# Almost 12 weeks and 2.5km run



## Hula

Thought Id try Hula out on a light jog to see how she did. Besides running in front of me and almost taking me down, she did great. Did half the run on leash and when we got to the forrest trails, I took the leash off and she really came alive. Stayed right behind me the whole time.
I was thinking 2.5 k is too long and she'd stop every minute or so for a break, to smell the flowers, roll in the grass, but nope. Came home and she slept the night through.
Shes going to make a great running buddy.


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## fjm

I absolutely understand the joy of having her as a companion when you are out running, but I would be careful about too much, too soon. There is growing evidence that overdoing hard exercise can lead to serious joint problems later in life. I'm sure that a one off won't have done permanent damage, but I would wait till she is fully grown before taking her running on a regular basis.


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## Spoo klaus

If she is a standard poodle I think it is not good to let her run that long . Big dogs should not run nor jump much until they reach the of about one year . Risks for HD etc .


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## PoodleRick

Like the others have said it's probably too much too soon. I mean I'm only 2652 weeks and I can't do 2.5K.  Just don't over do it.

Rick


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## Angl

I beg of you, please don't run your young spoo yet.

My Max had surgery back in April for OCD of both of his shoulders, still debating whether it was injury or genetic. We played him too hard at dog park possibly starting at 4 months and within 3 months he was lame in both shoulders. 

We were blessed that it seems to have been corrected with surgery, but it was quite expensive.


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## Pluto

Really you guys think that 1.5 miles is too much for a puppy? I would think that it would be difficult to truly keep a puppy contained (and sane) in such a way that prevents running and playing. I get not encouraging jumping or high impact exercise, but running/jogging is part of what dogs are built to do, and it doesn't sound like Hula is running on pavement or concrete but on wooded trails. A 1.5 mile jog is similar to a 20 min walk.


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## hunny518

I have to disagree. 1.5 mile jog a couple times a week is not going to hurt your puppy. I started Aria out on a mile a week at 12 weeks old and by 15 weeks I was running her for 2 miles a couple times a week. She is now 12 months old and we run 3-4 miles 4 times a week and she has gorgeous muscle tone and looks athletic. The key is, to monitor your puppy. If she stops let her stop and take a break to sniff or what ever. Keep her on flat surface. Don't encourage her to jump or leap off of the bed or out of the car, etc...
When I first started to run with her I talked to my trainer about my running plan with aria, she said it was fine. It helped with training faster and with bonding. It is true that too much for a puppy can cause serious joint issues later, but they do need their exercise too and you can't keep a puppy calm and contained either. They also need to build muscle tone to help keep their growing joints protected and stabilized 


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## liljaker

I think I would defer to others who have said that is too early (pup still developing) to be running.......as fun as it could be! And, for those of you who said it's not too much as you have done it.....how old are your dogs? I have heard it can cause issues later on, not early.


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## fjm

I think there is a difference between play exercise - running, stopping, walking, flopping - and more formal exercise, plus running or jogging is much higher impact, and much harder on the joints, than a walk. The usual advice is 5 minutes per month of puppy age, twice a day, so that at 12 - 14 weeks the recommendation would be 15 minutes walk twice a day. I have heard so many people say "I wish I'd known then what I know now" while gazing sadly at their 4,5,6 years or older dogs suffering from unnecessary aches, pains and weaknesses. Far better to wait till the pup has finished growing and the growth plates have closed before starting serious exercise!


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## hunny518

I don't consider a 1.5 mile jog a couple times a week serious exercise. My trainer, my breeder nor my vet have ever felt i was endangering my puppy for taking her on her runs. Being a runner myself, I took very good care not to over due it for my girl. In fact at 12 months old, I still haven't taken her out for 8-10 miles max runs that I'm capable of because I don't feel she is at the level yet. I always have done what's best for My girl and would never do anything that felt would cost us in the future. The huge leaps and quick stop and go zig zag movements that I have had to instantly intervene and redirect her attention have concerned me more then our light jogs. I also had to be careful because I don't want any deformities or disturbances in her joints because we are showing her. I didn't take her out running without doing quite a bit of research and insight from other pet professionals first. 


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## Spoo klaus

The bad news are that joint issues begin showing at the age of 6-8years ,sorry but most cases wouldn't have happened unless the young puppy hadn't ran or jumped too much .My vet specializes in joints and he says the worst you can do for your 2-8month old large size puppy is to take him/her on runs and joggings . Even once . Young puppies in the wild do not run long distances with their mothers ,they stay near their den and play and wrestle with their siblings . And even when they grow up they do not run long distances , dogs are not made to do that .And if they have to move away for some reason they take breaks all the time .


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## Hula

Thanks everyone for your input. 
I'll ask the vet tomorrow at her appt. re: joints development/running and appropriate distances for age. 
However she will be a running companion eventually, Im sure my joints will give out before hers.
Thanks again!


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## Angl

liljaker said:


> I think I would defer to others who have said that is too early (pup still developing) to be running.......as fun as it could be! And, for those of you who said it's not too much as you have done it.....how old are your dogs? I have heard it can cause issues later on, not early.


My guy is 13 months and has had issues already.

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## Hula

Issues from running to early?
And just to be clear...2.5k takes about 15 minutes of jogging. Its not like a marathon or anything ; )


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## ChantersMom

That's leisurely. 

Whatever you decide to do, jogging with a poodle rocks.


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## PoodleRick

Hula said:


> Thanks everyone for your input.
> I'll ask the vet tomorrow at her appt. re: joints development/running and appropriate distances for age.
> However she will be a running companion eventually, Im sure my joints will give out before hers.
> Thanks again!


Not to belabor the point but a Spoo pup can certainly jog for 2.5k and not look like it's too much. Most pups have the energy to power a small town. The point though is the problems won't show for years down the road. Even then the argument can be made that what ever joint issues the dog winds up having, if any at all, at 7,8, or 9 years of age could be attributed to genetics. So those problems may have occurred anyway. And lets say you take every ones advise here and stop jogging with your pup until the growth plates are done do their thing, joint issues may still occur. Basically it's kind of a crap shoot. I guess it just better to err on the side of caution.

Rick


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## Pluto

What is erring on the side of caution though? I don't see if how you could possible limit exercise to the point where you can guarantee no damage without treating your dog like a veil calf, since puppies can and do run and play. Additionally, I absolutely question the wisdom for reducing exercise beyound what they want to do for puppies, not just from a mental health perspective and the behavior problems that could develop from enforcing a no-impact regime, but also what the lack of impact does to bone development (not joint). I know with horses it has been proven that early low impact exercise is important to musculoskeletal development.
The response of bone, articular cartilage and tendon to exercise in the horse

Now horses are definitely a different animal, but the same has been found for the development of strong healthy bones in humans. You cannot develop properly without appropriate exercise, even adults experiance bone loss when they get insufficent exercise. I agree that a puppy should not be forced to run, running should be on soft surfaces when possible, and done at the puppies own pace, and that high impact exercise (jumping etc) should be discouraged. But I believe you can just as easily “err on the side of caution” and end up doing more long term harm to your dog by not allowing them to exercise and wear themselves out at their own pace, like the OP appears to be doing.

I do run with my 16 month old spoo. That is, I run and she never breaks out of a jog (ever). I’m just not fast enough to truly push a dog into a run, and she treats our 3 mile morning runs like a leisurely walk (while I’m huffing and puffing). When I don't run at least three times a week her mild separation anxiety flairs, and she is more destructive to our home and herself (ie she tries to eat non-edible things).


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## eastexpat

I know it's frustrating to wait when you have a young energetic dog wreaking havoc, but every knowledgeable dog professional I've spoken to in the last 10+ years agrees with those advocating waiting for the dog to finish growing, which is 12-18 months depending on the breed. It's the repetitive action. When they free play, they vary the type of movement and take random breaks etc

My question is, about when do spoos stop growing so we can start running? Does anyone know?


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## Hula

Thanks all. Just to update I did talk to our vet. 2.5k is fine a couple times a week but nothing
thing much more than that regularly until 1 year old.


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## Spoo klaus

A standard poodle is not fully grown before the age of 2 years .
A vet who consents a big breed puppy to run 2,5 k is not a responsible vet , in my view . There is a huge difference between a long monotone movement run and a puppy running a little when playing . Too late to be sorry after dog gets bad joints from running when too young . 


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## PoodlePowerBC

I found this great article ... this is basically what my vet of 30 years told me ... Jogging With Your Dog Improves Overall Fitness and Health - Whole Dog Journal Article

I always say better safe than sorry


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## milliesmom

If I jog, my dog walks a little faster. I wonder when the speed becomes more dangerous. If for example, a puppy is 3 months like the one in this post, wouldn't the prescribed walk time be 15 minutes (5 min per month)? If the puppy is doing a brisk walk while the owner jogs(dogs, even puppies, are much faster than us even when walking), does it make any more difference than a walk? I agree that u shouldn't push the pup too far, but if the pup is still walking while the person pushes themselves is it too much? this is a great discussion.


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## Indiana

milliesmom said:


> If I jog, my dog walks a little faster. I wonder when the speed becomes more dangerous. If for example, a puppy is 3 months like the one in this post, wouldn't the prescribed walk time be 15 minutes (5 min per month)? If the puppy is doing a brisk walk while the owner jogs(dogs, even puppies, are much faster than us even when walking), does it make any more difference than a walk? I agree that u shouldn't push the pup too far, but if the pup is still walking while the person pushes themselves is it too much? this is a great discussion.


Yeah I agree it's hard to understand why walking or running in a straight line could be so much worse than the rough and tumble they would do on their own, which seems much more dangerous on their little developing joints. Especially since free play is considered to be really good, on a soft surface. However, I just trust that the studies are correct on this point and really, it's only a year and a half before those growth plates close, so what's that really in a dog's life. Like so many others have said, better safe than sorry.


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## Ciscley

Thanks everyone for this discussion. I like hearing both sides and other people doing all the effort to find the great articles for me to read.

Regarding knowing when the dog is fully grown, I do know that you can have x-rays done to confirm if the growth plates are closed if you want to do agility, etc. sooner rather than later (like for a smaller statured spoo that's over 12 months.) We have to do this for service dogs being considered for use with a bracing harness.


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## Bermuda Onyx

Onyx is almost 6 months old and we rarely jog, mostly because I can't keep up with him ! I walk him for about 30mins every morning but if I don't play fetch when we get back he will run around the yard at high speed several times, including jumping over small plants or whatever else he sees as an excuse to jump. He also jumps straight up in the air repeated whenever he's excited about anything...like the sight of a tennis ball in my hand! I think they generally will exercise at the rate/pace they need if you give them a little slack. I'm no expert but I would say let Hula chose.


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## frankgrimes

Interesting post. I asked my Vet the very same question when Ralph was a pup - since I too was foaming at the mouth to have a running buddy. My Vet's advice was to not run with him until he was a year old, and she said if he had been from larger Std. Poodle lines she'd suggest 1.5 years. I stressed to her how much energy he had and how we would walk and walk and walk. Her suggestion to me was, to walk him on soft surface as much as possible and avoid the paths/roads. So, even walking your pup on the hard surface can cause strain/overuse on their little growing bodies. She said running around in a field is best, it's on soft surface and the pup is free to stop and go whenever, and is constantly changing directions etc which, uses different muscle groups and puts different pressure on than the same repetitive running forward on concrete would. Most of our local agility clubs won't even start training a pup until one year old because of the fear of stree to their bodies. Clearly different Vets will have different recomendations, but to me, it's always better safe than sorry and I took her advice.


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## murphys

On a lighter note, who would have guessed being out of shape would be good for Fritz. One reason for getting a spoo was for a walking perhaps in the future jogging partner. So we hike the trails around the lake. I gave up on the roads as I would prefer neither of us become road kill. It takes us around an hour to go 2 to 3 miles as we mossey along the hiking trails, Fritz sniffing and me strolling up and down inclines. We do this most days. Between the walking/hiking and the senses being engaged, it seems to be enough for him. Then of course, he has his fenced in 100 foot run, his playdates with Spike and oh yes, we need to sign up for another class.


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## DebofAmber

A very interesting discussion, thank you all.

With a similar situation and a 12 month old Rottie girl who was driving me nuts with her energy, I bought a 50 foot cotton leash and found several fields to take her to.

Turned out, the energy I spent walking and coiling and uncoiling all that lead wore my arms out and she could sniff and run as she wanted and wore herself out.

I'm so glad I live near a lot of dirt and wood chip trails now! I never would have thought walking a spoo on sidewalks would hurt them.


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