# How much exercise and play time should a puppy have?



## Bachelor (May 25, 2011)

that sounds awesome. out of curiosity...how do you manage to do that all? Im assuming you dont work or go to school? 

im gonna have to give my pup back bc its much more of a time commitment than i imagined  

Once i graduate from grad school and find a job, im def getting a golden retriever again. and next time, im gonna do it right by finding a very reputable breeder.


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## Molly's Mum (Apr 1, 2011)

Serawyn, at 8 weeks old I found Molly didn't need a lot of exercise. She liked to have lots of little naps through the day with play sessions inbetween. She did and still does get the zoomies a couple of times during the day where she'll run circles in the garden at full speed. It lasts a couple of minutes and then she's worn out. Now at 12 weeks with all her vaccinations done we do short walks. They're very short walks as I find she tires quite quickly, so about 10 minutes of stop start walking (stopping all the time to sniff at things). Gradually we'll build up on this to make the walks longer.

Make sure to include in your schedule a grooming time where you can get her used to looking and cleaning inside her ears, holding her paws, brushing her coat and teeth. Also take her out with you but until her vaccinations are done make sure you carry her. You want her to be meeting lots of new people and experiencing lots of new sights and sounds at a young age. I carried Molly on the school run, stood outside the school and let loads of kids touch her and make a fuss of her. Also went to the pet store where the staff fussed over her, all wanted to hold her and have a cuddle etc. Let her see lots of traffic, noisy trucks, delivery vans, bicycles, kids on skateboards. This weekend we had family stop by on their way to the airport, she got to see one of those suitcases on wheels being pulled along the pathway and was really interested in the rumbling sound it made, was a good experience for her. I've also taken her to a level crossing so she can see a train come past.


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## mfreib1 (Apr 8, 2011)

At 8 weeks I'd think a half a mile walk 4-5 times a week would be enough


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

Sounds great!


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## Bella's Mama (Jun 12, 2011)

My 7 week seems to want to exercise all the time we're home. She does get rest time while we're at work but we play with her before work, during lunch, and after. Her zooms lasted forever last night and then she peed in the house 4 times. I'm not sure how to handle it. 

Your schedule sounds amazing!! Our Bella would love that!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Your pup sounds like she has a great life. A puppy can have as much play and training as she can handle. I think you'll find that a pup will only give a few minutes of attention at a time, so lots of short sessions tend to work better than fewer longer sessions. You know your pup is had enough play or training when she gets sleepy, significantly more distracted, or bratty. Try to stop a training session right _before_ that happens (you'll get the hang of the early signs).


As far as exercise, the most important principle is that you slowly build up to whatever level you choose. A pup can safely handle a lot more if she's been slowly trained up to it than if you suddenly go from less exercise to a lot more. So if you do 1/4 mile together for a week or two, you can gradually make it longer and end up doing a mile or more in a month. But if you suddenly jump from short walks to 1+ miles, the chances of the pup getting injured are a lot higher.


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## Serawyn (May 23, 2011)

Hi all, 

Thank you so much for your thoughts and suggestions! 

Tippykayak, I haven't "walked" Ellie yet because she has only gotten her first set of vaccination. She'll have to wait until she's 16 weeks to be done with everything. I only take her out to our back yard and "walk" her back and forth for a bit. But I don't think she cares too much for it because she just lies on the grass and chew or gnaw at the it! LOL. 

Mollysmom, thank you for the suggestions of noises and grooming. I take Ellie out to our front porch with a leash so that she can watch people go by. We have lots of kids in our neighborhood so whenever they see her, they'd come and pet or say hello (only on our porch though since she's not fully vaccinated yet). She also listens to cars that drive by. My husband actually downloaded a cd with different sound effects (thunder, rain, drums, telephone, etc.) noises and we play this for brief moments throughout the day. 

The main concern I have is her not getting enough socialization. We're going to take her to a puppy socialization class this Sunday at a local training facility. I finally found one that would allow puppies without full vaccination like her. I know the instructor is very strict about illnesses so I will check it out. I hope other dog owners who are there are responsible. I will definitely not put her into the play group if I don't trust the owners. 

I hope she will get to play with other large breed puppies to learn how to socialize. I try to take her to Pet stores or the grocery store, but I can only hold her so it's bit hard for me. I wish she can walk on a leash, but I'm sure not going to wait until then to help her meet people. I invite a lot of kids and people over for dinner so she get to socialize with others. 

As for the grooming, I think it's hilarious when I try to groom her. She has only these tiny little fluffs...hardly any hair comes out! They are like the stuffing from a stuffed animal. It's so cute whenever I groom her because I know it's not much, just for practice of getting used to being groomed. She loves it when I put things inside her ears for some reason. She'd sit so still when I stroke her ears.


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

Thats a great idea - a cd of different sound effects. I may do the same 

Let me know how puppy classes go, I'm a bit paranoid about the vaccination thing too. My baby is 10 weeks old now and pretty much chases me around or plays fetch.

Ellvy


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

A lot if people on the forum, myself included, do walks as young as 8 weeks old. I aim to have puppies walk in every possible environment and experience every possible scenario by the time they're 12 weeks old. Socialization is so important as you said. At least here where I am the risk of catching something deadly is minor. I have yet to see a forum puppy die of something they caught as a result of walking them too early.


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## Lola212 (Nov 21, 2011)

Serawyn said:


> This is Ellie's routine (she is 8 weeks):
> 
> 5:30am wakes up
> 5:35am potty
> ...


Serawyn,

I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts so far!! I am bringing my boy home in 6 weeks and trying to prepare, read, etc.. One question one the difference between the play pen and the crate. You keep her in the pen when you are doing your own thing in the house but then you put her in the crate when you leave the house or when it is time for bed, right? I also read C. Milan and was confused about the pen/crate/letting him rome around the house or not (in my supervision, of course). Insights would be great! 

I look forward to reading through the rest of your posts, as I am right behind you and lots of the same questions and concerns! We live in Manhattan, so i too am very worried about the socialization - vaccination trade-off. I plan to use wee-wee pads on the street until he is set on his vaccinations...I may start a new post about raising puppies in a city for advice on this. thanks again and your puppy is absolutely gorgeous!


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## gabila66 (Jul 12, 2016)

I know this is an old thread but hopefully someone can help. I'm using this schedule as a foundation with my puppy but I'm not clear on one thing. Is the output to be in the crate during times not listed? I'm having trouble house training my puppy.


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## golden mama (Aug 13, 2016)

gabila66 said:


> I know this is an old thread but hopefully someone can help. I'm using this schedule as a foundation with my puppy but I'm not clear on one thing. Is the output to be in the crate during times not listed? I'm having trouble house training my puppy.


How old is your puppy? A puppy doesn't have complete bladder control until about fourteen weeks old. Even then, some are big drinkers and just have to be taken outside more often than others. Also, it's summer, which leads to more water intake, which in turn leads to the need to go more often. My puppy is now four months old and even now sometimes still wets in the house, but not as much as she used to - she's much harder to housebreak than my previous golden, but they can all be different. When she was younger, I took her outside 30 minutes after eating and drinking. She now sleeps in her crate for about 7 hours at a time before she needs to go outside. Her schedule seems to be going outside at 5:30 am to potty, play fetch, and a quick walk, followed by breakfast and some quiet chewing time. She then goes back outside again at 6:45 ish followed by longer stretches of naps, outside time, eating lunch at around 1:00, sleeping and playing again until about 5:30, outside to play, supper at 6:30ish, playing, napping off and on followed by short bursts of energy before falling asleep for the night at around 10-11 pm. 

The first month or two with a puppy is like having a newborn baby - sleep deprivation and lots of pee and poop.  Good luck and stay patient, it will be worth it!


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## gabila66 (Jul 12, 2016)

Thanks for your answer golden mama. well, Fitz is 4 months old now. He can sleep through the night and has started going to the bathroom on walks, like every other day. And when we are outside he may go once a day. He's just this giant ball of energy. We've kind of adapted the schedule a bit. breakfast at 6 walk at 7 outside time at 8, nap at 9ish, outside time at 1030, lunch at 12 outside time at 130 and nap at 2ish, outside at 3:30 or so, walk at 5 and dinner at 6 outside time at 7 and bed at 930. he just won't go to the bathroom at outside, we've started with high value treats hoping that it will work.


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