# Seems to get tired fast



## honda_tuner (Apr 12, 2009)

Ok, I'm not sure if this is posted in the right place. Anyways my question is my 7 month old pup seems to get winded kind of fast. I.e when we're playing fetch I throw it about 5-10 times and he seems to be breathing pretty hard. Or even a short jog session and he seems to breathe fairly heavy. After a little while he seems to want to go right back to it. 
My thought that GSD's have a crazy amount of energy. So are these little spurts normal or should he not be getting winded so soon? I live in southern California so it has been kind of hot, but I dont see much of a difference when we're playing at night either.
Do you think it will always be like this. Or will his stamina increase with age? Is this normal?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Five or ten throws for a seven month old puppy is nothing. Is he just panting, or does he stop playing, lay down, and appear completely exhausted? I would personally talk to the vet about it and maybe arrange a complete exam. It could be nothing, but it's never a bad idea to rule out any physical problems. With my dogs, hot weather definitely makes a difference, but you said that it's the same at night when it's cooler. Better safe than sorry.


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## honda_tuner (Apr 12, 2009)

He wont stop playing. Around 5-10 throws when he brings it back he will lie down, but if I pick it up and chuck it again he will be in a full speed run to get it. I dont know how many times he would do that. I dont want to push him too hard. He'll pretty much keep going and still go jogging after. He seems to pant heavy. It also seems like it might be that he just gets bored. I dont know. I will take him to the vet. I wanted to check if anyone elses dog has short bursts of energy a few times a day. I have one of those ball chuckers that launch it pretty far if that matters.


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## Stephanie17s (Jun 16, 2009)

My pup is 4.5 months old and she kind of does the same thing. After 8 to 10 throws I make her take a break for a few minutes (i don't want her putting too much stress on her joints) and she will lay with the ball waiting for me to throw it lol. She pants, but it's totally normal for dogs to pant...it's how they sweat. If he seems very worn out after a play session there might be something else going on. You may want to take a trip to the vet to be sure.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

How far are you throwing it? If you are "chucking" it with the launcher, maybe you are throwing it too far.

It's also possible that he might be getting bored. Someone once told me about this thing called "circle of influence" with pups and how you want the pup to not wander away from you too far when they play. The idea is the further the toy is away from you, the less interesting it will become for the pup (and the less likely he will bring it back to you). So a ball is fun to chase and catch 5 feet away from you but may not be as interesting to the dog when you throw it 50 yards down the field. There's just too much other stuff in between to distract the dog.

I usually just roll the ball for Obie. But then again Obie has the worst recall ever so I'm afraid if I chuck the ball, I'll never see him or my ball again.


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## honda_tuner (Apr 12, 2009)

He doesn't seem exhausted. When we leave he still has a pep in his step. Maybe I'm being paranoid. It just seems like a heavy pant. Then again this is my first large breed. Maybe its just how they pant. I will ask the vet on the next trip over there. When we play fetch its at a baseball field next to my house. So when I chuck it, it gets to the outfield everytime. My boy has an awesome recall so I havent had to worry about him not bringing the ball back. One time he did steal someone else's baseball from people actually playing baseball in the field next to us (lol it was really funny). Thanks everyone for all the responses this site is the best.


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