How far to walk a 12 week old puppy?

[adimaxjosh]

people don't comprehend the words. I never talked about forced exercise. I mentioned the word "gradually" which people forgot to see. I have observed that the dogs, or any other animals, who do a good amount of exercise regularly fall ill less often and face lesser physical problems, if your puppy is very young then give it a break in between of exercise, make him follow you, or what ever games you people like to play. more active the dog is less frustrated or angry he or she is. As far as science is concerned just remember an active body produces more immunity then an inactive body. I have also read somewhere that labs are most energetic dogs and puppies especially are powerhouse of energy. If you will not make your lab do good exercise he/she will spend its energy in destructive activities like scratching around house, shoes if you take it for walk or running the nails get file automatically, bones and muscles do develop. Rest is the observation and knowledge I have gathered by talking and interacting with many dog owners and breeders.

[BigBrownDog]

people don't comprehend the words. I never talked about forced exercise. I mentioned the word "gradually" which people forgot to see. I have observed that the dogs, or any other animals, who do a good amount of exercise regularly fall ill less often and face lesser physical problems, if your puppy is very young then give it a break in between of exercise, make him follow you, or what ever games you people like to play. more active the dog is less frustrated or angry he or she is. As far as science is concerned just remember an active body produces more immunity then an inactive body. I have also read somewhere that labs are most energetic dogs and puppies especially are powerhouse of energy. If you will not make your lab do good exercise he/she will spend its energy in destructive activities like scratching around house, shoes if you take it for walk or running the nails get file automatically, bones and muscles do develop. Rest is the observation and knowledge I have gathered by talking and interacting with many dog owners and breeders.

Here are some words for you to comprehend. You can over exercise an immature dog into serious orthopedic problems that it would not have developed if the puppy was exercised moderately. Your advice while well intentioned really needs to make clear that exercise for puppies has to be moderate and for very short periods.

[labby]

Thanks for all the post.I dont live in a neighborhood. I live out in the country and Im the only one on a 3 mile road to my residence so I would never encounter another dog or their feces as its my property. I wouldnt exactly call me walking my dog "forced exercise".We walk to my mail box.Its not like I have her pulling a cart for crying out loud.The walks are casual with lots of sniffing.

Since you have all the answers, why did you ask the question?

[Sandys601]

hi there, i agree with atleast first the two sets of shots but i have a farm property with no animals other then my puppy, however the puppy can contract the parvo virus's from fox they are big carriers of it just be wary of what the dog may be tasting is all.. i take my pup for a walk around my property everyday!! but i just watch what is on the ground when he stops to smell.... the roses in his eyes anyway.!!

[Sandys601]

Hi Everyone, it has been a while since i have checked in sorry anyway i was here reading about how far is to far to walk a puppy. My Ryder is just about 10 weeks old. i have been walking him around our home and have been doing this for a few days he seems to enjoy it i walk with him and he walks with me, when he wants to check something out then i let him so basically i guess you could say we walk at his pace. he hasnt seemed to tire of it yet today,he seemed to loose interest. But he will go almost anywhere with me so the distance for him isnt a problem..
he is a mouthy puppy likes to pinch and still pottying in the house like every other day or so... he goes out alot... but i wonder if he is just to young still to expect him to do better. Another issue i have questions about is how to break him of biting he doesnt do it to be mean but he wants to play tug of war with my leg he is going to tear my things in time... or will he just eventually stop on his own?
thank you in advance for any advice i can recieve
to all a great night !!

[Sophiesmama]

Hi Everyone, it has been a while since i have checked in sorry anyway i was here reading about how far is to far to walk a puppy. My Ryder is just about 10 weeks old. i have been walking him around our home and have been doing this for a few days he seems to enjoy it i walk with him and he walks with me, when he wants to check something out then i let him so basically i guess you could say we walk at his pace. he hasnt seemed to tire of it yet today,he seemed to loose interest. But he will go almost anywhere with me so the distance for him isnt a problem..
he is a mouthy puppy likes to pinch and still pottying in the house like every other day or so... he goes out alot... but i wonder if he is just to young still to expect him to do better. Another issue i have questions about is how to break him of biting he doesnt do it to be mean but he wants to play tug of war with my leg he is going to tear my things in time... or will he just eventually stop on his own?
thank you in advance for any advice i can recieve
to all a great night !!

You need to train your puppy not to bite. When our Sophie was little, we put a hand on her muzzle and commanded "Don't Bite!" every time she bit. EVERY time! Don't let your pup slide. They need to be taught. Don't expect that they will just stop on their own. Sophie finally learned and stopped at about 3 months old. You can walk your puppy about 10-15 min. at this age. Good rule of thumb is 5 min per month of age. The reason is you don't want to put a strain on young growing joints and ligaments. Potty training will come in time. My advice for you is to always take your puppy out the same door and to the same spot to potty. Choose a command and use the same one every time you take your puppy outside to potty. We use "outside". We say: Sophie, outside? She learned and we have not had an inside accident since she was 4 months. We have always prefaced a command with her name. That way she knows we are talking to her. We say, "Sophie sit" or "Sophie shake" etc. Good luck, and we are here if you need us!

[Sophiesmama]

Been walking my pup since she came home and have gradually increased the distance trying to find the magic number to where she is tired but not exhaustiive to curb the energy.We only walk in the cool of the morning and today she walk 1 mile.We stopped and rested for about 10 minitutes at the 1/2 mile mark then continued back towards home.She was still not exhausted but ran around like crazy. Is this far or too much for a 12 week old Lab?

I personally think a mile is a little too far for a 3 month old puppy. I would worry about growing joints and ligaments and the strain it would put on them. Even though your puppy is still energetic after the walk, and doesn't seem tired, the stress on the joints could still be there and just not apparent. 5 minutes a month is a good rule of thumb. 2-15 minute walks a day would be appropriate. As you say, casual walks. Don't run your puppy on the leash, and be careful of walks on pavement for long periods. I would worry about disease until all vaccines are complete. Our vet told us to only take Sophie to places we were positive were safe until 10 days after her last vaccine. We went to my sister's completely enclosed yard, and rides in the car. We walked her in our fenced backyard. I feel you can never be too careful.