This article was co-authored by Sheri Williams. Sheri Williams is a Certified Dog Trainer and Behaviorist and the Owner of sheriwilliams.com, a business that specializes in teaching veterans how to turn their dogs into service dogs or emotional support animals to assist with PTSD. Based in the Los Angeles, California metro area, Sheri has over 20 years of dog training experience and also runs a general dog training practice specializing in rehabilitating dogs through positive reinforcement training techniques. She is certified by The Animal Behavior and Training Association.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 15,011 times.
Your puppy’s bones and muscles are still developing until 12-18 months of age depending on the breed. Giant breeds grow for longer than miniature dogs. Therefore, activities that are strenuous, like long walks, should be avoided. Instead, encourage your puppy to explore the backyard and play with other puppies. These activities will fulfill your puppy’s exercise needs. Additionally, teaching your puppy the basic commands, like sit, is a great mental exercise. Because every breed is different, always consult your vet about your puppy's needs before exercising your puppy.
Steps
Encouraging Self-Directed Play
Let your pup explore the backyard. For puppies under 12-18 months of age, self-directed play will fulfill your puppy’s exercise needs. In other words, the majority of your puppy’s exercise should be exploring, digging, and free play. Therefore, let your puppy roam around your backyard, or an enclosed grassy area that is safe.- While your puppy is exploring, supervise your puppy to ensure that it is safe at all times.
- If you don't have a backyard, then take your puppy to a park and let your puppy explore a small section of the park. Supervise your puppy at all times.
- Don't take part in agility until your dog is 12-18 months and has stopped growing.
Bury a treat. Burying treats is a great way for your puppy to exercise and hone its tracking instincts. Dig up various soft patches in your backyard. Bury treats and toys in the patches and cover them up. Lead your puppy to the patches and encourage it to dig up the treats and toys.Advertisement
Build a kibble trail. Kibble trails will also keep your puppy busy both mentally and physically. Start with half of the amount of kibble you feed your puppy in a day. Drop the kibble every few inches making a trail as you go along. Start out with straight trails and work your way up to trails with turns.- Make sure to put a lot of food along turns since a change of direction is hard to follow.
Buy age appropriate toys. Puppies begin teething around three months of age. Therefore, make sure your puppy has a lot of safe and sturdy teething toys, for example, a Kong-type toy or Nylabone toys. In general, opt for hard rubber toys, or toys that have multiple textures that your puppy can explore.[1]- Avoid toys that are too small or contain small pieces that can be chewed off and ingested.
- Avoid toys that have sharp edges. These toys can harm your puppy's mouth and/or teeth.
Encourage play with other puppies. Playing with other puppies is another great way to fulfill your puppy’s exercise, as well as socialization needs. Puppies are ideal playmates for each other because they have similar needs and limits. Invite your friends to bring their puppies over for a much needed play session.- At seven weeks of age, you can begin to gradually expose your puppy to a variety of situations, people, and places.
- Try not to let your puppy play with larger dogs or puppies. Larger dogs, especially ones that like to play rough, can inadvertently hurt your puppy.
- Do not take your puppy to the dog park until seven to 10 days after it has received its full series of puppy vaccinations.[2]
Advertisement
Training Your Puppy
Sign your puppy up for a class. A puppy-training class will teach your puppy basic commands, like sit, come, and stay. It will also teach your puppy basic manners, how to socialize with other people and dogs, and loose-leash walking.[3][4]- These classes are available for puppies that are 10 weeks to five months of age.
- You can find training classes at your local pet store.
Teach your puppy the basic commands. Teaching your puppy the basic commands, like sit, stay, and come, is a great mental, as well as physical, exercise. Start by teaching your puppy the sit command.- Sit down next to your puppy. Place a hand on its chest and another hand on top of its rump, i.e., just behind the rear legs near the tail. Say "sit" as you apply gentle pressure to the chest and its rear. Guide your puppy into a sitting position. Once it is in the sitting position, give your puppy a treat. Repeat this at least once a day until your puppy understands the sit command.[5]
Introduce your puppy to the leash. Before you begin walking your puppy, you will need to introduce your puppy to the leash. Let your puppy sniff and see the collar. Reward your puppy with a treat for allowing the collar to be near it. Then, place the collar around your puppy’s neck. [6]- Have the collar around its neck for only a few minutes at a time. Gradually increase the amount of time your puppy wears the collar.
- Make sure to reward your puppy with treats for good behavior.
Advertisement
Understanding Your Puppy’s Needs
Consult your vet. Always consult your vet regarding your puppy’s exercise needs and the best methods to fulfill these needs, first. The amount and type of exercise your puppy needs depends on its breed and size.- Ask your vet, "I would like to know what the exercise protocols are for my puppy. When should I begin exercising my puppy, and what exercises do you recommend?"
Take your puppy for short, informal walks.[7] Do not take your puppy for long, strenuous walks. Instead, take your puppy for short, informal walks. Allow your puppy time to sniff and explore as you walk. It is recommended that a puppy have no more than five minutes of walking for every month of its age.[8]- For example, if your puppy is three months old, then a 15 minute walk is sufficient.
- Puppies under three months of age do not need to be walked, especially if they have not been vaccinated.
- Stop the walk immediately if you notice signs of over exertion such as stopping, lying down, lagging behind, and/or panting.
Save strenuous exercise for later. Activities like climbing stairs, long and face paced walks, hiking, playing fetch, jogging or running, and frisbee throwing should be avoided. These activities are strenuous activities that put stress on your puppy’s developing bones and muscles.- Stress on your puppy’s bones and muscles at an early age can cause diseases such as hip dysplasia when your puppy gets older.
- Tug-of-war type games can harm your puppy's small teeth.
- Avoid any kind of activity that involves repetitive motions since these are more likely to damage developing bones and joints.
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
- QuestionHow much exercise does a puppy need?
Sheri WilliamsSheri Williams is a Certified Dog Trainer and Behaviorist and the Owner of sheriwilliams.com, a business that specializes in teaching veterans how to turn their dogs into service dogs or emotional support animals to assist with PTSD. Based in the Los Angeles, California metro area, Sheri has over 20 years of dog training experience and also runs a general dog training practice specializing in rehabilitating dogs through positive reinforcement training techniques. She is certified by The Animal Behavior and Training Association.
Certified Dog TrainerYou should try to take your puppy out for at least 1 walk a day. The distance depends on your puppy's energy levels and age. - QuestionHow do I take care of a Jack Russell puppy?
Community AnswerTake care of it like any other peppy; don't let it near the road, keep it entertained, teach it good manners, keep it safe, and most of all give it love. - QuestionHow can I tell if my puppy is a Jack Russell?
Community AnswerDo a Google image search for Jack Russell puppies and see if they look like yours. You can also ask a vet, or if you got her from a breeder and they said she was a purebred, ask to see the papers.
Video
References
- ↑ http://www.fidosavvy.com/puppy-teething-toys.html
- ↑ http://www.akc.org/content/dog-training/articles/puppy-socialization/
- ↑ Sheri Williams. Certified Dog Trainer. Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.
- ↑ http://www.petsmart.com/pet-services/training/
- ↑ http://www.akc.org/content/dog-training/articles/teach-your-puppy-these-5-basic-commands/#sit
- ↑ http://kb.rspca.org.au/How-should-I-exercise-my-puppy_300.html
- ↑ Sheri Williams. Certified Dog Trainer. Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.
- ↑ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppy-exercise-how-much-is-too-much/
About this article
To exercise your puppy, all you have to do is let it play and explore outside, like in your backyard or at a park. Save strenuous activities, like long walks, hiking, and agility training, for when your puppy is stronger and full grown. You can encourage your puppy to play outside by burying treats for it to dig up or making a trail of kibble through the yard. Toys are also great for play, but make sure they don't have any small pieces that your puppy could choke on. If you know anyone else that has a puppy, set up a playdate with them! Not only will it help your puppy get exercise, it will also help socialize it at a young age. For tips from our Veterinary co-author, like how to train your puppy, keep reading!
Did this article help you?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.
