IT has been just over a week since the "new guy" joined the pack.
Raider, a cattle dog border collie cross puppy, is the latest addition to my brood, bringing my dog pack to three permanent residents. At the moment, he has crashed on one of the dog beds (finally) after a 45-minute walk with my other two dogs, Piper and Zumi.
Piper and Zumi are still very active as they enter their senior years and daily hikes of an hour or more are well within their physical capabilities.
Raider, at 12 weeks, isn't quite ready for the daily one-hour walks. His energy would certainly imply he could go for an hour or more, but the reality is his exercise needs to be spread out throughout the day.
A puppy's energy will vary from day to day. One day it will seem like he ate a bag of Skittles and the next day he may seem a bit lethargic. This is normal as he goes through growth spurts.
Morning tends to be Raider's most active time. After sleeping through the night he is a fuzzy ball of stored energy and that is when we go for the longest walks. I let him set the pace and although I am also taking my two adult dogs along with me, Raider is on a retractable leash. He still has a fair amount of freedom to help boost his confidence, but being secured by the leash prevents him from running off if he ever got spooked.
Letting Raider set the pace is important. He gets a chance to sprint after my other dogs, slow himself down to a trot or walk when he tires and, if necessary, stop and rest. The varied speed that he sets for himself allows him to expel energy without causing stress to his joints due to a repetitive motion, such as jogging, over a period of time.
A good walking schedule for a puppy between 10-15 weeks old would be three 20-30 minute walks a day, working towards a goal of two 45 minute walks a day once the puppy is four months old.
Many people want to run with their puppies to help burn off that energy, but running is going to put unnecessary stress on their growing joints and green bones. The repetitive motion may cause small fractures in the growth plates, located at the ends of a young dog's bones at the joints, and could possibly lead to joint and bone abnormalities as an adult.
A degree of impact is required to help a young dog's bones grow strong, but going on a long run is not how it is done. A dog's growth plates begin to close when the dog is around 9-12 months, depending on the breed. Large dogs tend to grow slower over a longer period of time, so their growth plates may be open and bones green for up to 18 months. Once a dog has stopped growing, it can begin joining you on long runs. But don't go out the door and expect your dog to do a half-marathon with you on the first outing.
As I said, allowing a puppy to set its own pace is ideal. If you must jog or run, limit it to no more than five minutes at a time. Interval training such as five minutes of running/ trotting and 10-15 minutes of walking at a leisurely pace is suggested. Keep the puppy on soft surfaces such as grass to help absorb some of the shock.
It may not be ideal for you, if you are a jogger, but you will have a running partner for many years to come if you take some proactive precautions from the start.
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for over 15 years. Contact her at k9kinship.com.
