# When to go for mile long runs, vigorous hikes?



## Alexander (Jul 23, 2012)

My puppy is 3 1/2 months old. We live in Colorado, so we like to hike a lot and I like to go for runs. I know young pups joints are growing, and so we should take it easy. Someone in the pet store told me the other day that I shouldn't go for a long run with my puppy until he is 9 months old.

What is the proper age for running, and for vigorous hikes? Thanks!


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Hi! Our breeder recommended that at 6 months we can begin jogging the puppy on soft surfaces like trails or the beach, but to limit the distance to a few miles maximum and if the puppy drops behind you in pace to stop. At a year she said we can start pushing the distance and speed. 

Our puppy is 7 months old and he goes for three, 2-3 mile jogs on the beach each week.


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## Alexander (Jul 23, 2012)

Thanks! I appreciate it.


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## Kamikaze6rr (Jul 22, 2012)

I take mine for 2.5 mile walk every day two times a day. Half is in grass half is on blacktop. Keeps her calm and exercised. She is 14-15 weeks old. Half of that walk is off leash. Then when we get back she has reserve to run full speed around the house. 
This dog is a specimen of fitness even as a pup. I am amazed. Also very smart. Extremely smart. 

Does anyone feel that 5 miles a day is too much?


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/08/when-can-you-start-running-your-vizsla.html

It is the hips and elbows that you need to be careful of with young pups. Any injury to a joint could cause that joint and surrounding tissue to grow incorrectly and by 18 months, when most of the growing is done, your dog might have joint problems that did not need to be there. 

14 weeks and 2 1/2 miles is A LOT for a pup but it is your dog. Understanding the balance of exercise and over exertion is beyond my understanding but I have seen enough Vizslas with joint problems later in life to know not to risk it. 

Moderation early. What you do for the next 12 months could make a difference to the last 5 years of your dog's life. Will he / she be able to run with you when 9, 10, 11, 12, 13? 

Flat is better than running up and down slopes by the way.

Happy trails. Now off to run the dogs. 8)

RBD


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## Kamikaze6rr (Jul 22, 2012)

She loves her walks. Not quite sure what else to do with her. Pup needs exercise right?
I will cut back on walks so please give suggestions for exercise.


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

I'm trying this new routine where I want to fast-walk to the woods where my oldest V. Sophie (2.5 years old) can run in the fields and swim in the pond. From my house to the woods, it is 1.3 mi on a paved road (could also go through the woods, but the bugs are terrible right now). Today was the first day I tried this out. Sophie was at heel the whole 1.3 mi, took me about 17 mins and she did excellent. Then 30 min play in the woods, fields, and the pond. Then heading home again 1.3 mi at heel. She was nice and tired  With that said, I can't imagine doing the same 1.3mi with my little Pacsirta who is 7 months old. It would be too much for her at such a young age. I'd do about 10-12min structured walk and then let her roam and then again about 10 min structured walk. 

So, 2.5 mi on a leash does seem a lot for such a small pup. A good mix of short leash training, roaming, retrieve or "find" training incorporated in a play should be enough. Although when my Sophie was a small pup NOTHING tired her out. It didn't matter what we did, she was never tired ever.... :-\ So...we just put up with it, additional to the walks, used lots of in-house training play, and tons of bully sticks to somewhat keep her calm...if you can call it calm :


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

At 3-4 months old we only did 30-45 mins walks twice a day. How many miles I could not tell you but definitely not 2 1/2 miles. Sometimes I would meet with other dog owners and the dogs would play and we would walk a lot slower. Of course they cover a lot more than we humans! 

I suggest you replace some of the walk with training instead. Short periods throughout the day would tire your pup out just as much as a good run. Also playing inside the house, hide and seek or just throwing some toys around. 
Running should be a big no no until she's at least a year old. But that's just my opinion. 
Wouldn't you regret it in 5 or some years time when your vizsla starts to struggle walking or doing simple things? Why? Maybe because of the damage she has done to her growing bones-joints early in her life... 
To me it doesn't/didn't worth the risk. I rather have her zoomies inside the flat than a damaged hip later on in her life. 

Training does good to both of you, she learns, she bonds with you and gets tired. 

You can increase the length of the walks slowly as she gets older.


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## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

Welcome to the forum!!

I think it is important to differentiate between on-leash and off-leash exercise. At 14 1/2 weeks, I would absolutely take your puppy hiking or walking in the woods *off-leash*. And by hiking, I don't mean climbing mountain peaks - just some fairly level paths with a couple of small hills thrown in. When they are off-leash, *they* control the pace - how fast or how slow, when to take breaks, etc. And the paths in the woods do a better job of cushioning joints than concrete. If your puppy sits or lays down or doesn't keep walking with you along the path then it is too much, too soon, too far, IMO.

I am a marathon runner and want my Vizsla to be my running partner. That being said, she is now 14 months old and I have never run with her on-leash or off-leash for that matter. We were told by our breeder to wait until 18 months for on-leash running - it was the on-leash and on hard surfaces (road, sidewalk) that could really do some damage to joints. 

Just as a side note, training actually tires my Pippa more than exercise. When she has to spend a lot of energy thinking about what to do (i.e. "leave it", learning to push in a drawer, "find it", etc.), she is much more tired than if I run her for 3 hours. On our training days, she can actually do less exercise and sleeps more.


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## Kamikaze6rr (Jul 22, 2012)

Now when i said on leash. there are not many places i can go with her off leash. also i walk with her at her pace while on leash. I let her lead the way so to say. so half of that 2.3-2.5 is on pavement/grass on the side of the road. then the rest is off leash in a park.

Okay i get that the general consensus is to not dont anything that requires steady walking or running until the puppy is atleast 1 year old.

Here is a question though. some days she can go outside and run ragged non stop for like 2-3 mins straight. Then she will turn around and do that four to 5 times while we are out. am i supposed to let her run? or should i stop her because she could be hurting herself?

and thank you for the suggestions with training.

This will help tremendously.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

Kamikaze6rr said:


> Here is a question though. some days she can go outside and run ragged non stop for like 2-3 mins straight. Then she will turn around and do that four to 5 times while we are out. am i supposed to let her run? or should i stop her because she could be hurting herself?
> 
> and thank you for the suggestions with training.
> 
> This will help tremendously.


From what I have read, it's the repetitive walking/running motion that the pups do while they are on leash that it's harmful. If she's off leash she walks/runs her natural way and stops whenever she feels she needs to, which is why it's safe.


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## Kamikaze6rr (Jul 22, 2012)

gotcha so puppy play is ok or even off leash.. gotcha
we have some mtb trails i can hit up and let her off leash so i will let her run those

also my mom just got a lab puppy so i will set them up to play at least 2 to 3 times a week


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## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

Just to contrast the other opinions, both our breeder and two vets told us to allow our puppy to run/walk as much as he wanted. One vet said he had never seen an example of joint problems in a dog that he could link to too much exercise as a puppy. 

We have run our guy about 3 miles a day since he was probably about 8 or 9 months old. But we never push him, and if he seems tired or starts to lag, we stop (both on-leash and off). Of course, this rarely happens, my husband says he pulls on the leash for the entire run, and looks at him when he's done like "is that all you've got?". He's about 15 months now. I'd say as long as your puppy wants to go, let him go.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

"Exercising Growing Puppies

It's important to remember that, although most puppies have lots of energy, their bodies are immature and not ready for exercise that causes sharp or repetitious impact during the first year. Large and giant breeds should be 18 months or older."

http://www.provet.co.uk/health/diagnostics/growthplatedogs.htm growth plates closure estimates. 

And finally, it all depends when the dog will be neutered/spayed...
http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

datacan said:


> And finally, it all depends when the dog will be neutered/spayed...
> http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html


I was trying to figure out why Riley is shorter, yet heavier than both sisters we've met... now I know why! 

It's important to also keep in mind any leg injuries the pup may have had when they were younger. Riley will never be able to run on-leash on cement/concrete. She limps after a 6 mile WALK on concrete due to the injury she suffered 3 months ago. Oh well - off-leash hikes are more fun anyway!


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

My vet has also told me that most (not all) joint issue are hereditary, and letting your puppy exercise itself (...read as off leash) is seldom the cause of joint issues. 

I would be curious to know what the author of that article considers "significant" to be, as it doesn't state any numbers and significant is rather vague. 

Nate


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Good question...
We could ask the dog what "significant" means.

I saw nothing wrong with running around until my dog was 9 months old and started to run with a two year old, intact Vizsla. The difference in exercise, compared to other dogs, including German Shepherds and Huskies, was so significant that after 10 minutes my dog was limping for a week. 
So, I would say, "significant" would be if the dog is even slightly limping or displays any discomfort after the exercise. I would consider that be the absolute max and feel lucky if no long term damage incurred.


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

Datacan...

I am not disagreeing with you, I was just curious was to "significant" and "increased risk" was... The last thing any of us want is to cause unnecessary pain or premature issue to our pets...but I do think its easy to get wrapped up into ambiguity of statements of "increased risk" without knowing what that exactly means and I encompass myself in that statement.... Again - not disagreeing with validity of the statements, as much as I am trying to take it the next step and understand what "significant" and "increased risk" really mean. Is it 1 out of 1,000 dogs or is it 1 out of 3? It was indicated in the article it was a study, so I am sure they have numerical data - simply curious as to what the data is.... 

My dog is 10 months and have I yet to run her with her on a leash or have her follow me running off leash, but she is welcome to run all she wants off leash while I walk. Because I do believe you can cause harm by the repititive motions of running as it isn't natural for them to do...

Nate


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

It means no harm in exercise until there is injury, at least that's how I interpret it.
As for quantifying the intensity and duration of the exercise... :-\

Like you, SuperV, I took my dog off leash everywhere possible, even biking. I saw no harm and still see no harm in off leash running... unless there are other factors that may influence the intensity of the exercise. Like a nine month old trying to keep up with a two year old V. Even in that case, I would think they recover pretty well.

The bigger, more significant point I see is in delaying neutering/spaying the dog at least until fully mature (well past 18 months). That, IMO, is the most significant thing we can do for our dogs  
Keeping them intact will ensure that bone structure dense and fully balanced.


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