[Kitchen Cottage]

This is about Tilly, my working cocker spaniel.  She is now 4 and a half months old.
Since 8 weeks she has spent all her time with me on the smallholding... Misty her Mum chases sticks all day and Tilly plays with her a LOT but she also just curls up on the grass and snoozes when she is tired.  The back door is usually open and she wanders in and out to her bed as well.

I had a dog show here and one of the contestants (well their owner ) harangued me because Tilly was wandering around as usual (she is my shadow), her view was that a puppy should have only half an hour exercise twice a day until 6 months old.  Normally I would ignore this but.... she is a vet.

How much is too much?  She isn't on a lead so basically chooses whether to play, sniff, sleep or run.  On a weekday she will be out for 4 hours, on a weekend 16..... When I work from home the door is open and she comes in and out as she wishes...

Advice on over-exercise would be appreciated.

[doganjo]

I agree that you shouldn't over exercise a puppy - their bones are still growing till they are about a year.  It can throw their joints out and put strain on their organs.  But I think half an hour twice a day is plain daft!

Until she was 6 months, I let my pup off lead for 10 minutes at a time, and walked her on lead for another 30 minutes twice a day, with access to my garden at other times, as she wanted it. So she probably had another hour or so in short bursts. 

So long as they are encouraged (enforced) to take rest I think that is fine.  I wouldn't have her out for hours on end though.  Sixteen hours is definitely FAR too much.

[dst015]

This is the general advice i see most commonly:

 A good rule of thumb is a ratio of five minutes exercise per month of age (up to twice a day) until the puppy is fully grown, i.e. 15 minutes (up to twice a day) when three months old, 20 minutes when four months old etc. Once they are fully grown, they can go out for much longer.

Thats taken straight from google, but its the advice ive heard from vets and seen frequently on dog forums.

BUT thats dedicated walkies time, and is meant to be on top of free roaming/playing in the house. Since you allow your pup to free roam outside I would maybe try and force some nap time on her to ensure she isnt over excersising. But saying all that, you know your dog best and if you think they are resting enough during the day then they probably are ok.
Over excersising = bad, under excersising = bad, just the right amount of excersising(in everyone elses opinion) = impossible

I am by no means an expert, just another dog owner.

[DavidandCollette]

Hi I have just written a long missive on this subject and it's disappeared. We have been offered a co ker pup. We already havea springer. How do we keep them apart until vaccinations z are complete?  What do I do with him when on the land and trying to milk an obstinate goat? ?

[in the hills]

I've always looked at it that the exercise rule is related to not going on a long walk where the pup is obliged to walk with you. We've always followed the general advice for this and kept walks short and increased gradually as pup matured.

When it comes to day to day life on the holding then by 6 mnths ours would be out as yours are and pottering/lying down/sniffing as they wished. If they were out all day though we wouldn't give a pup of that age any actual additional 'walks'. Also we wouldn't let the pup chase after sticks much either as they will keep running after those all day and could tire themselves out/do damage. That I would say is the kind of intense exercise to avoid.


David and Collette ..... I think the advice that is usually given is to keep your older/vaccinated dog on your own land until pup is vaccinated and so try to avoid infection being carried back to pup. You wouldn't need to keep them apart.

Does the pup have to be with you while you milk? Just keep him/her indoors until 'tricky' jobs are done. You could put pup in a dog crate to keep safe while you are out doing the goats if you think pup will get into mischief. You wouldn 't want pup getting in the way or hurt or scared of stock and pup will need all your attention when it is outdoors to begin with.

HTH 

[Kitchen Cottage]

Tilly doesn't have any additional walks.  She has been off site twice to a heavy horse show and the blackwater show.  She is also coming to the CLA game fair with me and following this I have bought a dog stroller from ebay for her..... whether I am brave enough to use it is another matter

She lays down and gets some rays if it is hot or sits on the compost heap (currently mostly grass clippings.  She isn't forced to do anything but is an active puppy.

I don't want to hear what I want to here so, is the consensus I should force her inside even though she is asleep on the grass?  She definitely sleeps more inside than out.   I am on 5 acres of which she wanders around 4

[in the hills]

If she were younger I would say that I would personally put her inside for part of a '16 hour' day but she is 6 months old now so if I were outside she would be with me.

I'm presuming that she is not off on her own strolling unsupervised around the 4 acres but is staying relatively close to you while you are working and is just rooting around doing her own thing. I think they have enough sense in general to control their activity levels eg. play together and then have a lie down.

You could just be flexible. If she is running around constantly/ playing incessantly/ getting hot and bothered just pop her inside for an hour. It depends on your dog. Also if you can't keep a careful eye on what she is doing. I used to put my pup indoors if I was, for example, cleaning out the coops and couldn't watch her very well. They can get into 'bad habits' at that age so it meant she would have a rest and I could get on without having to struggle to keep an eye on her.

I don't think you'll need the dog stroller.  Wouldn't she just try and jump out anyway?

[Kitchen Cottage]

She tends to just sit next to me in the allotment and then have a burst of exercise and then sit.  She is actually 4 and a half months old.  She doesn't chase sticks like her Mum but she does do Mum rough and tumble.  I was in the greenhouse last night for 2 hours, thinking about it she and Misty lay by the door that time.  I was then in the allotment and she chased a butterfly and then went to sleep.  She then tottled inside and lay with Luca.... perhaps I am exaggerating her activity.  She is always with me rather than off by her self

[in the hills]

Sounds like a perfect puppyhood to me.       Lucky pup.

[nutterly_uts]

Please try to wean mum off chasing sticks - there are loads of alternatives you can use (the kong "sticks" look a bit adult!!  ) stick damage can be so nasty used to be one of the things none of us vet nurses liked to deal with

With exercise, I think what you are doing is probably ok, esp since she's self limiting with what she does, but as someone said earlier, being on the go out and about for 16h is a bit much so on those sorts days maybe look at providing stuffed kongs/puzzle toys etc so she's using her noggin but not her legs so much

[doganjo]

Hi I have just written a long missive on this subject and it's disappeared. We have been offered a co ker pup. We already havea springer. How do we keep them apart until vaccinations z are complete?  What do I do with him when on the land and trying to milk an obstinate goat? ?

You don't need to keep them apart if your first dog is fully vaccinated and healthy. But keep both of them on your own premises until a week after the pups second jab.  Get a cage for the pup and/or an outside run where he/she/they can see you.  Introduce the pup to the older dog on neutral territory if possible - at breeders premises maybe?
Sorry cross posted with others. Didnt read them first 

[Marches Farmer]

I look at what would happen with the wild wolf pack they originated from.  Pups would be left in the den and come outside when food arrived, eat, play and go back to the den for rest.  Thye wouldn't go hunting with the pack nor would they play with the parents for extended periods.

[Old Shep]

I would not contradict the vets advice but cannot see too much wrong if the pup has a choice of resting.  I'd prefer my pup to have some time alone in a crate to rest though, so they learn to be on their own and not too attached otherwise separation anxiety may begin.


I would not throw sticks at all for any dog having witnessed a near fatal accident.  Google accidents dogs sticks and look at images and you will never do it again!!  Its when they stick into soft ground and the dog goes down onto them with mouth open - they lodge in the back of the throat.  If it gets an artery its game over :-(

[devonlady]

I was at the vet a few years ago when a BC bitch came in as an emergency, a stick thrown for her had stuck in mud and as she went for it had pierced the roof if her mouth, horrible!!
I use a bit of rope or a fling ring.
As for exercise, as long as they are not forced to walk or encouraged to play they will regulate their exercise according to their needs. (only my opinion!)

[Porterlauren]

Dogs are not stupid. . . . although you shouldn't over exercise a pup, they are usually very good at self regulating. Things I wouldn't do with a young pup would be sprinting, or jumping etc, as it can put unnecessary pressure upon their bones and joints.

However, my pups are out all of the time, following me around, (albeit at a slow, stop / start pace), but other times, they just refuse to and have nap or want to be carried. I let them self regulate, unless I see an obvious problem.

Ive had a range of breeds, all of which had led very long, very active, working lives.

As for the vets advice. . . . .if I had a 5 month old pup and it only got out and about for two half our slots a day, I would consider it under stimulated and under exercise. They don't need to be running marathons, but they also won't learn anything sat in a crate!!!