It might be pushing it a little bit. What sort of surface will to walk be on. If it's something like grass or a dirt trail it won't be so bad. If it's concrete or asphalt, I'd skip it and wait another 4 to 6 months before doing that kind of walk.
Is 10 km walk too long for a large 8 month old dog?
The dog is a Dogo Argentino, rather large already and apart from the long walk, we also take him to the dog park at least 3 times a day (20-30 minutes each) and we have yard but he doesn't run in the yard too much. His behavior is lovely both inside and on walks (apart from unreliable recall when playing with other adolescent dogs - we are working on that). I am worried that we are maybe pushing him too much and that we might damage his still-growing bones. Any advice?
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It's mostly concrete, I'm afraid. I'll cut it down and try to move it to trails until he's grown. Thanks.It might be pushing it a little bit. What sort of surface will to walk be on. If it's something like grass or a dirt trail it won't be so bad. If it's concrete or asphalt, I'd skip it and wait another 4 to 6 months before doing that kind of walk.
I don't think there's a perfect answer. It all depends on the breed(s) and the individual dog.
At 9 months my dog (70lb lab/mastiff mix) was more than happy to do a 10k run. She was eager to keep going even after we had stopped. We were always worrying about pushing her too far so we just let her set the pace and watched for any signs of her slowing or getting too tired. Also, be sure to bring lots of water (even if it's cold out).
Dogo's are wildly athletic dogs - given what they were bred for, I bet they can go that distance more easily, comfortably and earlier than most dogs.
At 9 months my dog (70lb lab/mastiff mix) was more than happy to do a 10k run. She was eager to keep going even after we had stopped. We were always worrying about pushing her too far so we just let her set the pace and watched for any signs of her slowing or getting too tired. Also, be sure to bring lots of water (even if it's cold out).
Dogo's are wildly athletic dogs - given what they were bred for, I bet they can go that distance more easily, comfortably and earlier than most dogs.
I don't think there's a perfect answer. It all depends on the breed(s) and the individual dog.
At 9 months my dog (70lb lab/mastiff mix) was more than happy to do a 10k run. She was eager to keep going even after we had stopped. We were always worrying about pushing her too far so we just let her set the pace and watched for any signs of her slowing or getting too tired. Also, be sure to bring lots of water (even if it's cold out).
Dogo's are wildly athletic dogs - given what they were bred for, I bet they can go that distance more easily, comfortably and earlier than most dogs.
It's not that they are unable to go that far. It's that doing such exercise, on hard surfaces, can damage their growth plates and lead to orthopedic problems. The growth plates close between 12 and 18 months depending on the size of the dog. Small dogs sooner, larger dogs later, and once the growth plates are closed it's safe to do the hard, repetitive exercises on harder surfaces. The reason I mention the type of surface is that softer surfaces are easier on the joints.
Here's some articles I posted in a different thread last night about puppies growth plates and exercise:
https://puppyculture.com/appropriate-exercise.html
How to Prevent Angular Limb Deformity in Puppies
Puppy exercise and growth plate development | Pets4Homes
Oh, somehow I missed that comment! Agreed - running on concrete isn't really ever great (for me or my dog!).
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