My pup is around 4 months old. He has energy which needs to be drained and while outside he loves to walk and run so when should i start working up to walk long distances with him?

I dont want to start too soon but i think 4 months is good enough, yes? I wont be running with him or pushing him, it will be at his pace. I believe a tired dog is a quiet, content and peaceful dog. Maybe a good long walk is what he needs to calm him down some and stop his nipping.

I'm sure if he has that much energy he would love a walk. I take Claude for a walk to and from the bus stop to drop the boy off that I babysit during day. Its about 2 blocks there and 2 blocks back, Claude enjoys it.

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Jen~mama to my chihauhau/dachshund mix babies Quinn, Leah and Claude and my chihuahua princess Eva

You can start from before they have had their shots!
Even a walk that involves being carried will tire them out mentally from all the new sights and sounds. Also Chihuahua puppys arent exactly heavy!!
You can walk any distance with them if you are prepared to carry them some of the way!!
I did about 15 miles with my 3 when the youngest was about that age....just took a doggy stroller and they caught a lift when they got tired!

My tips for a nipping puppy: say 'ouch' and pretend it hurts. Also, offer a toy to let the pup get their mouth on something appropriate.

Barney is 4-5 months old and we take a few walks every day. I've never seen him get so worn down that he wants me to carry him. If he comes to me and seems to be asking, I'll pick him up, hold him, and let him look around. By then, he's usually wiggling to get down again.

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Here are pictures of Barney: Flickr: Crochet Bouquet's Photostream

Start slow and build up his endurance and he can go forever. But being a puppy, no jogging yet until his joints are more mature. Let him tell you when he's tired or sore and adjust as appropriate. Start with around the block and build up from there.

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Thank you Jan for the wonderful siggy!

We have been walking two blocks since i got him, right off the bat. He does like to walk but the weather.... he doesnt like it so much and he gets annoyed with having to put clothes on Thank you for your response

I just got him on Saturday so he came to me fully vaccinated thankfully. So we are able to jump straight into walking. 15 miles!? That's awesome.

Thank you for the tips. I squeal/squeak when he bites but it doesnt always help out. I dont have to pretend it hurts when he bites because after the first two it does hurt lol I have been trying to redirect his bitting onto his bones and toys and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. I'm hoping my persistance pays off.

Your walks with Barney are a few short ones scattered throughout the day to build up his endurance?

I dont want to jog or run.. i almost never do it in my day to day living and i have no intentions of starting now LOL but i love a long walk. With the energy he has i'm sure he could tackle a 5+ block walk but i guess i was just worried that i would be allowing him to harm himself if i walked him too far considering his last owner only walked him two times, both time was to the corner and back.


Right now we are walking 1-3 blocks 3-4 times a day depending on weather and time of day. Thank you all for your comments and tips. I wanted to make sure i wasnt being too hasty with trying to burn off energy... its been a while since i had a puppy and never a small breed pup that i was in charge of its health so i'm a little high strung.

Thanks again!

I asked the same question in another way just a few days back Good to know I'm not the only one who was worried!

Milo is always bouncing off walls! A week after his second set of shots I try my best to take him on walks but living in Washington where it's always cold, windy, and quite often rainy. Which makes it incredibly hard for my 2 lb chihuahua is losing his puppy coat to walk him so he can burn all this energy. I just have him fetch his favorite toys back and forth! Once he gets his last set of shots, he can finally play with my roommate's chihuahua and they will both be hyper together and play.

Anyways, it's totally alright to have them walk around a little bit after their second set of shots as long as they don't interact with other dogs, have him socialize with other people so he does get that interaction yatta yatta.

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