No, that's not cruel. I was always told you don't want to FORCE the exercise before a year old (and yours is almost there anyway) or do a lot of jumping/agility work so their joints can grow properly. So if your dog is ready to stop, don't make him keep going.
My aussie was a VERY active pup and I would take her on trail rides through the woods up to around five miles. I stopped at five because even though she still wanted to go, I don't think I've ever seen my dog want to stop even if she was dead tired, she wouldn't show it.
After that year hump though I built up her endurance and we went further and faster with almost no limit! (a month after her 1 year birthday we went on a 10 mile bike ride and she was still ready to go, crazy dog)
When we got Kasper at 9 months old we were walking him 4 hours off-lead walking a day. The only time I saw him tired was when we'd walked with other dogs the whole time, and he'd been charging about playing like a loon
We did give him a little less exercise as he got older, simply because he didn't need it. We moved house and the new walks were very hilly; he now gets 2.5 - 3 hours off-lead exercise a day, and this works for him on top of play and training.
I think whatever works for your dog, really. As long as when he gets back from a walk he's not absolutely exhausted and doesn't move for anything for the rest of the day, then it's fine and you haven't given him too much
If anyone you know has a playful dog too, letting Murray play with them will really help tire him quickly! Playing with other dogs has always worked the best for Kasper - he used to be best buddies with two whippets, and 20 minutes running with them would tire him enough to go straight back home!
Point well taken, I usually run with him at night and the temp is usually cool as I live by the ocean.
Regarding joints, he does have stubby legs and a fairly long torso BUT he absolutely loves these vigorous runs. It's almost as if he's smiling when he's running with me!
I'm just going to second the concern about running on the hard surface(road).
If you want to keep running him you could look into trail riding. http://youtu.be/gBPZoM5kXXo
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Dog Forum
819.7K posts
66.7K members
Since 2008
A forum community dedicated to all breeds of dog owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeds, training, puppies, food reviews, service animals, and more.