy's fitness and stamina and turning him into your best running buddy for many years to come. In the meantime, you can still have fun with your pup playing games with plenty of opportunities for him to rest in between Bear in mind also, that if you reinforce whining, by rewarding your puppy, he will quickly learn to whine and whine whenever he wants something. That could be annoying for you in the long run. Better to reward behaviours that you like - such as letting him 'catch' you at the end of a short chase while you say his name - great basis for a good recall
