# Exercise



## Vizsladadedwards (Jan 10, 2021)

Hello! 
we have a wire haired vizsla pup who is 4 months old! 
I was wondering how much exercise we should be giving him. I have read lots saying give 4 month old puppies 20 mins of exercise I was wondering if this is correct or if he can have more than this as when walking I feel he could definitely go more!
Thanks in advance!


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

As odd as it may sound, let him dictate the pace, and you don't push him.
A 4 month old Vizsla can "exercise" quite a bit more than 20 minutes per day, but the activity has to be dynamic. Running, jumping, rolling ,playing, lying down, investigating interesting things, etc. If you can, get him to a safe place where he can do more or less what he wants to do, and just sort of let him go. 
A "walk" can kind of "static" in it's motion. It's better for them if they can exercise themselves to the extent that is safely possible.


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## Vizsladadedwards (Jan 10, 2021)

thank you for your reply! That makes sense it will be good to just let him go and do what he wants to do! He is always playing in the garden and at home so does lots of exercise at home throughout the day! 
when taking him out for a walk is it best to stick to 20 minutes or do you think we could walk him further than this? 
Thank you


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

On walks away from home.
Mine have always run/play at their own pace.
They have a check cord attached to them, but I don't hold the end of it. It's just like when they play outside at home. The check cord is only if I need to get them back to me.

If your talking about on leash walking. You will find they have a very short attention span at that age. It's better to do 3-5 minutes structured on leash walk, then release them to run and play. Then repeat the process a few times. Trying to hold a puppy's attention for 20- 30 straight when out doors is nearly impossible. You will both just become frustrated.


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

Also just 2 more additions to the above from gunnr and texasred: when it comes to jumping, make sure it happens on soft surface absorbing the shock on his joints. and just as a generic rule of thumb: no jumping from higher than shoulder length at any time until your pup`s growth plates have closed (around 2 years old). If you have access to swimming facilities, that is usually a very safe way to exercise them. hoops, this became 3 additions, but i hope it helps  
btw can we see some puppy pictures?


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

At this point in his life the leash is pretty much for training, and taking him out to the bathroom. As Texas Rad stated, multiple short sessions. are what you're aiming for. But yes, at a normal human's walking pace, he can go longer than 20 minutes on soft ground like grass and dirt. Asphalt and concrete, uhmmm.... not ideal.
As bad as this is going to sound, it is extremely unlikely that a Vizsla is getting very much "exercise" while attached to a leash. There are exceptions of course, but we humans are just way to slow for them. Even at a dead run, a human is just barely approaching the point where the Vizsla will have to exert effort.
The check cord that Texas Red mentioned in her post, is probably the most valuable, yet underused, piece of equipment in our "tool box". Your boy is absolutely old enough for the check cord and nice full support body harness.


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