how much excercise - Page 1

 I have a 3 month old gsd female.  Our breeder told us not to do strenuous exercise  or even walk her until she is older.  How much older?  

I would wait until they are 18 months before doing anything real strenuous like regular jumping or running.  A little here and there during some training won't hurt but you don't want to be doing it on a daily basis.

Even walking her?

I think that’s little bit over the top.

I can understand jumping but walking and having your pop chase you around your house and so on? Just think about wolves in the wild can you imagine them not walking and running? I am pretty sure they would not survive through their puppyhood. Some people are little bit extreme when comes to taking care of their pups, use common sense. All my dogs been running and playing as soon as I got them, I never had any problems. Just don't over work them and you will be fine. Avoid jumping because it might be bad for hips at this age. But other than that he should be fine. Good luck.

I didn't catch the "even walking" part of that.  While I wouldn't take her on 5 mile treks, there's nothing wrong with walking with her!

You should allow the dog to be a dog. That does mean she can run and jump and play, but don't set things up so she jumps over things that are high, or,  for example, run her trying to get her to keep up with you as you race down the street. You should not take her jogging but in play she will both run and jump. She will limit herself to what she can do.

In the meantime, have another conversation with the breeder to be certain you understand what he/she is telling you. Someone who would tell you that you cannot take the dog for a reasonable length walk is off the mark. Without daily exercise, the pup cannot develop muscles or build stamina.

MI GSD my response was not intended towards you it was towards the breeder that said that. I understand your reasoning with the 18m rule, even though I never actually wait that long, I do consider the dog abilities before making my decision of what is appropriate and when. 18 months is a good rule but I work out my dogs in stages from puppyhood and adjust accordingly.

With my dog at  12 monts old  use to  play ball 15 -20 min a session a day, light jumping, she's 3 years old now  .I play with her daily same lenght of time now.

Let your puppy be a puppy. That means sometimes she runs and jumps on her own.  At three months, her running might look more like bunny hopping since she isn't fully coordinated yet, but that's okay. Let her play in your fenced yard (your yard is fenced, right?) while you are out there with her. If you are in suburbia, a walk around the block is okay with no running or jogging. That means you don't run or jog. If you are in the country, a walk to the mail box is fine (as long at it isn't a mile or two total).

Don't start your puppy jumping over obstacles until she is full grown. If your contract with her breeder states something about exercise, determine exactly what the breeder means by talking with her and using examples. Like "I toss or roll a ball a few yards and the puppy chases it. We do this for 10 to 15 minutes twice a day."  Your pup needs exercise to develop muscles, bones and mental faculties. Playing together will strengthen your bond. Just keep it gentle at this age.

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Just keep the exercise "reasonable" for a puppy.  Let her run and play freely.  You stand more a chance of problems with bones and ligaments NOT developing properly WITHOUT sufficient exercise.  However, it should not be extended or forced.  Chasing a thrown ball a few times should not be a problem.  Chasing it till she drops from exhaustion would be WAY over the top.  Puppies need to run and play.  Just don't overdo or force it.  Just as in human children, proper physical deveopment requires sufficient exercise.  That does not mean just sedate walks.  That is for old dogs.  Pups need to rough-house, play and run.  People who think that you need to baby and coddle them are out of their trees.