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exercising a GSD pup

 
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John and Liz Brannan
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Joined: 05 Feb 2012
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Location: Coatbridge

PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:44 am    Post subject: exercising a GSD pup Reply with quote

How much exercise does a German Shepherd pup need? I know this is an age old question but we are becoming totally confused about how much exercise to give our 8 month old GSD pup Torin. We had read various books before getting him and thought we knew what he needed but having read more books, been online and spoken to various people it seems to range from walking about the garden to running at will for as long as he likes. At present we give him two walks a day of about 30-40 minutes each based on 5 mins for each month of his age. If the weather is good we also have a play session in the garden for about 20 minutes (you will guess that so far this hasn't happened very often- good weather ? don't make me laugh.

Obviously our concern is future damage to his bones and joints as we read all these dire warnings about over/under exercise so any advice on this would be much appreciated

Thanks
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Sharon Falconer
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 4:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi guys
When Cleo was that age, I walked her 5 times each day but not over a mile each time. She also had playtime in the garden. I didn't walk her much further than a mile each time until she was over a year. They need that amount to build muscle, especially around their back end but 5 mile hikes are not good for them at that age. After they are about 2 years they can happily walk for miles but even at 1-2 years, their bones, joints and muscles are all growing and maturing so a couple of miles 4 or 5 times a day is enough. After that you can walk them longer and a bit less frequently but little and often is really important early on to help build muscle. That way they get the amount of exercise they need without over stressing developing joints.
Hope this helps
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John and Liz Brannan
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:11 pm    Post subject: exercising a gsd pup Reply with quote

Thanks Sharon

This is very helpful especially as it comes from a GSD owner who has successfully raised her dog through what we are now experiencing.

We are concerned that Torin is getting too much exercise but from what you say he is possibly not getting enough.
Any advice we have read about or been given up until now was in terms of time spent on walking him and not distance so we will sort out some walks for Torin based on what you are saying.

Thanks again

John and Liz
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Sharon Falconer
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No probs
They are all individuals though. Having a basic knowledge of what they need is great but let your dog be your guide. Some need less than others. Cleo doesn't get quite as many walks now but i can take her out and walk for miles and she can handle it no problems. She is just over 2. Tubbs is 7 but we have only had her 6 months and she was never walked before that so we are still on shorter walks with her but they both love playtime in the garden too, unfortunately the muddier the better.
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Cat.David.and.Dexter
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi,

I've a 19 month old GSD, Dexter, and I too have worried about how much exercise he should have. Like you I read a huge number of books and articles in preparation for my pup but there are so many opinions and cautions I think I'd be best wrapping him in cotton wool!! Our last GSD had terrible arthritis but by the time we knew about it it became more about pain management and I was determined Dexter would not suffer this too.

While the literature says to watch how much running or jumping they do Dexter's favourite thing is his ball. And, the whole "don't let them use stairs" thing is a bit impractical when your pup weighs more than a child!!

We walked Dexter several shorter walks per day and now he's older we're doing longer walks. If he's had a particularly long walk one day or have been to the beach we try to reduce the strain by shorter walks the next few days while he "recovers". I play with him daily in the garden with his toys because if I didn't I'd end up with a destructive pup! Do what's right for you and your pup. Dexter's very good at telling us when he's had enough and we can tell by his body language when he's bouncing from the walls or if he's just happy to amble.

Cat
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John Thomson
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Joined: 07 Apr 2007
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is no absolute right or wrong with this. You a#have to assess your own dogs needs as too little exersise is as bad as too much.

When walking try to stay on grass as it is softer on the joints......playtime is important but repeatedly throwing a ball for a GSD on a hard surface for extended periods gives joints a pounding and is asking for future trouble.

Sometimes even doing everthing "right" is no guarantee that the dog will not have joint issues in future........we have the Kenel Club and breaders chasing a certain "look" for that.

John
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John and Liz Brannan
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:12 pm    Post subject: exercising a gsd pup Reply with quote

Hi Cat and John and thank you both for your advices which are very much appreciated


We can certainly identify with what you say Cat about wrapping him in cotton wool and also about his ball being his favourite toy. Same with Torin and he seems to be constantly at the back door with the ball in his mouth hoping for a play session. If he doesn't get it he throws himself down in the huff. We live in a bungalow so don't have stairs but on a visit to John's brother's house Torin ran upstairs and then was too terrified to try to come down himself and it took us ages to very slowly and carefully help him down.

We are also very much aware of what John says about under exercising and throwing a ball for Torin but these are just part of our confusion.

We will just have to make our best judgement on how much walking to do and trust that we are doing what we think is best for Torin.

In a recent magazine article a reader asked the same question and an 'expert' said that 5 mins for each month of age is a good guide but they didn't say how many times a day that you do this duration of walk.

We will be careful to watch how Torin reacts to his exercise and adjust accordingly if required.

John and Liz
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John Thomson
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi,

a ball is a REALLY useful toy/reward.......it is primarily when overused repeatedly in particular on a hard concrete/tarmac surface that problems could perhaps arise.
Use the ball when on grass to soften his direction changes.

I am sure Torrin will be fine....he is a lucky boy to have such a caring family.

John
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Cat.David.and.Dexter
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another wee thing I read in one of the many articles was a tip for building hind leg muscle tone (Dexter has a heavy build) and said that playing fetch on a slight incline helps build up the back end muscles. We're quite lucky where we stay that we have farm and field all round us so Dexter can get off and play and the fields do have a slight incline. We play with his thrower catcher toy here and, not that he lets our vet pat his back end, she has said from a young age (when he did kind of like her!) that Dexter had very good muscle tone and strong legs. Just an idea, it's worked for us!

I know I reached information overload when reading stuff in preparation for Dexter! I still worry and I know you'll be the same with Torin. We do what works for us and Dexter and try to be mindful of what's ahead as much as is realistically possible!

Cat
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John and Liz Brannan
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:17 am    Post subject: exercising a GSD pup Reply with quote

Thanks again folks

The Vet said that Torin is 'lean' but not skinny and that this would be a good thing in hopefully avoiding joint problems as weight can be an issue in this matter.

Cat's point about the incline is very interesting and we will try to do that with Torin. We are also going to keep Torin on grass as much as possible as we can see the sense in what John says. We often take him in the car to parks like Colzium or Drumpellier so that he gets soft walking. We do walk him on hard ground as well but it is only normal walking so hopefully he'll be okay.

John and Liz
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Laura-Anne
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Joined: 18 Jan 2010
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another thing if you're worried about your pup getting restless, exercise doesn't need to be just physical, added mental stimulation games will also tire out your pup and he doesn't need to put anywhere near as much stress on his joints for that. Nina ottoman games or even simple hide and seek games are brill for that. Torin sounds as if he is a very lucky boy with such a caring family.
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