Help with my new Rhodeinsan Ridgeback puppy. 10pts?

Question

I need a little help with my new puppy. Everything I have read about them says not to exercise her to much... Nothing will tell me how much is too much... Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thank you.

Answer 1

Any of the big breeds have to be exercised minimally while they are puppies as too much can damage their bones. You should also not let her do alot of playing or standing on hard concrete, not alot of jumping around and especially not alot of running. Let her play normally as a puppy, dont take her jogging with you, or try to get her to chase frisbees. Swimming is actually a good exercise for her, if she likes water, this would be a great choice. When we had our Mastiff, one of the things they stressed was to not exercise him too hard, the damage isnt something that can be undone usually. But they did recommend swimming, unfortunately the dog didnt feel the same way! They also told us to feed him adult dog food to slow down his growth, or at least a dog food with less protein. Sometimes when they grow too fast, it causes complications with their bone structure. A Rhodesian isnt really considered a giant breed like a Mastiff, but it cant hurt to be extra careful with your new baby. Also, dont play with her "until shes tired", she has no idea that she may be doing damage, shes a puppy and will play and play. A Jack Russell puppy can play for hours on end, and pretty much do anything they want. Not so a larger breed. Once she has finished growing, you can play as hard with her (usually about 2 years) and as long as she will play. Have fun with her, these are great dogs .

Answer 2

No dog should be exercised too much until they are at least six months old. The old saying for larger dogs is 5 minutes for every month in age, ie: 3 months would be 15 minutes walking per day split into two walks. Not that you cant play with them in the garden whenever they feel like it, as at home when they are tired they will just drop down and fall asleep.

You cant take a puppy out until 13 weeks anyway, as the second injection is usually done at 12 weeks, and by the time you have trained them to walk on the lead, a 10 minute walk may only be 100 yards up the road !

When they get to 7 or 8 months you can start to build it up and let them have some exercise off the lead, but not too much as they get leggy and it affects their muscles in later life. Did the breeder give you any advice?

Answer 3

I have a Ridgeback and also breed Weimaraners, which are of a similar size to the Ridgeback when fully grown.

I advice my puppy owners to exersise their dog for ten minutes per month of the dogs life until he/she is about 18 months old.

Therefore at 16 weeks old (four months old) you would walk your puppy for no more than 40 minutes per day, split up into two twenty minute walks. By eight months you can be walking for 80 minutes or two 40 minute walks. You can distribute this amount further by going out on three walks a day.

Your dog will get further exersise around your home and garden.

When out walking your dog, don't jog or run with it. Heavy impact exersise (ie running) should be kept to a minimum in that the dog shouldn't be encouraged to over run by running along side you. Don't let your dog run up and down stairs either.

If you do want your dog to run alongside you when running or cycling you should wait till she has reached maturity at around 2 years of age.

I am so jealous of you having a Ridgeback! I would love another one, lol!

Answer 4

Hi, I would say if the breeder where you got the pup from was credible they should be able to advise you correctly, as the advice will vary slightly from person to person... i was told not to excercise our ridgeback pup properly until a year old, until then just 2 half hour walks a day (plus a little play time). I would disagree with most here - DONT excercise your pup until they are tired, that will probably end up being too much. remember this breed grow so quickly, you will end up with many costly problems if you think it is an idea to "tire them out" they are dogs, not children! All the best!

Answer 5

consider the surface that you exercise on first.
The softer and more yielding the more she will tolerate.
The basic rule is the same as for humans, start slow and work up to more intense workouts.
Start with 2 10-15 minute walks daily. Increase slowly.
A game of daily fetch can start with 5 throws and increase one every week. (my dogs minimum at age 5 is 50 and she still wants more).
think of her as a child and follow the same common sense approach you would use for a child.
The pup will let you know when it's had enough in most cases.
If it lies down to rest during play--it's probably time to end the exercise for that day.

Answer 6

I was told by my vet that its 15 mins for each month of age. My sis has a ridgeback and thats what she did. I have a cavalier and I did the same so think thats the general rule. Hope that helps.

Answer 7

How much exercise depends on her age, what is it?

Your best resource is always your dog's breeder. Why not contact the breeder - they want their puppy raised correctly, they know their breed and can give you all the correct advice you need to keep your puppy healthy.

Answer 8

because she is a puppy your going to need to play with her more then once she becomes an adult, play with her for a period of time and observe how long does it take for her to get tired. 1/2 hr, 1 hr. 2 hr. once you find out how long it takes to get her tired you can stop and she will sleep and layaround enjoying her puppy hood.

Answer 9

Puppy tired= stop

Answer 10

take her for a walk and when you see her start to tire pick her up and take her home that's as much as you can do you will soon get to know her limits and gradually increase it .hope this helps