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When to start exercising a puppy?

958 views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  carrithedeku 
#1 ·
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.
 
#6 ·
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

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!:)
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.

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.
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?

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.
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!
 
#3 ·
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!:)
 
#4 ·
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.
 
#5 ·
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.
 
#12 ·
Nope, i am big on working with my dogs towards a healthy lifestyle starting with exercise since its so important mentally and physically. My last dog was a pit bull so i didnt have to worry about working her too much because she loved it. My current pup seems to be happy to spend time with me... but cuddled in my lap, not walking along side me. lol Which isnt that big of a problem.

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.
I have him out every day, several times for as long as i can without him getting cold. I am working on him with humans ( especially men since he seems to have an aversion to them) and i have two puppy dates set up (one date wil include several puppies, the other will have just one older dog) for next weekend

I can totally understand where you are coming from with the weather. Before yesterday it was pretty nippy in NYC for Eclipse, he didnt like that weather at all. Today and yesterday, however, have been spring temps, right now its 61 dgrees. I'm not complaining because the break in temp gives me more oppurtunity to socialize him with humans. I cant imagine living in chicago with a 2lb pup... walking must be a pain in the butt with the weather challenge.
 
#8 ·
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.
 
#9 ·
If your roomate's chi is vacinated, they can play right now. Whenever I bring in a new puppy, they are introduced right into my pack because all mine are vacinated. And they go in the backyard because I have lived here forever and I know I don't have parvo here.
 
#13 ·
I know a lot of people don't walk their chihuahuas, but it's such a great way to burn their energy! When it's warmer out, I always walk Odie before I leave her alone for a few hours and she just sleeps the whole time i'm gone. When we go for walks, i'm always getting tired before she is. I feel bad for her this winter, because she hates it outside in the cold, and there is so much ice melter all over our sidewalks, so i've been trying to tire her out by playing fetch in the house. Better than nothing I guess! She also gets a lot of energy playing with her kitties.

As for the vaccination thing, I was really really cautious with Odie before she had her parvo shot. She stayed with a friend who had a chihuahua before she came to me, so she got a chance to meet a dog not in her "family", but once she came to me, there was no playing with other dogs until she was vaccinated. My mom offered to take her to work, where some other people bring their dogs, but I was really strict that there couldn't be any interaction until she was vaccinated. We didn't even take her outside at first, but that was mainly because where we were living had a backyard, but no fence and there was all kinds of strange dodgy looking cats and dogs prancing through. I know that dogs can't get parvo from cats and vice versa, but they can get it from an infected dog's feces. My friend just had to put down her toy poodle puppy because it got parvo. So sad.
 
#14 ·
As for the vaccination thing, I was really really cautious with Odie before she had her parvo shot. She stayed with a friend who had a chihuahua before she came to me, so she got a chance to meet a dog not in her "family", but once she came to me, there was no playing with other dogs until she was vaccinated. My mom offered to take her to work, where some other people bring their dogs, but I was really strict that there couldn't be any interaction until she was vaccinated. We didn't even take her outside at first, but that was mainly because where we were living had a backyard, but no fence and there was all kinds of strange dodgy looking cats and dogs prancing through. I know that dogs can't get parvo from cats and vice versa, but they can get it from an infected dog's feces. My friend just had to put down her toy poodle puppy because it got parvo. So sad.
I used to take Milo inside my coat when no one else was home and I had to take him somewhere like the grocery store or to pay bills when he hadn't got his second set of shots. Having him in my coat limits people wanting to pet him when I am just holding him or have him on the leash. After his second set I let him out of the jacket about a week after I also starting taking him on walks because his immune system is slowly getting there. When I get his third set, doggy play dates will be set up!
 
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