# How far to walk a 12 week old puppy



## rubix (Mar 13, 2009)

Hi, our new puppy is almost 13 weeks old. I walk him 3 times a day and am a little worried about how far to walk him. 
In the morning he walks to the bottom of the road and back - about 10 mins. 
After lunch he walks in some woods at the bottom of my road - about 25 mins and in the evening he walks for about 10 mins - again to the bottom of the road. 
I can't wait to walk him further but do not want to damage his hips. Does anyone have any advice about walking puppies. We love him so much.:new (11):

At the weekend my boys and I walk him in the woods near a lake we live in. When we are in the woods by the lake we walk and then stop and play, rest a while and then head back to the car. This takes about an hour.
We just don't want to over do it. Our puppy always seems to be happy and then falls fast asleep when we get home.

He is an awesome dog and has bought so much joy to our lives.:bowl:


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

He's adorable. I got advise here on the boards when my pups were young to keep their walks short...under 20 minutes until they were several months old.

But I think they are easier to work with on training after they are well walked. I'd watch them closely and if you see your boy tiring, then you know you have walked to much. Watch him and listen to him. I think each dog is different. My male ran out of energy a lot quicker than my female. And still does.


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## rubix (Mar 13, 2009)

Hi, thanks for your advice. I do watch him and he never seems to tire. I put him off the leash as it is so quiet where I live. He always walks right by my side and seems happy. He is a very mellow puppy and is responding to training really well. We have worked on sit, come etc. He has even started to tell me when he needs to go outside for a number two. 
I will make sure his walks are only for 20 minutes. If I did the walk, it would take me about 10 mins max, but my pup likes to sniff about. 
Aren't goldens just the best?
We have crated him next to our bed at night. Last night we put him in his crate at 9 pm and he woke again at 5.30 am. We are so happy with him and he is so sociable with dogs, small children etc. 
When do you think he would cope with an hour's walk? Would it be about a year? I love walking in the countryside and am being very patient!!!:wave:


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## Gwen (Aug 9, 2007)

He'll let you know when he's tired and adjust your walk accordingly. 

....by the way, beautiful picture!


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

It sounds like you are doing good walk times. Just try to keep him on the grass, it is easier on his hips. He is a real cutie.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I agree with Carol. Pups can exercise all they want to just avoid hard surface like concrete and asphalt.


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## GingersGold (Mar 27, 2009)

*Perfect timing for this thread*

This is a great question (and answers), as we walk Ginger, (12 weeks), for about 20 minutes in the morning and about 30 to 35 minutes in the evening. Which I thought was not enough. My only concerns are that when we start out on the walks, Ginger tends to whine a little until we get going. The other concern is the leash training. Sometimes she will walk relaxed, by my side and other times she is pulling so hard that she is constricting her breathing and I stop and do "the tree thing", and wait her out. I praise her up and down when she's walking correctly and say no when she's pulling. Is this the best way to leash train? Will she eventually "get it"?
--Thanks!


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

If I may, an amplifying question.

What are the views on the retractable leashes ?

I have nursing duties at m Mom's house for 5 hours on Saturdays, and because he's young I take Gilmour with me. Last weekend I found the retractable leash they use with her Yorkie. I tried it, and I have to say we both liked it. I was able to stay in one spot while he had more freedom to move around.

I can't really walk too far away from the house in case Mom needs me, so I can't use a regular lead and head to the woods like I normally would.

Also, they are expensive. The one that would fit him now is $25, then the medium for up to 44 pounds is another 30, then the final one for up to 110 pounds is another $35.

He would out-grow the first two pretty quick, but I believe the buckle on the large one is too big and heavy for a 15-18 pound puppy. Anyone have a creative way around that?

Are these things really safe (as in strong enough) to keep a 75-100 pound golden under control if they take off for some reason? I'm talking the large-size for up to 110 pounds here of course.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

If you keep them off hard surfaces, you can go much farther, but it's still possible to overdo it with a pup on any surface, since they'll often push themselves really hard to keep up with you.

At that age, 20-30 minutes at a slow place probably isn't too much. And as far as an hour at a normal pace, I think as soon as six months might be OK for that. Learn to read your pup, but estimate his level of discomfort very conservatively. Some dogs really don't show pain until it's too late. I speak as the owner of a dog who literally ripped his pads off fetching and didn't limp or show it in any way until I noticed the blood. I was so angry at myself for not realizing it. Fortunately, the pads come back just fine, but I didn't realize until that moment how immune to pain some dogs can be when they're in working mode.


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