# How Far can I walk my puppy?



## TylerK454 (Feb 8, 2013)

I have a four month old female. My vet says she should get two 30 minute walks a day but other people say only two 10 minute walks a day.

Currently I only walk her once at night for 1.5 miles (30 minutes). She doesn't seem to get overly tired during the walk, she does start to slow down towards the end but as soon as she gets back in the house shes a ball of energy again.

I can't walk her in the mourning because mournings at my house are very hectic. My mom owns a hair salon 2.5 miles from my house, thats like a 50 minute walk. I want to take my puppy out there. Is this too far of a walk? Would a quick 15 minute break with water help?


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## m1953 (May 7, 2012)

It's really up to your puppy and how much he or she wants to do. Just be careful when it gets hot. If you are worried about HD, don't. HD is caused by genetics not exercise


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

My vet said HD is partially genetics and partially the weight of dogs. To keep young puppys lean. He also did not mention exercise. However I dont take Dexter on overly long walks, just in case. But exercise does help keep puppies lean. So its a catch 22


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## y2kunals (Apr 20, 2013)

That's awesome - can you post a picture of your puppy? 

Usually 10-30 minutes is really good for the little one. My guy used to get tired when he was still small, so I had to pick up him and carry him in my arms for 5 minutes until he jumped off and wanted to walk again. 

Like Msmaria says you should be careful based on the weather outside. Make sure when your puppy gets back in she has a lot of cool water to drink. It's a great idea to get a water bottle and get her used to drinking out of the bottle during the walk too (especially if it's hot). It'll help later on when she gets bigger and goes on longer walks - she'll have a backup way of drinking water she learned when she was young!

Cheers!


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## gsforever (Apr 16, 2013)

When I owned my first gsd pup I made a newby mistake, I noticed that the paws were very delicate to
walks in the beginning, so keep that in mind. Does not take long to blister or bleed on a pup.

That is one area that I will be carefull with my next pup.


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## missshepherddiva (Jan 29, 2013)

My GSpup is very high energy. I started taking him at first when he was around 11 weeks on a 30 minute walk, but that wasn't enough. Now he is five months and does one hour in the morning.(he is good until the afternoon) and an hour in the evening. Anything less and he'll act like he has totally lost his mind.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

There are TONS of threads on this. There is no set length. Just condition your dog gradually. Taking long walks will not cause HD or any joint problems. Their paws should be able to handle long walks or hikes unless the pavement is way too hot. 

At that age my first gsd was going xx skiing for a couple of hours a day with me. My rottie mix went on a backpacking trip at 4 months where we were hiking at high elevations for 4 or 5 hours a day. She did great, no problems. 

It's a great way to bond and practice real world training.


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## RidgeWalker (Feb 28, 2013)

I hiked five miles with my three month old pup Friday, she did fine. Slept most of the day afterwards, but she handled the hike fine.


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