how long should I walk my 5 month old Labrador so I don't create hip problems in older age?

Answer 1

Hip problems are possibly genetic but they can be worsened by puppies carrying too much weight. A lot of work has been done by the geneticist, Dr Malcolm Willis at Newcastle University and he has published papers on genetic problems.

All your puppy's bones and joints are still growing and forming at five months old and it is possible to cause bone and joint damage by over-exercising. Puppies DO NOT know when they have had too much exercise - if you take your dog out it will keep going as long as you want!

The best exercise is 'free exercise' where the pup just mooches around and runs and plays as he likes without being expected to chase balls and run around after his owner.

Lead exercise, on hard pavements, should be kept to a minimum and increased as the dog gets older.

The person who said that Labradors have the widest gene pool has got it wrong. It doesn't matter whether there are 1 million Labs or 1 hundred - if you inter-breed closely related dogs you are likely to produce pups with inherited faults. The fact that there are so many Labs makes no difference - it is how you choose your breeding stock that matters not how many you have to choose from.

Don't allow your pup to become overweight and exercise him little and often. One of my dogs was diagnosed at five months old with OCD which is growth problem which can require surgery.

Fortunately this was not required and the affected joints matured without any abnormalities. My Vet put this down to

a) a good diet from birth
b) the dog's weight which was kept slightly below average
c) the dog had received only light exercise prior to diagnosis
d) the dog's exercise was restricted during the critical weeks after diagnosis.

If my dog had been overweight and over-exercised he would have probably been permanently crippled with or without surgery.

Answer 2

quote
the hip problems in Labradors are usually genetic caused by years of 'inbreeding' so the amount of walking at this early stage will have little impact on future problems "

That is absolutely not true
#1 Labrador Retrievers have the largest geen pool of any breed of dog on earth, which means they have far LESS inbreeding than any other breed.
#2 While yes hip displeasa is a genetics disorder, most cases of displeasia (in any breed) are environmental and have nothing to do with genetics.
FAT PUPPY = DISPLASTIC ADULT

Now: at five months you can probably start to step up the activity, feel the growth plates to see if they are closing. To give you a target date to use as a guide, at 7 months play training should be over and formal training should begin.

Answer 3

Walking is fine, the more the better.Speaking from experience from a mastiff who had to be put down due to severe dysplasia at age 2and 1/2--Too much rough house playing, jumping, stairs ( a lot of stairs frquently) and general romping and playing with other dogs is not a good idea. The growth plates are not at all develpoed yet, and if the damage occurs early, it can expedite problems in the hips.Plain old walking is wonderful for you and the dog.

Answer 4

Lead walking at this age is best! Too much free running in an immature large breed can cause problems. A couple of 15-20 minute walks per day would be plenty, along with free running at home in the garden.

Answer 5

I had that problem with my Old English Sheepdogs, I gave them 2 shorter walks rather than 1 long one. I also stopped them jumping up on people, as well as being rude it kept their full weight off the back joints. They are 7 and 5 now, and no sign of any hip pain thank goodness. I dont think there's any hard and fast rule just common sense.

Answer 6

Actually this kind of low shock exercise will REDUCE the chances of him developing hip displasia symptoms. This is because a fit dog sometimes had enough muscle tone to hold the hips in place even if the sockets are genetically in poor shape.

Answer 7

I shouldn't worry about over-walking a puppy! The more exercise the better- it will build muscle and satisfy the puppy need to run about like a headless chicken! Unless you're forcing him/her to run, your dog will not overdo things. A healthy walk is probably at least an hour a day, but you could walk around for most of the day every day with no ill effects- if you can keep going, so can the dog; they're much tougher than us!

Answer 8

the best way to avoid hip problems in dogs when walking is not to take them out in the rain. As when they come in they are still wet or damp and this can effect the bones causing arthritis and other bones problems.

If you do take them out in bad weather, get them a proper coat or dry them thoroughly.Also add extra calcium in the diet which will help strengthen their bones too

Answer 9

the dog will walk forever if you let it and it will also soon let you know if it doesnt want to go any further.
the hip problems in labradors are usually genetic caused by years of 'inbreeding' so the amount of walking at this early stage will have little impact on future problems

Answer 10

Just take him/her for a walk twice a day if you can. If not a good walk at night will keep your dog fit. Your giving you dog a good start in life. Well done you