[zazuuu]

Hello,

I have a 5mo yellow labrador, Zazu, and he is a strong, active puppy. He recently completed all his shots so we have been taking him out for morning and evening walks (fast pace, 85% walk, 15% jog/run). We do not have many trails around so we have been taking the same route for every walk, which is slightly less than 3 miles (so approx. 6 miles total everyday). He is happy and excited for the walks, and is tired and sleeps once he gets home. However, I am wondering if this is good exercise for him or if I am overworking him.

Any input is greatly appreciated. Also, if this is the wrong section to post this, please let me know where I should post it.

Thank you,

Abhi

 

[camper]

At 5 months it might be a bit too much - especially running. More knowledgeable folks will contribute here.

My adult Lab gets about 4-5 miles total every weekday and then lots of hiking offleash (covering anywhere between 15-30 miles in two days) and swimming during the weekends. This keeps him in great shape, and he's always getting compliments from the vet in regards to his strong musculature, low heart-rate and high metabolism. Fit dogs have higher metabolic rates, thus they will often eat more than a comparable dog that's in lesser fit shape.

 

[mcrv11]

I think that you are doing a great job of keeping your dog exercised! When I got my dog around that same age we would go for long walks and runs like that and it really helped curb his puppy energy. I would suggest talking to your vet if your dog shows any problems such as limping over time. Beside's that it seems like your doing a good job

 

[Schminke]

I think that's fine for a lab, my lab x pit (RIP) needed tons of exercise as a pup and it wasn't uncommon for him to accompany me on trail rides with my horse. If you think he may be overtired or even dehydrated (check his gums) at the end of the walk you can always cut it down by 1/4 or even 1/2 of the total length and make sure he is drinking plenty of water during and after.

 

[jessiedog]

For a lab that seems fine to me! Maybe switch it up every once in a while with something low impact like swimming, but for a young pup it shouldn't be a problem. I like to switch up my routine with the dog park every once in a while to get my pup some socialization as well. Sounds like you're doing just fine!

 

[mathilda]

A puppy shouldn't have too long everyday walks (walking not running) because its joints and bones are still growing. this is especially important for big dogs, like labs, since the bones and the joints have to carry more weight for a hopefully long dog life.
rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month.
So with 5 months your dog shouldn't walk for much more than 25 minutes per walk.
however it is totally okay to walk the dog several times a day.
We've done this until our dog was around a year old, then we walked him for an 1h per walk after, that's what we normally still do for everyday walks.
on weekends we'll go longer with him, but since he's got HD we're still careful to not overdo it.

 

[queenofspoons]

As long as your dog is coping with the walks I don't personally think it matters too much as long has there's plenty of mental enrichment activities at home.
I have a koolie who's just over a year old and being a working breed she can and will run all day long if I let her. On Mondays we go for a big off lead run/swim through the reserve behind my friend's place and maybe a couple more times a week we'll go for an hour walk.
She has dog training classes once a week and I do other training with her at home most days. At night time she gets raw bones or other things to chew so she doesn't get bored.
She also gets played with ALL the time so the walking is less important. She's in great shape with heaps of muscle and she's a very happy and healthy girl.
Even being a high energy working breed as long as I'm home she's more than happy to sit near me and sleep all day.
If you think your puppy isn't coping with long walks you can always go on multiple short walks a day as well