# Letting a german shepherd puppy run with me?



## ayoitzrimz

Hi all,

I have a question about my 4 month old GSD puppy. I intend to take him rollerblading with me to have him "work" (pull me on the blades, run alongside me, etc) at some point in his life. He is currently training in basic obedience and is very good. He's also good with the blades (we went once or twice) and generally runs alongside me.

Here's my question:
I'm thinking I should avoid this strenuous exercise until his joints are fully developed but I wanted to know your opinion. Can I start him on that now? Just like until he gets tired and no more? I mean I understand they shouldn't be allowed to jump or do any agility due to their developing hips but what about running on a flat (although hard) surface? Is that ok?

Please let me know your opinion, I'd really appreciate it. We already go on walks (1.5 hours total per day) plus obedience training and games (fetch etc) but I really think something like this will help put his mind into a working mode and satisfy that need to work (by pulling me on command etc).

Thanks in advance!


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## MaggieRoseLee

I wouldn't rollerblade with him. The fact it would be on pavement (high impact) and repetitive (same speed) are 2 things to be avoided with puppies.

He still needs TONS of exercise, just it needs to be on a more forgiving surface (NOT hard pavement/streets) and more fast, slow, fast, normal, fast.... 

I know off leash hikes in the woods work best for my pups. We can do huge distances by 4 months (miles and miles) but the puppy can pace themselves. Even better if you can invite friends with their friendly dogs. Perfect for socialization.


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## counter

ayoitzrimz said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have a question about my 4 month old GSD puppy. I intend to take him rollerblading with me to have him "work" (pull me on the blades, run alongside me, etc) at some point in his life. He is currently training in basic obedience and is very good. He's also good with the blades (we went once or twice) and generally runs alongside me.
> 
> Here's my question:
> I'm thinking I should avoid this strenuous exercise until his joints are fully developed but I wanted to know your opinion. Can I start him on that now? Just like until he gets tired and no more? I mean I understand they shouldn't be allowed to jump or do any agility due to their developing hips but what about running on a flat (although hard) surface? Is that ok?
> 
> Please let me know your opinion, I'd really appreciate it. We already go on walks (1.5 hours total per day) plus obedience training and games (fetch etc) but I really think something like this will help put his mind into a working mode and satisfy that need to work (by pulling me on command etc).
> 
> Thanks in advance!


I was running Nara from 4 months old until 6 months old, then started doing tons of research on this to ensure I wasn't overdoing it. I discovered that you shouldn't run a pup until they are 12 months old. It's just too hard on them. We stopped and waited, and then started running again at 1 year. Now she can run 9 miles a day non-stop (I'm sure she could run more if we tried) at 2.5 years old. We've switched to biking, because it gives her the same amount of exercise, but takes up 75% less time to cover the same distance. She loves it! She runs off lead at the cemetery after they close the gates, so we're the only ones in there.

Bottom line: definitely wait until your pup turns 1 year old. I posted on all of the GSD boards and 99% of the people who replied said to let the growth plates seal first so you don't damage your dog long term. Good luck. Hope that helps!


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## ayoitzrimz

Hi Maggie, Kevin, Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely wait. I was 90% sure I needed to wait from what I read but I wanted to verify with other GSD owners. So for now it's just long walks with fetch on grass and training session for Einstein 

Btw I love the hiking idea, unfortunately not too many wooded areas in Brooklyn...

Thanks again for the advice...


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## MaggieRoseLee

ayoitzrimz said:


> Btw I love the hiking idea, unfortunately not too many wooded areas in Brooklyn...
> 
> Thanks again for the advice...


If you get have/can borrow a car, come hike in the Poconos. Only 1.5 hours away, just go west on Rt 80.

Hiking the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey Northwest Skylands:










Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Trails |


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## ayoitzrimz

Thats a great idea actually. My little boy will have his last set of shots on 6/7 so sometime mid-june I'll make that trip. We used to stay in Bushkill and it's really not that far and they have those bushkill falls which we can hike in. Thanks again! I'll definitely try this in a month or so.


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## MaggieRoseLee

If you know Bushkill there are TONS of trails in the Delaware Water Gap NRA that are free free free..... Many are near creeks/streams/waterfalls/lakes/ponds so swimming can also be part of the trip.

Just contact the park, there are tons of trails on both sides of the Delaware and it's and easy ride for you for the day or weekend. 

http://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/upload/sb2WandWPA.pdf

http://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/upload/sb2Hikes.pdf

http://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/upload/sb2AT.pdf


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## doggiedad

at 4 months old my dog wasn't doing a mile.
i slowly worked him into mile and longer hikes.
by the time my dog was 1.5 years old we
were doing 5 miles. a nice, slow
5 miles with several breaks. i need the slow pace
and breaks.



MaggieRoseLee said:


> I know off leash hikes in the woods work best for my pups. We can do huge distances by 4 months (miles and miles) but the puppy can pace themselves. Even better if you can invite friends with their friendly dogs. Perfect for socialization.
> 
> YouTube - Hiking the Poconos w/Friends and their dogs


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## Elaine

As usual, I'm the one that totally disagrees with this crazy advice not to run puppies, when they are the ones that need it the most. I think this myth was started by breeders of over angulated dogs and dogs with bad hips to help excuse their crippled dogs.

So long as you don't overdo and keep an eye on your pup, go for it. Four months is still pretty young and he will probably have to go fairly slowly at first and for shorter distances. My dog was running 3 miles a day by 6 months and is doing just fine and, gasp, he was and still does run on hard surfaces. Would it be better to run off leash and on soft surfaces? Sure, but that's just not possible for most people and running where possible is better than a puppy going crazy from lack of exercise.


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## MaggieRoseLee

Elaine said:


> As usual, I'm the one that totally disagrees with this crazy advice not to run puppies, when they are the ones that need it the most. I think this myth was started by breeders of over angulated dogs and dogs with bad hips to help excuse their crippled dogs.


I think that's where the 'myth' of under-exercising come from. We still occasionally have people post here that their breeder told them NO STAIRS for their puppy until it's a year old.... so the questions about 'I can no longer carry my 6 month old puppy upstairs/downstairs, so what can I do?' show up. 

CRAZY! :wild:

But much better for the breeder to blame the puppy owner for problems/issues that crop up structurally in a puppy. Than take the RESPONSIBILITY for the fact there are genetic issues in their lines.....


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## kiya

Like any exercise you have to build up to get where you want to be. I normally took Apache & Kiya out with my bike on the trails, it's too much for the pup, Lakoda, so I started walking her with the big dogs in the trails. Since I can let her off leash with them she runs circles around us in the begining. Now she's starting to spend more time along side of us, it's also getting warmer out. I work them early in the morning when it's still a little cool. It's probably over a month we've been doing this. I kept it at the same distance, I'll increase the distance soon. I would also be carefull about working your dog hard on pavement or sidewalks. Running on hard surfaces can cause problems.


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## Blitz1203

I'm not an expert, but I tried to hold my pup back for the first 4-5 months of his life. He has the energy and will run around one way or another. He is 6 months now and I take him out to big open fields and we usually run together at a moderate speed for short distances, do some zig zags, and tag. We stop take breaks, catch our breath and then resume. I doubt we run more than a mile during this period of time, but it burns the excessive energy and he enjoys it much more than walking. I don't push him in fact it is the other way around lol


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## gsd_newbie

Elaine said:


> As usual, I'm the one that totally disagrees with this crazy advice not to run puppies, when they are the ones that need it the most. I think this myth was started by breeders of over angulated dogs and dogs with bad hips to help excuse their crippled dogs.
> 
> So long as you don't overdo and keep an eye on your pup, go for it. Four months is still pretty young and he will probably have to go fairly slowly at first and for shorter distances. My dog was running 3 miles a day by 6 months and is doing just fine and, gasp, he was and still does run on hard surfaces. Would it be better to run off leash and on soft surfaces? Sure, but that's just not possible for most people and running where possible is better than a puppy going crazy from lack of exercise.


Absolutely agreed! In the wild, I don't think wolves need to be a year old to join the pack in hunting, and roaming distances. I believe that you just cannot overdo any puppy and/or dog, unless they are forced to do so. It is naturally for them to withdraw from the long hard run if they cannot catch you up, then you will clearly noticed. My dogs are all join me for late afternoon runs, minimum 06km and up to 12km, and they all do just fine. So lets keep our dogs healthy and happy by allow them to join us on any outdoor exercise, and leave the myth for poor dog owner.


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