How much should puppy be walked?

[colsen4nc]

Now that our puppy has all her shots we have been taking her for daily walks. (She is 4 mos old.) Right now she gets two ten minute walks and one 30 minute walk daily and we walk at a very brisk pace. I was thinking about extending the 30 min. walk to 40-45 minutes, but I also just read in another forum that it's not a good idea to do long walks until the puppy is a year. What is considered a long walk? I know she is growing and don't want to cause any injuries by putting too much stress on her joints and bones. She is doing well on her walks now and has so much energy to expend. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Spiritus]

What breed is she? When you walk, do you expect her to stay beside you, or do you let her range here and there?

Long walks should not hurt a puppy's growth plates. Biking or jogging can, but walking shouldn't. Taking the puppy on a flexi, so she can change pace and turn and move "naturally" will help expend energy, and won't keep her at one sustained pace. It's the repetivie motion/impact of a sustained pace as in jogging or biking that is hard on the joints.

 

[skyeboxer]

Cute as your pupper in the avatar is, I don't know what it is. Not that would make any diff really, whatever the breed I think the pup will let you know how much is too much. You don't want him dragging back to the house at the end of the walk. You don't want to get to the point where the pupper lays down and does the dying swan, pick me up look. You do want a comfortably tired and slightly stretched pup but no stress from jumping, stairs, over-exercise.

Try the 40 minutes and see how it goes. Just look out for the pups reaction and don't let him play like a maniac out the door. Pace him through the time.

 

[Maxy24]

What breed is she?

The shelter said she is a pit bull mix

 

[Spiritus]

Thanks She's a larger, active breed. She should be able to manage an hour easy - and might even need more. She's also an intelligent breed. Training her and teaching her new things will help "exercise" her. Exercising that intelligent brain is just as important as exercising the body.

 

[colsen4nc]

Thanks for your responses! She is a pitbull mix but seems very small for her age, according to the vet. We don't know what she is mixed with. Anyways, we walk her close to us and don't really let her wander. We're working on the loose leash and she is doing okay. Our walks are solid walking and she always seems to have energy to spare. We work on teaching her new things every day too. I was just worried about affecting her growth, but since she seems to be doing okay we'll try upping her walking time.