Too much exercise??

[liath]

Hi, I keep reading that too much exercise is bad for puppies but can't find much in the way of real evidence to back it up. I asked my BIL who's a vet and he said that very little in vetinary medicine is evidence based as there's not the money for lots of research.

Anyway ...I have a 3 month old Jack Russell who has tons of energy and loves going for walks. I feel terrible leaving him shut in the house if I'm off to the park with the kids and their scooters but if I take him with us we're out for a good hour or so. He's not a breed prone to things like hip dysplasia and part of me is wondering what the real risk of damage is?

I'm not sure but I think that its more of an issue with large breed pups. JRs are tough little chaps and if he does look tired you can just pick him up and carry him home.

I have a lab and advice is 5 mins of exercise for every month of their life. Labs are prone to hip dysplasia. Alfie has as much of his exercise time away from hard surfaces for this reason.

At puppy class the same advice was given to small breed owners. We were all told to use training to stimulate and work our dogs and it certainly works with Alfie.

I always stick with the 5 mins rule per month of dog. But I do give loads of training and mental stimulation.

Just a thought could you take him to the park but carry him for some of the time so he os getting the vital socialisation that he needs? I can see the picture now Mum carrying DC, scooters with JRT tucked under her arm smiling serenely

Thanks everyone. My mum did suggest putting him in a shopping bag . Wonder if I could somehow insert him into one my old baby slings.....

I suppose I just wonder who made up the 5 minute per month rule and why? He does seem a pretty robust chap but I'd hate to do him some kind of permamnent damage.

I'd love to see him tucked up in your sling.

Is that 5 mins per month of life per day or each walk?

per day

What about the charging around they do in the garden?My pup runs around for a few mins after he has a toilet break,am i suppossed to rugby tackle him and drag him indoors ?

I know, he blows off a lot of steam charging round the garden. And we have wooden floors inside and I've read that they shouldn't run around on them either because the slipping around can be bad for the joints too.....arrgh! So glad he's not a breed prone to hip problems - it's a blooming minefield!