How Often Do Dogs Need To Be Walked ?

When it comes to exercising your puppy you need to understand how much exercise they actually need. Under exercising your dog will result in them using the energy in a negative way, On the other hand too much exercise will have a negative impact on their growing bones and ligaments.

The amount of exercise they need will depend on their size, Breed and age.

How Much Exercise Should A Puppy Get ?

When it comes to walking the dog there is a general rule of thumb you can follow to make sure you aren't over working your dog. You should aim to exercise 5 minutes for every month of age, That means if your puppy is 2 months, 10 minutes walking, 3 months, 15 minutes of walking twice a day. This should give you a a good idea on how long you can walk your puppy.

As mentioned this a rule of thumb and not the law so you should monitor your puppy, See how they are responding and take it from there. Initially begin with shorter sessions so your puppy can adapt and remember to only take your puppy out once it has all the relevant vaccinations.

Another important point to remember is the terrain, Puppies paws are not used to concrete and hard ground. Try and mix up the areas you walk with concrete, Grassland and softer ground etc.

Try and avoid any labour intensive training such as jumping, climbing etc. At this age your puppies bones are still developing so you need to be careful not to injure them. Make sure your puppy is well rested between walks so they can recover.

You need to vary the types of the exercise so mix it up. Have time for walking, Playing, Sniffing around and obedience training.

When Can You Take A Puppy For A Walk ?

You can walk your puppy at any time of day and should be taken out at least twice. It would be best if you walked your puppy when other people are out as well as dogs so they can socialise. If you only walk your puppy when it's dark or when nobody is around it will have a negative impact on their social skills.

Large Puppy Breeds

Larger breeds tend to need ore exercise but also need longer for their bones to develop and grow. Walking is ideal as it is low impact so if you have a large dog try and avoid high jumps and agility training until their bones are fully developed. Larger breeds include great Danes, Rottweilers, Akita's etc.

Medium & Small Puppy Breeds

Medium breeds need an average amount of energy depending on the breed but need a lot of mental stimulation. These are normally working breeds like border collies and retrievers. These dogs will need a good balance with decent exercise and mentally challenging brain training.

Small breeds tend do physically develop the quickest and don't need as much exercise. Due to their size they can't walk as fast or as far so you will need to pay extra attention to how your puppy responds.