On Leash Walking/Training: Very short strolls (limited to 2 minutes/20-70metres of straight steady walking). Allow your puppy to sniff and stroll as they please. Overall maximum 10 - 15 minutes per session. Limit to two sessions per day.
As your pup is not fully vaccinated, you may wish to do this exercise in your own backyard. If you do wish to take your pup out of their yard for walks, ensure you are not walking them in heavily dog populated areas such as dog parks and beaches.
Running: The only running your puppy should be doing at this age is very short spurts in play that is initiated by themselves where they control the intensity. Please ensure that if your puppy is running, that he/she is running outside on a non slippery surface such as grass. Running indoors on tiles can be very slippery for puppies and adult dogs and can lead to joint problems.
Jumping & Stairs: Your puppy should not be jumping at all at this stage. If they need to go up or down stairs, you will need to carry them. If you are allowing your puppy to sleep on your bed, they should not be jumping on or off your bed at all. They will need to be lifted. Your puppy should be lifted in and out of the car for any car trips.
Swimming: If you puppy likes swimming, allow him/her to do so. Do not force any puppy into water. Some dogs love water, some do not. Allow your puppy to play in the shallow water on the shore line and always keep watch over your puppy. They will tire very quickly.
Turns & Stops: At this age your puppy should not be doing any fast turns or sharp turns, nor should they be stopping suddenly.
Playing with other dogs: Your puppy is able to play with other puppies and adult dogs that reside at your house as long as the puppy is not harassing the adult dogs. Any formal play dates should be limited to 15 minutes maximum and ideally should be with other puppies around the similar age and size and be in a non heavily dog populated area. Supervise your puppy's play at all times and if he/she increases intensity or starts playing too rough, interrupt the play until all dogs settle down again. The same applies if other dogs in the play increase their intensity. At no point should any of the dogs involved in playing, be body slamming your puppy.
12 - 16 weeks old
rOn Leash Walking/Training: Gradually increase the length walks (still 70metres of straight steady walking, but more walks up around this distance). If your puppy volunteers to keep walking, allow him/her to do so but not too far. If your puppy stops whilst out on a walk, end the walk there and turn back. Allow your puppy to sniff and stroll as they please. Overall maximum 15 - 20 minutes per session. Limit to two sessions per day.
Running: The only running your puppy should be doing at this age is very short spurts in play that is initiated by themselves where they control the intensity. Please ensure that if your puppy is running, that he/she is running outside on a non slippery surface such as grass. Running indoors on tiles can be very slippery for puppies and adult dogs and can lead to joint problems.
Jumping & Stairs: Your puppy should not be jumping at all at this stage. If they need to go up or down stairs, you will need to carry them. If you are allowing your puppy to sleep on your bed, they should not be jumping on or off your bed at all. They will need to be lifted. Your puppy should be lifted in and out of the car for any car trips.
Swimming: If you puppy likes swimming, allow him/her to do so. Do not force any puppy into water. Some dogs love water, some do not. Allow your puppy to play in the shallow water on the shore line and always keep watch over your puppy. They will tire very quickly.
Turns & Stops: At this age your puppy should not be doing any fast turns or sharp turns, nor should they be stopping suddenly.
Playing with other dogs: Your puppy is able to play with other puppies and adult dogs that reside at your house as long as the puppy is not harassing the adult dogs. Any formal play dates should be limited to 15 minutes maximum and ideally should be with other puppies around the similar age and size and be in a non heavily dog populated area. Supervise your puppy's play at all times and if he/she increases intensity or starts playing too rough, interrupt the play until all dogs settle down again. The same applies if other dogs in the play increase their intensity. At no point should any of the dogs involved in playing, be body slamming your puppy.
16 - 26 weeks old (4 - 6mths)
On Leash Walking/Training: Gradually increase the length walks to around 100m - 200m long. If your puppy volunteers to keep walking, allow him/her to do so but not too far. If your puppy stops whilst out on a walk, end the walk there and turn back. Allow your puppy to sniff and stroll as they please. Overall maximum 30 - 45 minutes per session. Limit to two sessions per day.
Running: The only running your puppy should be doing at this age is very short spurts in play that is initiated by themselves where they control the intensity. Please ensure that if your puppy is running, that he/she is running outside on a non slippery surface such as grass. Running indoors on tiles can be very slippery for puppies and adult dogs and can lead to joint problems.
Jumping & Stairs: Your puppy should not be jumping at all at this stage. If they need to go up or down stairs, you will need to carry them. If you are allowing your puppy to sleep on your bed, they should not be jumping on or off your bed at all. They will need to be lifted. Your puppy should be lifted in and out of the car for any car trips.
Swimming: If you puppy likes swimming, allow him/her to do so. Do not force any puppy into water. Some dogs love water, some do not. Allow your puppy to play in the shallow water on the shore line and always keep watch over your puppy. Keep your puppy down on the hard sand where possible and limit any traversing across soft sand to be on a lead at a walk. Soft sand running can cause damage to both humans and dogs.
Turns & Stops: At this age your puppy should not be doing any fast turns or sharp turns, nor should they be stopping suddenly.
Playing with other dogs: Your puppy is able to play with other puppies and adult dogs that reside at your house as long as the puppy is not harassing the adult dogs. Any formal play dates should be limited to 20 minutes maximum and ideally should be with other puppies around the similar age and size and be in a non heavily dog populated area. Supervise your puppy's play at all times and if he/she increases intensity or starts playing too rough, interrupt the play until all dogs settle down again. The same applies if other dogs in the play increase their intensity. At no point should any of the dogs involved in playing, be body slamming your puppy.
6 - 18 months old
On Leash Walking/Training: By now your puppy should be able to walk comfortably on a lead for longer periods of time. Walking on concrete footpaths and bitumen roads should be kept to a minimum as this can place stress on their joints, but your puppy should be able to comfortably walk on softer surfaces such as dirt and grass for 45 - 60 minutes per session, two sessions a day. If you wish to increase to more uneven surfaces such as hiking style activities, your puppy can be included in these but limit these hikes to 20 minutes each and make sure that the dog is always on a lead at a walking pace (not running up and down the mountain side).
Running: The only running your puppy should be doing at this age is short spurts in play that is initiated by themselves where they control the intensity. Please ensure that if your puppy is running, that he/she is running outside on a non slippery surface such as grass. Running indoors on tiles can be very slippery for puppies and adult dogs and can lead to joint problems.
Jumping & Stairs: If you have stairs (that are non slip such as carpeted), your puppy can begin to use the stairs. This should be only one flight at a time and the puppy should not run up or down the stairs at any time. Your puppy should not be jumping onto furniture or in and out of cars at this stage. If you are allowing your puppy to sleep on your bed, they should not be jumping on or off your bed at all. They will need to be lifted. Your puppy should be lifted in and out of the car for any car trips.
Swimming: If you puppy likes swimming, allow him/her to do so. Swimming is great for fitness and is a low impact exercise in relation to your puppy's joints. Always keep watch over your puppy in case they begin to tire and struggle. Never force a dog to swim that does not like water. Keep your puppy down on the hard sand where possible and limit any traversing across soft sand to be on a lead at a walk. Soft sand running can cause damage to both humans and dogs.
Turns & Stops: At this age your puppy should not be doing any fast turns or sharp turns, nor should they be stopping suddenly.
Playing with other dogs: Your puppy is able to play with other puppies and adult dogs that reside at your house as long as the puppy is not harassing the adult dogs. Any formal play dates should be limited to 30 minutes maximum and ideally should be with other puppies around the similar age and size and be in a non heavily dog populated area. Supervise your puppy's play at all times and if he/she increases intensity or starts playing too rough, interrupt the play until all dogs settle down again. The same applies if other dogs in the play increase their intensity. At no point should any of the dogs involved in playing, be body slamming your puppy.
Post Desexing Surgery
It is very important to keep your puppy quiet in the 10 days following desexing. This is exceptionally important for female puppies as the surgery is far more invasive than it is for male puppies.
Keep your puppy contained in a crate for the 10 days following surgery and allow toilet breaks outside on the lead only.
At no point should your puppy be jumping at all.
Your puppy will become very restless, maybe even destructive and it will likely drive you crazy, but it is only ten days and it is EXTREMELY important that they are rested during this period.
From approximately day 5 post surgery, to burn some of your puppy's energy, you may want to work on some of their obedience training. Ensure that it is done on lead and that it is done calmly. Do not over do it and always be mindful that they are recovering. Whilst he/she will be loving the activity, it is important to make sure that they do not over exert themselves. If the area around the stitches is warm, it is time to stop the activity and let them rest. In any instance, limit the time to 10 minutes, 3 times per day.
18 months and older.
On Leash Walking/Training: Hiking and walking can be gradually increased to as long as your dog likes. Remember that your dog's soft tissue is still maturing and will continue to do so until they are approximately 3 years old. It is important to remember that your dog should be fit for the exercise you are asking it to do: if you only ever walk the dog for 40 minutes, do not expect it to turn around the next day and walk for 3 hours. If your dog appears to be tired or reluctant on your walk, you should finish the exercise there.
Running: Running and endurance training can be introduced to your dog. This must be done gradually and on a lower impact surface such as dirt and grass. Gradually increase your intensity / distance / duration and always stop if the dog shows signs of being tired.
Jumping & Stairs: By now your dog should be used to the stairs and be going up and down safely. At this point, your dog should be able to jump on and off the furniture and in and out of the car (sedan style - not a 4WD), but they should not do this all day.
Swimming: If you puppy likes swimming, allow him/her to do so. Swimming is great for fitness and is a low impact exercise in relation to your puppy's joints. Always keep watch over your puppy in case they begin to tire and struggle. Never force a dog to swim that does not like water. Keep your puppy down on the hard sand where possible and limit any traversing across soft sand to be on a lead at a walk. Soft sand running can cause damage to both humans and dogs.
Turns & Stops: Twisting and turning can be introduced gradually.
Playing with other dogs: Always watch your dog playing with other dogs. If he/she becomes too intense or any other dog in the play becomes too intense, remove your dog from the play immediately until things settle down. Be mindful of other dogs. Whilst your dog might be very happy and well socialised, someone else's dog may not.
The Nevers.
Never play soccer, football or any other large ball sport with your dog! Whilst they will love playing with it, the sharp turning and the positioning of their body is not good for their joints at all and may lead to hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, luxating patellas and other joint issues. In short, your dog should only ever play with a ball the size of a tennis ball, of which you should aim for the dog to be catching the ball whilst it is in the air, rather than along the ground as the sudden stopping of catching a ball on the ground with their mouths can put immense stress on their necks.
Never force your dog to keep exercising if they are tired! It is important to listen to what your dog is telling you.
Never allow an injured dog to exercise! If they are injured, they need to recover. This includes any lameness that you see on your dog.