5 mins for each month - walking

[MildredPuppy]

When does this advice end. My dog has energy for much longer walks but we dont want to damage is joints. He is nearly 5 months.

Breed/type of dog?

@landofgiants - sorry! Cockerspaniel

5 months was about the time I upped the amount of exercise and it made a massive difference to her behaviour.

I did some research and the 5 mins per month doesn't really have a solid basis. Some say it is exercise per day, some 2 x per day. Some say it is only for walks, some say it is just on lead walking.

The only common consensus seems to be no big jumping around and avoiding stairs when they are young. And not to force them if they are tired.

Frenchpup is now 7 months. We did 2 hours this morning all on the long lead. She was still running round the garden like a mad thing this afternoon. (she's a pointer)

I only 'mostly' stuck to that rule when pavement walking.

Off lead on softer surfaces I was very lax and did more but slowly built it up.

It's not a hard and fast rule - it's just a reminder to build up exercise over time and not to take a young pup on a ten mile hike.

Stick to soft surfaces (so grass or sand, not concrete), ideally keep them off-lead so they can go at their pace and not yours, and avoid games like chase where they're zooming around at all angles and screeching to a stop.

However physical exercise isn't the only way to tire them out - brain games and training, or scent games are just as good. Have you tried things like scatter feeding, or hiding a ball/toy and getting him to find it?

We have done lots of games. He is so clever but they do help. Its very sandy round us so thr ground is soft.

I think it was 5 mins twice a day (for each month of age) until fully grown? Pretty sure we followed this with our lab who is now nearly 11 and has no mobility issues.

Really interested in the replies to this as the advice doesn't make sense to me. Surely a year old, large breed, energetic dog needs more than an hour a day? As you say it must 'end' at some point and you start to do what's right for the individual dog.

I've only ever had a rescue (not including childhood dogs) so this hasn't been an issue but I'm getting my first puppy and I'm confused by this advice. It feels like it needs to get balanced against breed, age, what else pup has done that day etc.

I have a vets appointment this week and was planning to ask.

I've never stuck to it, and I've never found any science that supports it (and I've looked). Our oldest dog, who is a big lad, had no joint issues until he was coming up to 11 - at 9/10 he was marathon training with DH.

All I have avoided with our dogs has been loads and loads of full extension running, and throwing balls for them and letting them run in - they twist and turn and can really easily hurt themselves.

This ‘rule’ is an absolute load of bollocks. I was gobsmacked when I first read it, can’t believe it’s actually being passed around as advice.

I have a puppy and we are not following that 'rule ' . She is exactly the same breed as our old dog and is being treated the same . Our old dog never had any hip/joint issues.

MildredPuppy - I suspect that there is very little evidence to back up exercise restriction in young dogs but think it is sensible not to take them on crazy length walks (eg big mountain walks) until they are fully grown. I asked the breed because I would be tempted to be more cautious if it was a giant breed. My own dog (not a cocker but similar sized) was not exercise restricted because I wanted him to be well socialised as well as well exercised.

Personally I've never over exercised puppies. I have huskies high energy dogs. I've stuck to the 5 minute rule more than once a day mixed with other activities. Once they are over 12 month I've increased the exercise and then 18 month built up the miles. I walk miles with my eldest now. Its no good damaging their bones at a young age. I suppose it depends on difference of opinions. But pre lockdown on my walks I've seen a few over exercises dogs it's not nice.

There is no science behind it at all.

The type of exercise is more important than the length.

Eg self regulated running and walking is fine but chasing balls, running up and down stairs, jumping on furniture, twishting sliding on slippery floors is not and may cause damage to the dog.

Thats interesting @PollyRoulson . So it might be safer to do longer walks and play less fetch in the house then.

My children have started to attempt to refuse to do chores to preserve their joints

I've never stuck to this rule either as there's no evidence to support it and doesn't make sense.

Like others, I was cautious so no over extending themselves as puppies in terms of the type of exercise. I have a breed that can easily be overweight (basset) and I was more worried about having a healthy, fit dog.

But there does need to be more caution with giant breeds, so I understand that the breed is an important factor.

I think the rule does make some sense for very little pups to stop people being stupid, but by the time you get to 5 or 6 months gun dogs in particlar start to climb the walls if they don't get enough exercise.

I have seen the xray photo that does the rounds of facebook showing how puppies bones are not connected, but it isn't clear from the photo what age was the puppy, and how progression happens.

@MildredPuppy

Thats interesting *@PollyRoulson* . So it might be safer to do longer walks and play less fetch in the house then.

My children have started to attempt to refuse to do chores to preserve their joints

Personally I would do longer walks and calmer activities at home.

No point in restricting the walk if your dog then charges up and down the stairs as they are full of energy.

If you have a cocker get her scenting for a hidden ball rather than chasing it. It will tire her out loads more and will cut out the chasing and twisting of fetch which really can cause big issues.

Your children unfortunately have got it wrong it is the parents who have to restrict chores due to our ageing bones

The xray usually doing the rounds is a 6 week old puppy.

There is some science behind the 5 min rule but it is bad science. It was based on a poor study of gsd years ago that was looking at HD in GSD.
The study has since been disproved .

If you want to have a dog with healthy joints keep them lean and they need sensible exercise to keep their joints healthy.

When our old cocker was a pup we found that shorter walks meant more indoor zoomies, including leaping over chairs, which are probably more damaging. He was particularly lively, even for a cocker.

It’s nonsense. Young animals are full of energy and need to be active. We don’t restrict our kids’s activity in case they get arthritis when they’re eighty.
It also depends on size. Big heavy breeds are obviously more likely to damage their joints than bouncy little terriers.

I also have a cocker @MildredPuppy and he is also particularly lovely @countrygirl99

Lively not lovely lol though he is lovely

I also asked the vet and she said not to forget these dogs are working dogs who have been bred over years to work for long periods of time.

Key thing is to do as @PollyRoulson said and be careful that the activities aren't jumping, running and stopping quickly and twisting their legs. We find hide and seek with him is far more tiring than charging around on a walk (which is handy as he's still on a long line)!

Also with hide and seek when you're out and about you can practise sit and wait while you hide the ball - all great brain games :)

I've had three Labs over the years, and agree with the little and often advice for the first six months, but after that they really need to stretch out their growing muscles, and labs should be big strong dogs, capable of swimming in biggish waves -- because they were bred to retrieve fishermen's nets, full. Swimming is great exercise for them if you can. Even in winter a brief swim is good; because they are double-coated they don't get cold, although you obviously dry them too. Mine had full on 3 mile walks (off lead) after about 8 months, but not every day. Now she's getting on for 7, I'm tailing it off again because she has some arthritis in her elbows. But I regulate her weight very closely. She's small, so when she goes over 25kg, the treats vanish.