Too much exercise??

[jjgotts]

How much exercise is too much for our 4-month old, Ruti? We can walk/jog with him for over an hour straight (which includes going up a steep mountain trail) but we don't know if maybe his bones and muscles aren't quite prepared for this yet. He really enjoys it and he seems fine, though it does poop him out. Is there a way of knowing if we are overdoing it at his age?

 

[stanleys dad]

I personally would guess that there will be different schools of though on this issue but here are my 2 cents...I think when people talk about "over excercising" your dog they would mean running for miles or something that the dog would not normally do...regular play shouldn't be too much for the dog and I still have to get my dog to run quite a bit every night just to get him to settle down for the evening...sounds to me that what you are doing should be fine...might be a good question for your vet though

 

[ElizabethH]

The only things I would worry about are
1) make sure you have lots of water whether or not it is hot. Treats are a good idea too. I always carry sport bottles (or paper cups at the park) because they can dehydrate pretty quickly. I am always suprised how much they drink so we stop often for a watering. Watch out in the heat too as I have read, the shorter the muzzle the harder it is for them to get the proper air. If they want to stop and rest- we rest.
2) If your baby is lame the next day really watch him. Junior had a spine issue which I made worse by exercising him too hard. He is fine now, but it took a while to recover.

Other than that- my experience is they are energize bunnies in dog clothing! They keep going, and going, and going.....

 

[RileyMom]

I believe there are certain activities that are not recommended at early ages because they're growing/developing so rapidly early on.

Running, I think is one of them (don't know about jogging and if that's different). And I think dogs are not allowed to do agility exercises until they are over a year or year and a half old.

But I'm not expert on either, it's just what I've heard/read.

 

[Billysmum]

I would say be careful of letting your dog 'sprint'. billy tore his crutiate ligament and had to have his knee operated on. The specialist we took him to said that the most likely cause of this is running for a bal or a frisbee. ie, when you throw it and they run fast from a standing start. Hence we never throw things for our dogs to chase.

Billy carries his frisbee to the park still, but he only has it so that he can concentrate on this instead of attacking other dogs - naughty boy!

 

[Jan]

Your puppy is still very young and his desire to keep up with you will be stronger that his desire to take a break and have a rest. Just make sure that he has lots of opportunities to take a break and have a rest. Over exercise at his age can cause bone and joint problems in the future. I seem to recall reading that it is best not to jog with your dog until they are at least a year old.