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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

how far to walk my puppy?

17 replies

goshhhhhh · 30/12/2014 19:28

Me again, asking probably another inane question.
So I have an 18 week cockapoo. The one that wouldn't walk. He is walking now very well & very enthusiastically. Currently he has two short walks (round the block) and one longer walk, where he can go off lead. He is generally very good for a puppy.
So I have read that he should only be walked for 5 mins per month of his age twice a day. So that would be two 15 mins walks. Is that right? It doesn't feel enough & he is so full of energy until about 9.00 o'clock at night despite training, playing etc. What do you think?

OP posts:

Original poster

goshhhhhh · 30/12/2014 19:29

Most good energy btw.

OP posts:

UpWithPup · 30/12/2014 19:35

I'm watching with interest, my 17wk old is the same. We tend to stick to 20 minutes, but don't include play time (ie when we play fetch in the park) just the time we're actually walking.

Original poster

goshhhhhh · 30/12/2014 19:37

He is lovely if a bit teenagery at the mo.

OP posts:

Bowlersarm · 30/12/2014 19:39

We have labs and the advice is very much no more than 5 mins per month of their age to protect their very young legs. Not sure whether that's breed applicable or not. I'd stick with it if I were you until he's a bit older, to be on the safe side.

RaspberrySnowCone · 30/12/2014 21:11

5 mins per month of their life as a rule until they are fully grown. However, you can do that a few times in a day, as long as they have a little burst then can rest for a good while. I read somewhere that it applied more to larger working dogs where the tendency had been to take them out with the pack for hrs on end from a very young age and then their muscles and legs didn't develop properly.

RaspberrySnowCone · 30/12/2014 21:13

If he still has loads of energy perhaps do some clicker training with him? 10/15 mins of it used to calm my boy right down!

Original poster

goshhhhhh · 30/12/2014 22:41

Thanks for the advice. I will give it a go.

OP posts:

hmc · 30/12/2014 22:55

It's hard I know! Had same problem with my pup when he was younger. Worth sticking to though. 18 weeks is surely 4 months hence you are up to 20 mins rather than 15?

tabulahrasa · 30/12/2014 23:02

It's also only for enforced exercise...anything they can't or aren't likely to rest or set their own pace.

So you count on lead or exciting games, but not off lead mooching about sniffing things.

UpWithPup · 30/12/2014 23:48

Does anyone know where the 5 minute rule came from? I see it referenced a lot but without explanation.

tabulahrasa · 31/12/2014 10:21

A man called John Weller...he's a labrador breeder and gundog trainer (he has a book on gundog training as well).

It's supposed to be a handy rule of thumb to remember not to over exercise puppies and to build up gradually rather than a strict, terrible things will happen if you break it kind of rule.

Taz1212 · 31/12/2014 16:59

Our vet said we could do a bit longer if it was through the woods/fields off lead time. They said the main concern is constant pavement pounding at the owner's pace which does the most damage when overdone. We've done a bit more than the 5 minutes per month because so much of it is spent snuffling in fields before a quick sprint in a giant circle or snuffling about the leaves in the woods- similar to what tabulahrasa posted.

constantlyconfused · 31/12/2014 17:03

Oh dear my 6 month old has always had 1-2 hours off lead running a day!

UpWithPup · 31/12/2014 17:48

That's interesting tabulahrasa. I wonder if anyone has done any studies or similar for small dogs.

tabulahrasa · 31/12/2014 18:05

UpWithPup -I haven't got a clue...I've never had a small dog, lol. I know that John Weller said it's more about common sense and having a rough guide to build muscle tone and fitness slowly in case it damages joints, as in there are dogs that will have joint problems no matter how careful you are and dogs that will never have problems because their joints are great, but dogs in the middle could have problems if they're over exercised while the joints are still soft growth plates rather than proper finished bones.

I know my dog's ortho specialist advises little and often for exercise, but that's so blooming vague, lol, having a bit of a rule is IMO more useful.

Weight is actually a bigger issue, but I do think it is important to be bearing in mind that they're still babies and you don't want them overdoing it.

Joolly2 · 01/01/2015 18:29

When I first took my beagle puppy for a check up at 8 weeks the vet said that the 5 minute rule was fine for some dogs but others need and want more. He told us to be led by puppy, if puppy wanted to do more then let him. It's very confusing.

ender · 01/01/2015 19:47

Puppies will just keep going even if it's doing damage because of the adrenaline that exercise produces. They don't feel pain till later. People think they're using common sense and being guided by the dog but they're not.
I've been worrying about a tiny Jack Russell pup, looked v young approx 12 weeks. Saw it last week running along behind man on a bike, it kept trying to stop and have a sniff around but man shouted and it followed, had to run really fast to keep up.
Went past too quickly for me to speak to him, although he didn't look the chatty kind.
We carried on with dog walk, then saw them again 30 mins later coming in opposite direction at the same speed. The trail was about 4 miles so that's a lot of running for a tiny puppy.

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