how much exercise does my pup need?

[whatwoulddexterdo]

I have a six month golden retriever. Can you tell me how long I should walk her each day. At the moment we are doing about 30 mind but most of this time is spent with her sniffing, so probably really 15 mins approx walking. I had heard that you should not walk them too much until they are around twelve months to protect their joints.

Also is it ok to let them sniff all the time?

I also need help with getting her to walk to heel, but i have just enrolled in puppy classes so hopefully this will help.

5 minutes per month of age until 18 months...so at 6 months, 30 minutes is bang on. That's of any exercise that they can't choose to stop or is so exciting that they wouldn't choose to stop doing and rest.

Free play in the garden for instance doesn't count as they can and will stop when they get tired, but chasing a ball or playing with another dog might if they like it so much that they'll just keep going.

The sniffing...depends entirely on whether it bugs you or not.

There is a whole bundle of evidence that it doesn't matter how much you exercise your puppy this is not what causes joint problems. Joint problems are caused by genetics and made worse by being over weight.

Is that right? I have been sticking to the 5 min rule as we have a large breed so I felt it was essential to stick to it to prevent problems. Has it been discredited now?

Large scale studies have discredited 5 minute per month rule, this is the word from top veterinary orthopaedic surgeons for about 2 years now.

Large scale studies have discredited 5 minute per month rule, this is the word from top veterinary orthopaedic surgeons for about 2 years now.

Just adding to Lonecat's post, who I know is a vet. Our vet has said the same right from the off re the 5 minute rule.

Ddog was at the vet on Monday for another matter, but was weighed anyway. He's extremely lean, very slight indeed and hadn't actually put on weight since the last time he was weighed, bar 0.1kg. He's a one year old Springer, 15kg.

Vet was actually happy with this and stressed he didn't need to gain weight (I did query, DH thinks I don't feed him enough at all for the exercise he does, I disagree), just that we have a different perception of what dogs should weigh or what is 'normal'.

Hopefully getting a GSP in January, I will be careful, but not rigid about exercise.

Tab - I know you had issues that you wouldn't wish on anyone re your Ddog

That's really interesting. So is it important to build up gradually over the first year, but not be rigid about timings?

Our old english sheepdog puppy has a daily walk of 10mins on lead to get to woods/meadow and back then 30mins off lead running but he doesn't go far from me and I walk slowly, chatting to dog walkers and generally pootling along - so he must do 4 times my distance but under his own steam and sometimes if I'm chatting he flops out for a mini break!

So at just less than 5 months he's on quite a decent walk but hard to do less as we get bus to school with Ds2 then through woods home so I can't shorten it.

So interesting if new research has debunked this. Keeping them lean is a key thing too?

The way I've understood it is that the 5 minute rule is about building muscle tone nice and steadily in case there's already an issue there - not that over exercise will cause one.

Needastrongone - ah that's not even the half of it, it's looking like my dog is just faulty in lots of ways :(

Muscle builds gradually as pup gets older just as they have the energy to go further. Sticking to common sense never completely exhaust your puppy on a walk is sufficient to ensure gradually muscle production.
The studies found that the biggest single factor that makes an existing genetic problem show itself is weight. Sadly over 60% of the UK dog population is overweight, this is largely perpetuated by breeders as show condition equals fat.

All dogs should tuck up from the chest to a neat waist. When you feel over your dogs chest you should always be able to feel the ribs with light pressure.

It's more than 60% of the dogs I see...I'm constantly being told I should build mine up or put weight on him, just because people aren't used to seeing a Rottie with a waist.

I still think the 5 minute rule is handy as I think puppies will happily walk till they're completely exhausted - well mine would have anyway, lol. I'd rather take a large breed puppy on two half hour walks than one hour long one.

Yep - I get told similar, that he's skinny 'for a Springer', whatever that means. Way I see it, he's happy, energetic, and always up for a walk, therefore he's fine.

mint - we did similar, from a similar age. Ddog would sleep for an hour or two when we got home, whereas now, he will chill, but not necessarily sleep iyswim?

tab - Oh dear, that sounds ominous? Care to elaborate? In any event, I am sorry, you have had a hell of a time with this pup.

Completely derailing the walking thread, lol...

He obviously has elbow dysplasia, he also has food intolerances.

We were having a bit of a socialization problem, nothing major, but just too interested in other dogs and too excitable when greeting dogs and people - which is completely understandable given that he was pretty much on house rest from 16 weeks to about 8 months old.

I started taking him to classes with a behaviourist as well as his normal training classes and during one session he very suddenly aggressive to the behaviourist. (lunged at her growling and barking) Because it was so sudden and completely out of character he got a full vet work up and a referral to a behavioural and pain specialist.

She's pretty sure he has something wrong with his spine, nothing has shown up on x-rays, but he's getting more and more unpredictable (not with us) so he's going to get new painkillers this week to see if that helps.

I'm working with her, he may end up having to see a neurologist and I've got a recommendation for a local trainer with Rottie experience - but we're at the point where he's muzzled in public and kept away from visitors as with a dog that size I just can't risk him progressing from threatening noise to biting.

Yes, sorry for thread hi-jack but just wanted to comment to tab, as she's so very supportive and has had a tough tough time with this dog.

Aww tab, I am just not sure what to say.... will the insurance cover it? How's the rest of the family taking it?

He's very well insured, thank god, lol.

Everyone else is just pretty much following my lead at the moment - with people he knows well he's a sweet, slightly goofy cuddly wee boy, with other people we just don't know how he's going to be.

Which, short term is manageable - he doesn't get off lead, I don't let people approach him, he's muzzled and inside he's crated or kept in a separate room with anyone I don't know he's definitely fine with.

But, we've had to cancel our Christmas plans and DD can't have friends for a sleepover or anything like that - which I feel awful about.

It's either a medical issue which I just don't know at the moment whether it's manageable or not or it's a massive behavioural issue which training isn't making a difference to, so ultimately he might be on borrowed time. :(

I'm desperately hoping that working with the specialist will at least some difference and she can then give me a training programme or that failing that I'll contact the local training people - but it's been about 6 weeks so far and nothing's any better, if we can't get to the bottom of it at some point I'm going to have to make a really horrible decision.

The 5 minute rule was devised by JohnW, a gundog trainer who posts on the labrador forum scroll down and you'll see his post on how he first thought of it. I think its useful for lab and goldie pups, as a reminder not to overdo things. Faced with a bouncy and excitable pup (normal for lab/GR's) owners sometimes over-exercise them in an attempt to tire them out, which doesn't work and often makes them even more hyper, and possibly more susceptible to injury.

tab - so, a restrictive life for all. My family take my lead too - I think that's fairly standard. I understand your thoughts turning to behaviour, and I understand he's missed a whole heap of socialisation while he was injured, but he's never been mistreated in anyway shape or form, which would perhaps explain the 'aggression', unless it's fear based. And surely you would see improvement after 6 weeks.

Keep us (me!), posted, I hope you don't have to make the decision but I understand your thoughts turning this way, given what you have been through and if it is medical.

It must be very wearing for you all and hard not to feel resentment (at least for the DC).

Apologies again for the thread hijack.

Tab- that sounds really upsetting for you. Really tough.

Re: 5 min rule - given the reasons it was developed I'd say it's been really useful. I'm glad to not have to stick to it too much as we both love our walks but it certainly taught me to keep them short in the early days and I won't plan longer walks till the spring/ early summer when our puppy will be nearly a year. So it serves it's purpose educationally.

On our longest walk couple weeks ago, minty sort of fell over his feet a couple of times - think it was tiredness and a sign we'd gone too far. I didn't walk him much the next day and won't do that walk again till next summer as it was clearly too long.

Tab- I'm really sorry to hear about your rottie, I've had behavioural probs with my dear dog, so much so we don't go away together fpr more than 5 hrs, because we cant take her with us and we haven't had a family holiday for a couple of years. It is comforting to know I am not alone and that thinking about euthenisia, is not unthinkable.

The behaviourist and the specialist were both pretty sure it isn't fear based, he's had nothing traumatic happen to him (other than medically, lol, but he was fairly resilient about that at the time) I've worked loads with him on actual obedience training, plus classes as a puppy and as soon as he was sound enough after his elbow, he was very well socialized as a young puppy, still met people when he was lame and of course got out and about normally (ish) from about 8 months old (he's 17 months now)...which leaves medical issues either mental or physical, with possibly a bit of puberty and the food intolerances aggravating things.

It's all been a bit horrible really as either I've got a mostly lovely dog who will just turn at any given moment for no discernible reason and of course the logical conclusion from that is that he might not always be ok with us either or we've finally got to a point where his leg isn't really bothering to find out that he's in loads of pain from something else.

He's young and he is so nice the rest of the time, I mean we're all obviously very attached to him, so I'm hoping it will all work out, but, if we're still in the same situation after input from experts at some point it's just not going to be do-able anymore. :(

Anyway back to walking puppies...

I think of the 5 minute rule as a useful way to bear in mind that they're young still and won't necessarily let on that they're tired, a way to remember that short more often is better than long walks.

If you're a bit over or if it's longer but a lot of offlead mooching about anyway, nothing drastic will happen, but it gives you a handy starting point when you're thinking about where to walk.

"I've had behavioural probs with my dear dog, so much so we don't go away together fpr more than 5 hrs, because we cant take her with us and we haven't had a family holiday for a couple of years. It is comforting to know I am not alone and that thinking about euthenisia, is not unthinkable."

It's the work he takes really, no-one but me can walk him, so full days out or holidays are out...I couldn't kennel him, all the people outside our family that he is definitely ok with have families and couldn't risk him being there or them staying here.

I can only let him offlead at weekends because I have somewhere secure and not accessible by the public to take him then. (which is a godsend actually)

I have to have him away for visiting children obviously but also adults unless they're the ones I know he's ok with and even then I'm having to watch him.

He hasn't bitten anybody, but I don't know that that's because he hasn't tried to as obviously he's muzzled and heavily managed and obviously he's a large strong dog so even one bite could be serious.

I couldn't in all conscience rehome him in any way...even if a rescue was willing to take him, he'd more than likely just be stuck there as who would take on a Rottie with medical and behavioural problems? and I'd be forever worried that something would happen and ultimately it would be my fault for passing him on.

It will absolutely break my heart if it comes to that, but if it is pain that we can't manage for him then it's kinder and if it is behavioural then it's the responsible thing to do, but I'm just hoping it doesn't come to that really.