walking my pup?

Question

ive been on many sites and aked this qeastion also spoke to dog trainers etc. but all have given me conflicting advice.
she is a 5 month old lab and i have told to only walk her for 5 mins for every month she is, thats 25 mins a day. the thing is if i want to do any training with her outside, lets say practising recall for 15-20 mins a day that only leaves another 5 mins for her to play. and she has so much energy she could do with a 20 min play and walk to tier her a bit and then some training. but have been advised not to do this as it may damage her joints.
i think she would consentrate a lot more on her training at her class and with me if she could have a good run and play first to tier her a bit. so far we have been sticking to the 5 min per month rule just in case. is there anyone who knows about labs who can give me any serious advice. thanks.

Answer 1

the worst thing you can do is to excercise and medium-large breed of dog when they are young for long periods or distances, certainly dont let them run up and down hills as this does give them joint problems later on in life such things as hip displacia (costs a bomb to get sorted) When they get older and bigger you can do as much exercise with it as you like

Answer 2

Give her 5 mins per month of proper exercise - this includes road walking and free running.

This does add up to 25 mins but in practical terms, two 15 minute walks a day.

The time should start when you leave your front door and ends when you return.

Remember to mix road walking with free running so that she has time to rest and doesn't strain her joints.

The rule is all about balance. That energy is there for a reason -but if we made a 5 month old pup with soft joints run for hours or pound the concrete roads - just like a human athlete, it will end up with arthritis.

This allocated exercise time is separate to the time you spend training her. Include practising recall while you walk her but do more formal practise at other times.

15-20 mins practise is too long for her to concentrate. She will do far better if you have shorter sessions for practice.

5 months is still a baby and there is a risk that you will bore her if you work her too hard. To keep her motivated and concentrating on your training sessions - work with her for 5 mins slots perhaps once a walk and once during the day. That will add up to 3 successful training sessions of 15 mins a day. Plenty for an intelligent Lab. Finish with a game to reward her and burn off some of that energy!

Answer 3

Well first of all when they talk about doing joint damage to a dog they are normally talking about full out running, jumping - hard play. You can walk your dog at a leisurely pace for an hour a day if you wanted. As long as you weren't jogging or running - that is when there is strain on growing joints. You shouldn't run your dog on a leash for long periods of time until your pup is fully grown. Running and playing in your yard is fine - it's not being lead and directed by you to run at a certain pace. They will run at their own pace as their bodies are capable. Plus if you're on grass its easier on their joints than concrete.
I have a lab/german shorthaired pointer mix, a weimaraner and a gsp.
If she is going to obedience classes and walking her beforehand will make her concentrate better - do it. It's not an agility class where she is running and going through tubes and such.
As for training only outside, make sure to do both indoors and outdoors. You want your puppy/future dog to learn to listen to you both inside and out. If you are only training outside it may confuse her when she is indoors. I first started training my pups inside and then took them outside with all the distractions. Once they learned the commands it made life easier - especially when a squirrel would cross our yard =)
Dogs, like children all have different levels of energy - some more than others. She will let you know when she is tired out, follow her cues on this, make sure to offer plenty of water after a walk, and be sure to give LOTS of praise.
Best of luck to you and your new addition! Happy Holidays!

Answer 4

A well-trained dog makes everyone happy, including his owner. Take a little time training him, and you'll never regret it; you'll always have an obedient dog by your side. Find more https://tr.im/wgA3K

By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 5

hi i think you would be ok to increase your labs exercise to half an hour,that way you can have 15mins training time and 15mins of play time.As long as you dont walk her miles,or let her jump around alot then her joints should be fine.Make sure you keep to the 3omins a day and increase 5mins every month so when she's 6months you can do a 35min walk.Good luck

Answer 6

Let the gal have her play time. I have Great Danes and have always let them run and play after any sessions we have. I try to get them to play until they are tired and worn out for the evening.

Dog training is consists of a lot of different opinions and disciplines.

Answer 7

i never heard of those kinds of restrictions on a pups activities. but it seems to me that she'll play until she gets tired. but if she's too tired, she'll want to sleep and not work on training. try walking her for to 20 min, training for another 15 and 10-15 min for play to unwind. can you break the time up into 2 workouts a day? stamina is important too. watch her and if she seems too tired, spend less time on the walk. good luck and keep me posted.

Answer 8

the playtime is seperate to the walking time. Only 25 minutes of lead walking and as much normal playtime in the garden as she wants because she can stop when she gets tired.
A large breed's joints and ligaments can be damaged easily by long walks.

Answer 9

Do what i do....take ur dog to the golf course to an elevated tee and throw a ball DOWN the hill....the dog will use tons of energy running back up the hill while you just stand there.

Please remember to take along some means of thirst quenching for your friend. When your pup has had enough it will refuse to fetch the ball. Then its time for a little drink and a lot of fussing.

Answer 10

Play with her as much as you want.

A five month old puppy is like a toddler. Are you going to make your kids sit in front of the tv so they don't damage their joints?? That seems just cruel not to let the puppy play.