# Are we exercising our pup too much?



## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

Hello V owners. Long time lurker, first post.

We got Baja when she was 8 weeks old. Learned a lot about puppies and lost a lot of sleep for awhile, but things are looking up. She's just over 4 months old.

On to the questions.... My wife is a marathon runner (she ran 3 last year, missed qualifying for Boston by 6 or 7 minutes at one of them) so she's pretty good at it. And I think we are exercising her too much because my wife and I are so use to being active. 

I get up in the mornings and walk approximately a mile (on leash) with her. It takes us 20 minutes or so. She's crated from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. when my wife gets home from work. Of course Baja is ready to run at this point. Sometimes my wife takes her for walks up to 2 hours in the evenings, covering lots of ground, but they stop a lot for sniffing, water breaks, etc. When I get home we play ball, Frisbee, or perhaps another walk around the neighborhood if she's still hyper. 

On weekends, we're with her 100% of the time. Lots of playing, walks, etc... She might cover 3 miles in a day (just guessing). It seems like she requires a lot of exercise to make her happy. If she doesn't get her fill of walking/running around, she gets the typical shark attacks, pulls pillows off the bed, drags her blanket out of the crate in protest, barks, etc.. When she gets enough exercise, she's very loving, doesn't bite and is very quiet.

She gets plenty of mental stimulation too. She finishes her first puppy course this Wednesday, she's the star of her class. We've done lots of learning outside of class too. Her recall is perfect even with distractions (we started off leash running/exploring a month ago in a field at our farm on the weekends). I let her get pretty far away, yell her name, get down on one knee and she comes flying back to us for her treat. 

Anyways, yesterday she kind of whimpered a little when I picked up her. I pick her up like a baby sometimes just to hold her or lift her on the bed. She didn't do it every time, but a couple times through out the day. I'm thinking that her joints/muscles might be getting a little sore from all the walking. 

And this morning, I got up and we left for our normal walk. She trotted down the sidewalk like normal. We got home and she played with her toys until I had to leave for work like normal.

Maybe she pulled something playing and I'm being paranoid. Any thoughts?


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## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

And here's a pic of Baja. She's practicing "leave it".


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

She's a cutie!! 

I think as long as she is dictating pace and rest time she should be ok. I would try to stick to softer surfaces. Check her pads and toes to make sure there isn't anything caught in them. She could have just pulled something from playing. If she is walking behind you I think then it's too much, but as long as she's ahead should be fine. 

For some comparison, at 4 months Miles used to do a 30 min walk and 30 min play session before work, then 45 min play/ walk at lunch, then an hour of off lead play at night with the other puppies on our street. Of course at that age all was dictated by his pace. We didn't cover much ground because working on heel on lead, stopping at curbs, properly greeting people etc. We prob only made it a mile in the first few months from all the training! 

I'm a marathon runner too! But now I am trying to qualify for trail marathons vs Boston because Miles and I run mostly on trail or beach together, better for his joints and I think more fun for both of us because he can be off his lead.


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

Love the photo & welcome!

At 4 months, Wilson was getting a 30-45 min walk in the morning, 30 min walk at lunch, and 1 hour of off leash play time and/or walk in the evenings. Sometimes more on the weekends, but we took care to rest and relax. He definitely needed that exercise to keep from going nuts in the house!


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## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

Thanks! This makes me feel better. She always likes to walk out front and seems like she wants to walk further & faster, so I guess we're not doing any harm. 

More pics?


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Far greater choices AND QUESTIONS?

and the Vizsla immunity grows slower then some mates

fact

Risks when

ALL OVER THE PLACE with your puppies 

exposure goes higher

No Dog Parks with pups

Petco/Petsmart : a blanket in a cart they sit

and don't let others love them as much

pads to not meet concrete 

(Rabies vac"/ shot does not come until week 16)?

I keep em close to me

until all shots are done and the immunity outweighs the risks or rewards

Pups fold much faster if the exposure is a real bad one

The immunity is also a choice not chance to me on all of this

let alone growing muscles joints bones and brains

protect the Pups ;D


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

I sooo agree Rudy!! The V is a different animal. They are fragile and slower to mature physically (even the heat cycle doesn't begin till almost 1 yr). The Immune system is a critical issue, as is the exposure to disease... I'm a loser... my baby is dead. "PROTECT THE PUP"


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## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

We protect our pup. We didn't socialize her until the vet said we could. All shots are current and done, including rabies.


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

What a cutie!

She might have pulled or strained a muscle on a run or walk. But as MilesMom said, she's dictating her own pace, so she's probably fine. Some Vs have an intense need for exercise! She looks like a smart girl (that's a great leave it!). They can have more exuberance than sense at that age, so I wouldn't let her go too wild, but if this has been her routine for a while, then I'm guessing her body is used to it. They can be a little clumsy too, so she might have just tripped, or something funny happened when you picked her up. I would try to keep her on the softer ground when you're going for walks and stuff, but I know that's hard. Jasper doesn't like to be on the grass if I'm on the sidewalk. And keep an eye on her paws--she can get something caught, or can even form a blister!

Anyway, how cute! She'll be an excellent running partner later in life.

Edit to add: At that age Jasper was getting approximately a 30 minute walk in the morning, 30 minutes of play at lunch, a 40 minute walk in the evening, and about an hour of off-leash play, frequently with other dogs. Oh! And sometimes a growth spurt can leave the muscles and bones feeling a little funny too. That might be what's bothering her--just readjusting to a change in her proportions. They sort of have to "re-learn" how their body moves if it's a big one.


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## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

Thanks Redrover!


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## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

I thought I should follow up with the thread. 

We did try to back the exercise down a couple notches and we had a completely frustrated pup. She would go crazy in the backyard running circles and growling. Inside she would counter surf, grab our laundry and take off running, etc. 

So back to the frequent walks! And she's back to being the calm pup indoors that my wife and I love. I think all 3 of us like the walking and exercise so that's a good thing! Lol


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## GarysApollo (Nov 27, 2012)

Ha! Baja that's sounds so familiar.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I'm a little late to chime in, but did want to welcome you to the forums, Baja. Your pup is so adorable! Love the pics! What a cutie pie!! ;D ;D ;D


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