# How much exercise for a pup?



## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

This is my first post here, but I've poked around for a little while and have learned some valuable things.

We adopted our first German Shepherd and first large dog about 7 weeks ago (have an elderly Beagle now and grew up with a Sheltie). His name is Rico and we love him to pieces. He came to us from an excellent and responsible American show breeder who decided after 6 months that he would not get large enough to show, and lacked that alpha personality for the ring. So we got this gorgeous dog at 6 months old, and his temperament is perfect for our family (we have 5 kids).

So to my question. We have an active household. Rico gets walked about 1-2 miles a day, and played with actively for maybe an additional 1/2 hour to hour. We just started jogging/bike riding with him, so he can trot for a mile or so. But this got me wondering, how much exercise is too much for an 8 month old? He loves the exercise, and is very healthy, but we don't want to overtax him. 

He is currently 8 months old and intact. When we got him, he was about 48-50#. He now weighs about 56# and is still quite lean. I measure him at 24" at the withers (if I'm doing it right).

Thank you all.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

The only change I would make is the riding next to the bicycle.....the jogging on pavement at that age is not so good on joints. 

And then still not much jumping into and out of things. 

Welcome to the forum. I have a 10 month old pup right now and am relearning everything I forgot.


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## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

Nancy,

Thanks for the reply. At what age do you think he could trot on pavement?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Good Question - I would like an answer too. I was told after about 18 months to 2 years when he has finished growing. I plan on doing roadwork on a bicycle with my pup to help keep him in condition.

I bet the breeder might know. They work show dogs to keep in form.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

You are doing just fine. No reason not to run your dog on pavement if that's all you've got. It will not hurt your dog.

The important thing is to always pace your dog. Change the speed you are going at and always bring the dog back to a slow jog after speed so his breathing can come back down.

Ignore all the silliness about not exercising your pup, especially on hard surfaces, and not jogging until they are too old to really benefit from it. It's all just a myth.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I want to bump becuase I am postponing roadworking a very energetic 10 month old as I was told by several to wait until 18 months. I know some breeders also have it as a restrction.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

This is a total myth. It gets repeated so often that people think it's actually true. I've been running dogs forever along with a lot of other people here without any problems. They can come up with the same kind of minor injuries that human runners can get, like scraped or cut pads, pulled muscles, and over heating, which can be easily prevented.

You don't ever want to push you pup and you should always watch how well they recover from exercise so you keep it appropriate for that particular pup. Whereas my pup can go very long distances already at a very good pace, there are other pups, like the ones in my obedience class, that would do well to be able to walk around the block - it kills me to see how crippled some of these showline dogs are 

Exercise builds muscle, bone, heart, and lung, and it's very good for young dogs.


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## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

Elaine,

I appreciate the feedback. That is encouraging.

Rico is a showline dog, btw, but runs and plays well. He has a good gait (I think) and a lot of endurance. He's 8 months old, and can do a 2-3 mile walk without breaking a sweat, or trot 1-2 miles pretty easily (we haven't tried much farther yet).


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

You'll notice I said some showline dogs, not all  That said, don't compare what your pup can and can't do to other pups as it can make you crazy.

One to two miles distance can be a lot for some and nothing for others. I start with a slow jog to warm up my pup, then alternate medium to fast trots with an occassional dead run. I bring my pup back down to an easy jog when I see he's either breathing hard or tiring. Once he's refreshed, I will pick up the pace again. I always do a slow jog on the way home to cool him back down.

Keep up the good work and enjoy exercising your pup.


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## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

Thanks for the tips, Elaine.


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## rooandtree (May 13, 2012)

leerberg who i love going to for advice and info says no jogging a puppy until they are one year old becasue research is showing its bad on hips...i rescued my purebred GSD too and so im paranoid about hip problems....Leerburg | The Importance of Good Positioning on Canine Hip X-rays


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Leerberg is not the best place for advice on anything dog related and this is a very good example of ignoring most of what comes off that site.


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## rooandtree (May 13, 2012)

really? you are the first person i have ever heard say that? tell me more? please


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I am not going to bash that site on a public forum. You won't hear very many people outside of that site saying very many positive things about it. There are a few good things on there, but you have to be careful to pick and choose what works for you.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I have a question. Is it OK to give treats to a dog while he is on the treadmill? And how much water should he be allowed to drink right after he is done? 

I actually measured and he drinks 1/4 cup. While on the treadmill, he gets tiny bits of freeze dried meat. 
Bloat is my concern, that is why I ask. Thank you.


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## rooandtree (May 13, 2012)

Elaine said:


> I am not going to bash that site on a public forum. You won't hear very many people outside of that site saying very many positive things about it. There are a few good things on there, but you have to be careful to pick and choose what works for you.


 thanks for the warning...i havent heard this before and it was a fellow german shepherd person and a vet school student that told me about it..now i will be leary


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Sunflowers said:


> I have a question. Is it OK to give treats to a dog while he is on the treadmill? And how much water should he be allowed to drink right after he is done?
> 
> I actually measured and he drinks 1/4 cup. While on the treadmill, he gets tiny bits of freeze dried meat.
> Bloat is my concern, that is why I ask. Thank you.


I'm not sure why you would want to give treats to a dog while he's running? Unless he's been running for hours, I can't think of any reason to do this. Maybe you are doing this as a reward while teaching him to run on the treadmill?

As for the water, again no reason to limit it unless he's been on there for some time. If he's really drinking a lot, then I might take it away until he cools off and then give it back.


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## ladyfreckles (Nov 10, 2011)

The other advice here is more specific but I'll chip in anyway.  

With dogs the type of exercise can matter a lot more than the amount of it. I don't really worry too much about over exercise with dogs and do what they feel comfortable doing. Watch for signs of exhaustion, fatigue, etc and make the judgment yourself. Each puppy has a different energy level.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

rooandtree said:


> leerberg who i love going to for advice and info says no jogging a puppy until they are one year old becasue research is showing its bad on hips...i rescued my purebred GSD too and so im paranoid about hip problems....Leerburg | The Importance of Good Positioning on Canine Hip X-rays


Two different trainers and vet also said no running until after they are a year. Every agility training center I have called also doesn't allow them until they are at least a year.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Really? Most every agility place takes puppies here, but limits the jump heights and limits twisting from weaving.

The no running thing is a MYTH. Watch your own dog, don't push him, and let him determine what's too much or not.


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## ladyfreckles (Nov 10, 2011)

It's fine to do things, just don't push them. I was talking to the agility instructor about age/agility and she finds it's better to start things sooner and build up gradually than it is to do what a lot of people do and just stay far away from agility and don't expose the dog to anything until one year. A lot of rear awareness and coordination is involved. 

I know a lot of people that buy into the notion that doing things like stairs, jumps of any kind, a-frame, or even walking on pavement will "ruin" a dog's joints and cause hip dysplasia. I've looked it up, but I could never find any conclusive proof, just anecdotal assumptions. In fact some of the most physically sound and strong dogs I've ever met were doing a lot of "dangerous" thing from a young age. As long as your'e not pushing the dog too hard and going at a pace the dog is comfortable with I see nothing wrong with it.


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## m1953 (May 7, 2012)

As a new German Shepherd puppy owner I have to say one thing, the more i read on the Internet the more confused and frustrated I get. Seems everyone has an opinion but how do you know what's right. I only want what's best for my puppy. Excersise, don't exercise, leeesberg advice is good, don't trust a thing his site says. Even our two vets say two different thing cause we live in the mountains part of the year and florida another part of the year somwe have two vets. One thing I have learned, is no matter who says what it really is just their opinion. I guess my job as an owner is sift through all the opinions and do what I hope is best for my puppy.


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## obelinux (Jun 19, 2012)

How much physical exercise makes sense for a 9 week old puppy. Obviously no running/leash walking, but just random running around the house?


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## cowgirlteach (Mar 17, 2012)

obelinux - I walk my 9 week old every morning...he even knows that every morning he gets walked and waits impatiently by the door. It is a short walk but he is getting exercised and use to the leash! (also we live in the country and disease is not a worry)

Just do what your dog is comfortable with...note when he gets tired and turn around and go home. Even if you are in town you can walk him just stay of paved parts and don't let him where other dogs have been.


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## obelinux (Jun 19, 2012)

cowgirlteach said:


> obelinux - I walk my 9 week old every morning...he even knows that every morning he gets walked and waits impatiently by the door. It is a short walk but he is getting exercised and use to the leash! (also we live in the country and disease is not a worry)
> 
> Just do what your dog is comfortable with...note when he gets tired and turn around and go home. Even if you are in town you can walk him just stay of paved parts and don't let him where other dogs have been.


That would be quite an effort avoiding dogs. I live in India, and we have a lot of strays around here. I guess it'd be better if I wait for him to get all his shots done before I take him out for walks.


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