[krandall]

How much do I have to walk a little puppy for? I am getting my Havanese puppy in two weeks, and I recently broke my toe and I'm concerned about how much walking I'll be able to do when I get him.

Well, you are in luck, because your puppy is MUCH too young for formal "walks". His bones and joints will not be mature until he is close to a year old. Right now, his "exercise" should be closely supervised free play, NOT leash walks. He won't even KNOW how to walk on a leash... loose leash walking is a skill that you will need to teach him over the months ahead. You have PLENTY of time!

 

[krandall]

Those with a better understanding of exactly what the recommendations are can better elaborate on the exercise portion and the hips, but young Havanese puppies actually don't need "walks" for exercise because they're hips are still developing.

It's not just their hips, nor is it just Havanese... it's probably a bigger issue with larger breed dogs. Their entire skeleton is not completely calcified. It is really rather amazing to look at the xray of a young puppy and see how UNformed their joints are! It is months before the joints all over their bodies are fully mature and up to heavy, repetitive stress like trotting long distances on pavement, which is what leash walking normally entails.

Focus during the first 9 months should be on teaching good leash manners in a controlled environment, preferably on non-paved surfaces snd then SLOWLY increasing the length of walks at that point. Before that, all walks should be wandering "sniff walks", where you basically follow the puppy around on leash and use the leash to keep them out of trouble.

The problem with not caring for joints now is that it is unlikely that you will see any damage from forced walks at a young age unless they are poorly built. What you WILL be doing is setting your dog up for premature arthritis problems later in life.

 

[krandall]

Nay, don't worry about it. They will never stop moving until the humans in exhaustion put them in their crates. Right now Fezzik is playing soccer, hide the toy, drag the blanket, pounce the cat, run from the cat, zoom around the island, chew the squeaky, dig to China, bite the toes....

The hard part is remembering that the puppy needs naps... like RIGHT NOW.

Excellent point! Over-tired puppies can be HORRIBLE!!!!

 

[krandall]

Right now, his "exercise" should be closely supervised free play, NOT leash walks. He won't even KNOW how to walk on a leash... loose leash walking is a skill that you will need to teach him over the months ahead.
Focus during the first 9 months should be on teaching good leash manners in a controlled environment, preferably on non-paved surfaces snd then SLOWLY increasing the length of walks at that point. Before that, all walks should be wandering "sniff walks", where you basically follow the puppy around on leash and use the leash to keep them out of trouble.

This feels like an ad for "game tables for less" They took pieces of two of MY posts, word for word, and reposted them without credit as their own... curious. No original thoughts? Hmmm.

 

[krandall]

I really like this page for information about puppy exercise. If you scroll down they have a great chart as well.

https://www.sandiego-goldendoodle.com/

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