# How Many Miles of Walking For 16 Week Old Puppy?



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

How many miles of walking is ok for a 16 week old puppy?


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Not sure about a "correct" answer, but I'd keep walks short and fun then build on that little by little as your pup matures. At that age, if I remember correctly, we walked for about 15 minutes and prolly less than a mile. They got most of their exercise through play with us.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Ok, we've been doing 3 mile walks for 2 weeks and we just did 4.2 miles last Sunday with ease and the puppy was not tired after it.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I think it would all depend on the pup, the surface being walked on and the stress of the walk. 

If Draco is showing no adverse reactions to walking that far, I'd continue....but realize that you are building his tolerant level...LOL!


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Like I said, I don't know if there is some set distance or anything. I would think walking would be pretty low impact. I get bored of neighborhood walks so the short distances were good by me. We mostly used the flirt pole or played a version of fetch for exercise, sometimes we played hide and seek in the deep grass, they loved it.


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## DCE (Oct 23, 2013)

I have a 15 week old male and I only walk him for a short distance. Not anymore than 20 minutes and I'm doing training sessions on the walks. You dont want to put to much pressure on his hips and elbows as he is still growing.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Lilie said:


> I think it would all depend on the pup, the surface being walked on and the stress of the walk.
> 
> If Draco is showing no adverse reactions to walking that far, I'd continue....but realize that you are building his tolerant level...LOL!


That's what I am worried about Nancy! I don't want him thinking we are doing 15 miles a day or something crazy! Only you and LS have that kind of crack energy! :wild:

We walk fast, my friends have long legs so we have to be able to keep up with them and he walks next to me and never falls behind, he keeps up with my pace.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> That's what I am worried about Nancy! I don't want him thinking we are doing 15 miles a day or something crazy! Only you and LS have that kind of crack energy! :wild:


I cheat. I have acerage and a cannon like thing that shoots tennis balls! I wear him out and rarely have to move!!!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Lilie said:


> I cheat. I have acerage and a cannon like thing that shoots tennis balls! I wear him out and rarely have to move!!!


:spittingcoffee: I cheat even more now and run Delgado on a treadmill  

I agree with Lilie, I honestly never limited Delgado's exercise, if he wanted to run I let him run. Though by the time he was 6 months he was running in the dog park for 3 hours a day and still coming home and ready to play so I did shoot myself in the foot a bit  Thankfully as he grew up he learned to settle in the house better and he's just about perfect now, ready to roll at a moments notice but knows when it's quiet time

So far he's never come up lame or shown signs of pain, though in a few months when he's two he'll be going in for his OFA's so I'll know more then. Puppies are pretty good at self regulating and you mentioned he's keeping up and enjoying it so I wouldn't worry.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Lilie said:


> I cheat. I have acerage and a cannon like thing that shoots tennis balls! I wear him out and rarely have to move!!!


That's what I'm talking about! I like hiking but just walking not so much. The downfall of fetch being a major source of exercise , if you can call it that, is having a ball constantly being pushed into, at, and dropped on me, especially once it's been thoroughly slimed.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Nigel said:


> The downfall of fetch being a major source of exercise , if you can call it that, is having a ball constantly being pushed into, at, and dropped on me, especially once it's been thoroughly slimed.


Or flipped, hitting you in the head!!!!


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I could throw a ball or stick for Sin for 20 minutes and he'd be tired.

Draco on the other hand requires a lot more, even at 16 weeks! :wild:

Remembering Sin as a puppy, I don't think he would have been able to even do 2 miles at 16 weeks.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Lilie said:


> Or flipped, hitting you in the head!!!!


Hehe! Or eating dinner on the couch being a little distracted by a program and looking down and noticing the ball has been put on your plate lol!


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## Crocky (Aug 16, 2013)

Lilie said:


> I cheat. I have acerage and a cannon like thing that shoots tennis balls! I wear him out and rarely have to move!!!


Is this for dogs or is it one like they use in the sport of tennis? I use to have one for dogs and Kesler my GSD that recently passed would stand right in front of it...LOL. Silly girl, I could never get any distance on it as she was right there to catch it as soon as it came out of the tube thingy


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

*Ok, so I asked this same question on a Dalmatian forum and a member said:*

"That is an *enormous* amount of exercise for a baby puppy! For any breed of medium-size upwards (ie over about 15kg when adult) the recommendation is 5 minutes 'forced' exercise per month of age. (Free playing in the garden doesn't count because the pup can stop whenever it wants.) So a 12-week puppy would have two or three daily walks of no longer than 15 minutes (3 months x 5 minutes); a 16-week puppy's walks would be no longer than 20 minutes (4 x 5 minutes); a 20-week pup's walks would be 25 minutes and so on. By about 6 months they'd be doing about a mile. 

The amount of exercise Draco is getting is highly likely to damage his joints.









ETA: A puppy needs to use his food to grow and develop a strong skeleton, not burn it off in energy and building muscles which will distort his growing skeleton before the bones are fully hardened. When he's about a year old you should be able to take him out for a couple of miles at a time, and gradually build it up so that by the time he's 18 months or 2 years he'll be able to take as much exercise as you can give him. *But* *not while he's a puppy!"*

*Is this true? Am I causing damage?*

*He eats 4 cups of kibble a day plus baby carrots and apple slices for treats. On days we have our pack walk he gets fed 4.5 cups a day and still gets apple slices and baby carrots. He has a lot of energy at his age and when we are walking he never drags behind or tries to stop, he isn't tired afterwards.*


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## alexg (Mar 22, 2013)

^^^^
It does make a lot of sense, at least to me...


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

We were advised to limit biking/running with our gsds, but nothing was said about walking, error on The side of caution or just ask your vet what they think.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> *Is this true? Am I causing damage?*
> 
> *He eats 4 cups of kibble a day plus baby carrots and apple slices for treats. On days we have our pack walk he gets fed 4.5 cups a day and still gets apple slices and baby carrots. He has a lot of energy at his age and when we are walking he never drags behind or tries to stop, he isn't tired afterwards.*


Again, I have to say that would depend on the surface that you are walking on and the amount of stress the walk causes. 

So if you are walking on a sidewalk or a street, I can see that hard surface could cause some type of impact stress on the joints. 

If you were walking and there are tons and tons of distractions that become difficult for the pup to address, I can see that causing some sort of stress on the pup mentally. 

Or - if you walked two miles one way and had to drag the pup back because he was tired, then you've over done it. 

Or - when you come back Draco has a hard time recovering from the walk. Then you've over done it. 

Or - if your exercise caused a great deal of stress on the joints - like if you were playing frisbee - or throwing the ball and the pup did a lot of jumping and spinning - that would worry me more than walking. 

Maybe back off a bit if it's worrisome to you. But you'll need to think of something else to help burn off some of that energy. Maybe something more mentally challenging.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

LaRen616 said:


> *Ok, so I asked this same question on a Dalmatian forum and a member said:*
> 
> "That is an *enormous* amount of exercise for a baby puppy! For any breed of medium-size upwards (ie over about 15kg when adult) the recommendation is 5 minutes 'forced' exercise per month of age. (Free playing in the garden doesn't count because the pup can stop whenever it wants.) So a 12-week puppy would have two or three daily walks of no longer than 15 minutes (3 months x 5 minutes); a 16-week puppy's walks would be no longer than 20 minutes (4 x 5 minutes); a 20-week pup's walks would be 25 minutes and so on. By about 6 months they'd be doing about a mile.
> 
> ...


I generally allow puppies to exercise themselves, to run, play, walk, jump, etc. But I do not force anything. By six or eight months they should be able to do a couple of miles of walking with you, but I wouldn't do that much walking with a baby.

I would not wait for symptoms to show up, that means damage has already been done, most likely.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Lilie said:


> Again, I have to say that would depend on the surface that you are walking on and the amount of stress the walk causes.
> 
> So if you are walking on a sidewalk or a street, I can see that hard surface could cause some type of impact stress on the joints.


We walk on the grass, a dirt trail and a pebble trail.



Lilie said:


> If you were walking and there are tons and tons of distractions that become difficult for the pup to address, I can see that causing some sort of stress on the pup mentally.


We see people on horses and people walking their dogs. We smile, say hello and keep on walking, he doesn't try to get to the people or other animals, he just keeps on going, wagging his tail.



Lilie said:


> Or - if you walked two miles one way and had to drag the pup back because he was tired, then you've over done it.


Nope, never had to drag him.



Lilie said:


> Or - when you come back Draco has a hard time recovering from the walk. Then you've over done it.


NEVER. He still has tons of energy left. Before we start our walk we let them loose in a grass field, they run around and then we start our walk. After we do our miles (we are on 4) we let them off leash again for another run in the field before we get into our cars. Draco ALWAYS runs in the field after the walk and doesn't show signs of being fatigued or tired.



Lilie said:


> Or - if your exercise caused a great deal of stress on the joints - like if you were playing frisbee - or throwing the ball and the pup did a lot of jumping and spinning - that would worry me more than walking.


No frisbee, no spinning but some jumping when he's playing with the other dogs.



Lilie said:


> Maybe back off a bit if it's worrisome to you. But you'll need to think of something else to help burn off some of that energy. Maybe something more mentally challenging.


I am just worried that maybe it will cause a health issue later on? He seems fine to me but I have heard that Dalmatians will keep going and going if you let them.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

selzer said:


> I generally allow puppies to exercise themselves, to run, play, walk, jump, etc. But I do not force anything. By six or eight months they should be able to do a couple of miles of walking with you, but I wouldn't do that much walking with a baby.
> 
> I would not wait for symptoms to show up, that means damage has already been done, most likely.


That's what I am worried about. He looks perfectly healthy now but what if it causes damage later on? 

Maybe I will wait a couple of months before bringing him on our long pack walks again.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

If I took the advice of what was said on that dalmatian forum, I'd have one crazy puppy in the house. I'm surprised they didn't recommend for you to bubble wrap your puppy whenever he leaves the house too. 

I've got a 6 month old puppy. He exercises as much as he wants to go. If he wants to run and chase the ball, he goes. He doesn't drag on walks and we go for several miles daily. He has yet to tell me or show signs that he doesn't want to go. 

Let the puppy be a puppy. Use common sense. Don't let him jump off things and land on concrete. Try to run him on grass. Don't worry too much and just enjoy your pup.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Is there that much of a difference between GSDs and Dals? I think I was walking Niko at least a couple miles one way, so four in total, at four months old. He was fine with it (we walked on dirt roads). And I was doing that five days a week.

Maybe just limit the super long walks to once or twice a week?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Good_Karma said:


> Is there that much of a difference between GSDs and Dals? I think I was walking Niko at least a couple miles one way, so four in total, at four months old. He was fine with it (we walked on dirt roads). And I was doing that five days a week.
> 
> Maybe just limit the super long walks to once or twice a week?


Dalmatians were bred to run along side stage coaches for miles and miles, they have A LOT of energy and enormous stamina.

We are only doing the 4 mile walk once a week for now but we are trying to do it twice a week.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Lucy Dog said:


> If I took the advice of what was said on that dalmatian forum, I'd have one crazy puppy in the house. I'm surprised they didn't recommend for you to bubble wrap your puppy whenever he leaves the house too.
> 
> I've got a 6 month old puppy. He exercises as much as he wants to go. If he wants to run and chase the ball, he goes. He doesn't drag on walks and we go for several miles daily. He has yet to tell me or show signs that he doesn't want to go.
> 
> Let the puppy be a puppy. Use common sense. Don't let him jump off things and land on concrete. Try to run him on grass. Don't worry too much and just enjoy your pup.


Thank you, I am a worry wart!


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

As much as you want! Chama went on a backpacking trip when she was that age and was doing 6 hour hikes in the mountains! She lived to be 14+ and was still hiking when she was a senior. 

Before there were Internet forums people took puppies hiking and for really long walks and nothing bad happened to their joints.  What you want to avoid is overdoing high impact exercise like jumping and running on hard surfaces. Otherwise, it's all good.


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## Mikey von (Oct 20, 2010)

BowWowMeow said:


> As much as you want! Chama went on a backpacking trip when she was that age and was doing 6 hour hikes in the mountains! She lived to be 14+ and was still hiking when she was a senior.
> 
> Before there were Internet forums people took puppies hiking and for really long walks and nothing bad happened to their joints.  What you want to avoid is overdoing high impact exercise like jumping and running on hard surfaces. Otherwise, it's all good.


I agree 100%

Kaya, my now gone gsd, backpacked and hiked a ton as a pup and all the way to the end (cancer) at just shy of 13.

Kimber (my now 5 month old) does 4 plus miles of off leash hiking like it is a warm up. I can't wait to take her packing.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

We split the 4 mile walk into 2 different days. So we are doing 2 miles on Saturday and 2 miles on Sunday, with plenty of playing during the week as well as a walk around my block every day.


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## schnellmann (Oct 1, 2013)

*Seems to vary by dog but...*

... if I didn't hike my girl in the woods each day she'd be totally bonkers. 

At 14.5 wks she does 3+ miles off leash in the woods in about 90 minutes. We also use the hike time as her primary training sessions. She is food crazy, so mealtimes are also training 3x per day using her meal kibble as reward.

Then she is off leash running around our property with me doing farm chores (her goofing off near me) another 2 hours or so per day. We stop chores for fetch and flirt pole, etc. sessions too. She gets about 4 hours of exercise/training each day and loves it. Then she naps in her crate between "sessions."

She always tells me when she is tired on hikes (starts lagging just a little or plops down on my shoes when we stop), and out on the property she just lays down wherever she wants whenever she feels like it.

Unless she gets at least 2 hours of hiking/training/outside play each day, she is a restless Mako shark in the evening. With the above, she is asleep next to the couch by 7:30pm dreaming whimpery, twitchy puppy dreams.

I used to worry about her joints with all that exercise, and I still do a bit, but none of it is forced and she needs what she needs. I am careful to read her "I'm tired" signs.


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