excercise routine - Page 1

 My  5 month old gsd is suddenly starting to bounce off the walls!  I spend about 15 minutes running in the backyard with her while throwing her ball.  She seems worn out after that, but a few hours later she is going crazy again.  So I walk her around the neighborhood for about 15 minutes.  I don't want to overdo the excercise and play time because of her age.  How much excercise does a 5 month old need?

I wouldn't overdo it, but 15 minutes at a time really isn't all that much; except if the puppy is constantly in motion.  At that age, they're just full of energy (will be that way for a long time to come).  I'm constantly rotating and exercising dogs from sun up to sun down.  Take them for a long walk, bring them home to cool off, crate them, and in a few hours it's like they haven't exercised at all.  Short obedient sessions may help as well as taking the puppy out and about and expose her to different situations and sights.  Mental stimulation can also drain energy levels; plus she'll be doing something constructive.

Be careful with ball play, as it tends to encourage too much turning and twisting of the hips.  You would be better of with standard walks on/off lead rather than that kind of exercise.  Also they need "mental" exercise as well as physical.  Take him out to watch the traffic, kids coming out of school or just people going in and out of shops.

Many puppies love some kind of hide and seek, be it with a person, toy or food.  The food balls/cubes are quite good as are the use of stuffed kongs to keep them occupied.

The ball is a treat of sorts..etc etc increases prey etc etc.Take that completely out out of your dogs center.Out of sight..Period.Do Not replace with food treats.Check on the protein level you are giving her with her diet.You might want to lower it.Encourage her to try something new..so she can try her senses out..as stated above.