# What distances to walk?



## Robh (Jul 28, 2010)

Isla is now 7 month old and being walked 3 times a day. 20-30 mins in the morning and evening plus 45 mins at lunch time. I’m on holiday next week and I am desperate to get out and walk some longer distances with her. Perhaps 8ish mile/3 hours flat walking. Should I be holding back for another couple of months yet to avoid risking over exercising her or do people think she should be OK. I welcome your thoughts?


----------



## BamBam (Feb 14, 2010)

I think 8miles/3 hours walking is too much she is still very young and her joints are still growing. 
I know its lovely when you are out with them, and they have to energy to do all that walking but I dont think it would be good for her at all.
My viz is now 1 year and we rang a Agility class and asked if he could start and they told us to wait til he is 18months because of his growing joints, even though we are desperate to take him for some fun we are going to wait it out better to be on the safe side and think of their health


----------



## florencebear (Aug 3, 2010)

Completely agree with BamBam. It is frustrating because they do just love to run, but err on the side of caution and keep the distances down for now. Our pup is also 7 months and we do 40 minutes twice a day, off lead and mostly on soft ground. Looking forward to the new year and longer walking!


----------



## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

I would like to see more responces on this topic. How can walking hurt them ??? I can see if your running them on pavement for miles but walking at 7 months sees a bit restrictive ??? I have a 7 month V and have let him run up to 2 miles with my daughter who runs Cross country for our high school team. She runs 6 miles at a clip (averaging 7/8 minute pace) and I tell her to leave Copper at home if it's anything more then a couple miles. She laughs at me and says " he can run with her but it's really a jogging pace for him" ;D. Yesterday he walked with us all day, woods water, fields. If you have experience with this issue please post what the concerns are. Thanks


----------



## Crazy Kian (Aug 10, 2009)

Not sure about the walking but about the running that Linescreamer was referring to.
This is the advice I was given by Kian's breeder (Keep in mind he has been breeding V's for 25 years)
Don't let the dog run for a long distance until they are at least 18 months old. Their growth plates are still developing and you run the risk of damaging their bones and joints if they are stressed too much for a long period of time, things like arthritis can become a result of this later in life.
Also he told me once not to go jogging/running with him on a sidewalk, if anything asphalt (if you have to) but it would be better to be on a trail if at all possible.
Hope that helps.


----------



## Robh (Jul 28, 2010)

Thanks all. I thought as much really. I think we all suffer the frustration having to hold back on the distances but I know it’s in the interest of the greater good!


----------



## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

Only 15 more months til my dog can start running with me  Boy it's going to be a long 15 months!


----------



## satellitebeach (Nov 16, 2010)

18 months before I can jog with my dog?! This is going to be a LONG 15 months. I take my dog on a 45 minute walk on the beach before work and then take her on a pretty long walk after work but I don't have another dog she can play with and was hoping I could run with her at about 6 months or so. When she runs and plays with other dogs, she gets a real workout and I feel like just walking her isn't giving her the amount of exercise she needs. In the mornings, I usually turn her loose on the beach and let her go nuts but by the time I get home from work, it is dark and that isn't an option.


----------



## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

Your puppy probably needs more mental stimulation than actual exercise. Mine could go for HOURS walking it seems. I am not sure walking would EVER wear him out, it's more to give him the satisfaction of being outside and exploring ;D

Playing with other dogs definitely helps though!


----------



## satellitebeach (Nov 16, 2010)

Right now Lucy, my Vizsla, thinks that human fingers are the new birthday cake. All she wants to do is chew on my hands. Once I am out of this stage, I think I am in the clear. I have been just trying to redirect with toys and use Bitter Apple. My girlfriend has a Basenji and when they are in the house, they play and have a great time but when I take Lucy to the dog park, she gets intimidated pretty easily by bigger dogs and is more interested in smells than playing with other dogs or running at all. At 3 months is she too young to try socializing her at dog parks?


----------



## Cavedog (Oct 21, 2010)

satellitebeach said:


> At 3 months is she too young to try socializing her at dog parks?


I think that depends on the dog. I started taking my pup to the dog park after he had all his immunizations at about 3.5 months.

He was absolutely fearless and had no problem playing with dogs much larger than himself. In fact he wore out several of them with his non-stop playing.


----------



## Big Rick (Apr 14, 2009)

satellitebeach said:


> At 3 months is she too young to try socializing her at dog parks?


You must keep in mind that with the usual regimen of immunization your pup won't have had all of it's shots until about 4 months. It's OK for them to be with older dogs before that as long as you know those dogs are all up to date with their shots. The dog parks in our area have signs posted that no dog younger than 4 months is allowed. At a dog park you might find some folks who are not responsible enough to insure their dogs get their shots. We didn't take our dogs (and we've had a few) out until they had their rabies vaccine at 4 months!


----------



## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Crazy said:


> Not sure about the walking but about the running that Linescreamer was referring to.
> This is the advice I was given by Kian's breeder (Keep in mind he has been breeding V's for 25 years)
> Don't let the dog run for a long distance until they are at least 18 months old. Their growth plates are still developing and you run the risk of damaging their bones and joints if they are stressed too much for a long period of time, things like arthritis can become a result of this later in life.
> Also he told me once not to go jogging/running with him on a sidewalk, if anything asphalt (if you have to) but it would be better to be on a trail if at all possible.
> Hope that helps.


That makes allot of sence. Just woundering how much running is too much. I would think a mile here or there would be fine but, certainly not every day on a hard surface.


----------



## Hockey Dog (Jun 8, 2010)

Our V runs on a treadmill as well as the walks. Is that ok at 7 months?


----------



## Pennyviz (Nov 26, 2010)

The easy rule is 5 mins exercise per month of life twice daily, and young pups should not be allowed to jump in and out of cars, over fences etc.

Do not think you can tire out a 6month old Vizsla, they just get fitter! They need a lot of mental stimulation at this age.

Overexcercise and you run the risk of ending up with a crippled dog in old age.

Penny


----------



## minnere (Jul 8, 2010)

After talking with our breeder and vet, we take Pacer on walks in the woods off lead. We let him run but we walk and he just stays with us. The breeder and the vet said to keep the walks shorter and this would be okay. Pacer is about 7.5 months right now. We also take him to the dog park and doggy day care. 
Something else that makes him extremely tired is socializing him to a new environment. For Thanksgiving, we took him with us to my husband's grandma's house. There were so many new sights, sounds, and smells. He was exhausted! He walked around the house the entire day, without stopping, going from one person to the next to see who would pet him the longest! We are lucky that he is well behaved enough to take him and him not be a nuisance! During the summer, we would take him to bike races, running races, etc. Getting use to the new environment really gets them tired! And, now he is not afraid, or timid, when around large crowds, bicycles, etc. He also doesn't try to chase after runners either. 

And, speaking of energetic puppies, I puppy sat for one of Pacer's litter mates this week. Wow! It is a very good thing there is not a lot of furniture in our house yet, but I actually loved it. Made me think even more about getting a second!


----------



## satellitebeach (Nov 16, 2010)

My vizsla is almost 4 months old and I exercise her at least twice daily and let her run free on the beach and in my fenced-in yard as part of our routine. Is it weird that I have NEVER seen her pant? Not even once.


----------

