Pup Exercise.

[NEHunter 14]

How much exercise do you guys give to a lurcher pup? The vet said no walking until mine is 5 months old and then only little walks but I see on here people taking pups for walks with adult dogs. So what everyone's opinions. My pup is 13 weeks old so maybe a little young to take out yet. So what would your advice be? Gradually build up walk lengths? Starting from what age?

[baw 4,360]

12 weeks or as soon as they've had there jags. Quicker they get used to walking on a lead, socializing the better. Not massive walks but out and about all the same. Ohh and I'd change vets.

[Sweeney 316]

5 months !! How the f**k are you going to stock break it, socialize it, get It used to busy roads ect if you don't take the dog out til 5 months. If it's all jabbed up get it out now. 20 mins a day will be fine for it at the moment, just get it used to lead ect walk it round the block let it get used to cars for 2-3 weeks then get it out in the countryside you are stock 30-45 min walks then look. Atb

[bird 9,863]

12 weeks or as soon as they've had there jags. Quicker they get used to walking on a lead, socializing the better. Not massive walks but out and about all the same. Ohh and I'd change vets.

[BIGLURKS 874]

God I could imagine the howling the now if a dog was confined too the house for 5 months I tend too take myne out for about an hour a day just a steady walk up the woods on a lead till I can trust it too come back at a whistle then free running with the rest of the dogs

[NEHunter 14]

Maybe I should expand. I live on a farm so stock breaking etc is all on the door step and so he's been getting small walk around the sheep to get him used to them.. The vet said milling around the garden and farm would be fine until 5 months. So he's not house bound. But he does have excess energy.

 

So a 20-30 min on the lead twice a day wouldn't do any long term damage? Even at 13weeks?

[NEHunter 14]

Oh and thanks for the replys so far

[baw 4,360]

I know a guy who got a saluki that hadn't EVER been out like EVER. he got it to breed from. I've spoke about the dog before, this dog shat it when a crisp poke blew across the road. You let it off the lead and it would go into a fast walk kind of trot, didn't know its name, just kept going on a straight line. You had to run like f**k to get in front of it to cut it off the dog was 5 when he got it. We took it out rabbiting lol, rabbits to our left, slipped the dawg...... Off he went doing his fast walk, rabbits dispersing everywhere giving him the middle finger, right past where they were without missing a step, comes to the corner of the field, turns right, fast walk to the next corner, then the next..... We are standing open mouthed thinking, WTF then it daunt on us, the gate was open mad dash to get it before it walked into the distance

[baw 4,360]

Maybe I should expand. I live on a farm so stock breaking etc is all on the door step and so he's been getting small walk around the sheep to get him used to them.. The vet said milling around the garden and farm would be fine until 5 months. So he's not house bound. But he does have excess energy.

 

So a 20-30 min on the lead twice a day wouldn't do any long term damage? Even at 13weeks?

It'll be fine mate. Don't go marching, steady walk, the dog will let you know when it's had enough, it'll plank it's arse on the ground

[NEHunter 14]

Thanks. I was just worried about damaging him in the long run. I've had pups before and lurchers but never a lurcher pup and was just worried that the rapid growth rate and spindly bones would be easily damaged by too much exercise

[baw 4,360]

The thing is mate, unless you tie the dog to the ground, it's gonna run about like a maddy for most of the day if given free reign like your gonna give it, which is great. A walk if anything will be less stressful on it than it will do own it's own accord so don't worry and enjoy it

[NEHunter 14]

Cool. Thanks for the advice. Tonight he will be going on his first walk, not too far, not too fast. Will make life easier because he hates been left when I take the adult dogs for a walk

[baw 4,360]

Cool. Thanks for the advice. Tonight he will be going on his first walk, not too far, not too fast. Will make life easier because he hates been left when I take the adult dogs for a walk

One thing you might take into account, might not apply to you only having one lurcher but unless you can hunt all your dogs together, its good to teach them that they don't always get to go when the other dogs go. Nothing worse than having a dog howl the place down when it's injured and your out lamping without it.

[tb25 4,627]

about 30 or so mins twice a day i do with my 9 week old....steady mooch about.

[NEHunter 14]

I do have another lurcher. He's 3 now, had him since 18 month so never had a lurcher pup. We've got terriers too so there's plenty of company at home. Just they all leave him at walk time at the moment and he feels he's being left out and the howls start!. My adult lurchers getting plenty of work at the moment so pups used to being left with the terriers at home and is happy with that. So really in adult life he will never be left alone.

 

I appreciate what you're saying though and I'm grateful for your advice.

 

The hardest time is when I'm up first light to take the dogs for morning walk, I have to let him out in garden and then put him away again for 20-30mins whilst I walk others and he hates that. So if I could take him along then life would be a lot easier.

 

Plus he's explored and dug up every corner of the garden so he's bored of that. And although he's at the farm, a lot of the time he can't run free due to machinery moving around. Something my adult lurcher is savvy with and just sits in the pick up (tailgate down) watching the world go by. Puppy thinks that's rather boring!