# Does the puppy exercise rule include...?



## Tipz (Aug 10, 2016)

So I've been told for large dogs the general rule is 5 minutes of exercise per month of age once or twice a day so you don't stress out their joints and stuff while growing, does that include walking? I can see how hardcore exercise or running should be limited but if I want to take my 4 month spoo for a 40 minute walk is that ok since it's not overexerting himself?
I actually did it today (I've been careful not to until this point but thought we could walk to get a coffee and go home at least once) and he's still playing with his toys and running around and being his crazy hyper self... what are your thoughts on puppy exercise?


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I have followed the 5 min. rule with both of my spoos for walks. I'm not a runner, but I waited to jog Maizie lightly until she was over a year old. I still lift Frosty out of the car, and I have a ramp to my bed so he doesn't have to jump off. I'd way rather be safe than sorry down the road.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

This makes no sense to me. Go by whether your dog is tired out. Why would you go by minutes ?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think it depends on whether you are doing a route march along paved surfaces or pootling along at the dogs own pace. I would avoid long hard walks with a pup (I know some people who took their three month old lab on a three hour walk up a mountain, which is definitely not a good idea!), but gentle noodling, stopping to smell the flowers and peemails, meeting people and dogs, enjoying all the sights and sounds and scents, then pausing for a coffee before doing the same again all the way home sounds a perfect puppy walk!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I wouldn't walk a 4 month old puppy on hard pavement for that long, but agree that if the pup isn't tired and it is a stroll that is more on grass than sidewalks or in roads that sounds okay.

I am going to put in a plug for the idea that if you really want a happily tired puppy you should make him or her work their brain with training. The brain uses huge amounts of energy and training is better than walking at scrubbing off energy.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

kontiki said:


> This makes no sense to me. Go by whether your dog is tired out. Why would you go by minutes ?


Uh, because it is recommended by Puppy Culture and The Kennel Club? :alberteinstein:

Dog Walking Tips & Training

https://www.puppyculture.com/exercise-chart.html


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I also didn't follow the 5 min/month rule. We've been hiking off leash together virtually since I got her - once she had a decent recall. I didn't go very far or very fast, but since she was off leash and exploring, she probably covered 2-3 times my distance. One of my favorite hikes with her was about 2 miles (50 minutes), and we frequently went with a friend and her puppy. Personally, I think it was really good for Mia - she's incredibly athletic, even for a spoo.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I never paid much attention to the clock either.....I'm much like LilyCd in my belief. Molly was 16wks old when I got her, and most of her first exercise was about playing on our grass and learning recall, playing fetch, and just letting her explore. She was able to lie down and rest at will. Sidewalk treks were often just a few blocks, for learning leash walking, but on those too she was allowed to stop and sniff and take her time. I don't think it is a 'by the minute' thing, but a 'where' you are walking, and being mindful of your dog's physicality. Now at 5 Molly is more than capable of walking a couple of miles easily and if she gets tired she jumps on my mobility scooter and rides for a bit........makes people smile when they see us zipping down the street,Molly's ears flying in the wind!


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

I have always gone by how he seems to be responding and feeling, and how I do too! Not minutes.

Are we in the woods on pine needle trails? Or on an asphalt path on a hot day through town? Huge difference in his comfort and mine, and how long or far we might want to walk or run.

I seldom walk him on cement or asphalt. He doesn't much care for it nor do I, no matter what the weather. 

I am so lucky, we can go to the lake and walk trails there on leash, or go to the woods and I can walk while he runs all over the place off leash, continually coming back to check in. If he or I seem to be tiring, we head back. The woods is the best, he probably gets 3-5 times the exercise I do 

Really early on I taught a really good recall. Before that I had him on a 60 foot line in the fields, chasing balls and squirrels. He is now 8 and acts like he is no more than 3.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

zooeysmom said:


> Uh, because it is recommended by Puppy Culture and The Kennel Club? :alberteinstein:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I had this chart printed and magnetized to the front door lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

I think with pups and young dogs, there is an important distinction between free play and forced exercise, even walking, where the dog doesn't get to choose how far to go. I wouldn't limit free play (although as LilyCD noted, running around like a banshee is no substitute for mental stimulation--you can just wind up with a hyper dog with stamina). I would be careful about long walks, although personally I think maybe the PC guidelines are partly informed by her own breed. That said, the main exercise for one of my poodles was leash walks in his first five months, and he still wound up with OFA Excellent hips. I think the ideal scenario is a mix of free play/running and leash walks. I think leash walks can be a great opportunity for mental stimulation (bits of training and lots of smells/sights/sounds) and interaction with you.


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## Poodlemanic (Jun 27, 2016)

I read some studies about the benefits of free play on soft ground when our poodles were youngsters...can't recall where those articles were just now. But I agree, poodles need lots of exercise and the low-impact, spontaneous kind doesn't seem harmful at all. I would be very cautious about exercise on hard surfaces before a year old though.


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