How Much Exercise Should Puppies Get?

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Now you brought your puppy home you are very eager to make him happy, keep him healthy and fit.
Amongst the many questions you ask yourself in order to archive your goal is this: How much exercise does my puppy need? To find the right answer to this question you need to consider a few important facts about the physiology of your puppy.
Many people underestimate the meaning of the following information and by doing so they endanger their little dog's health.
1.
puppy bones are soft.
Ossification is still in process 2.
puppy joints are not fully developed, i.
e.
the cartilage is not as sound as it is in an adult dog because epiphysial cartilage is still being ossificated during the growth of the puppy 3.
puppy muscles are not strong enough for lengthy exercise The body of a young puppy is that of a baby.
It is developing into the body of a dog In order for it to be able to grow it is still very flexible.
Apart from the muscular and osseous system the lungs and heart of your baby are still very small which means they are not ready to provide enough oxygen so that your puppy can go for long walks with you.
Here are some safe rules: In the first two weeks at your house the puppy should not get any additional exercise.
Playing and running around the house and yard will give him ample opportunity to use his young body.
At the age of twelve weeks you may take him for short little walks.
A short walk is about ten minutes, no longer.
  • You must not take him to the dog park on any account until he has completed his round of vaccinations to protect him from infectious diseases.
    Please talk to your vet about this and follow his advice
    .
Quite a few puppy owners violate those rules.
They take their puppies for long walks and they are surprised when they get a diagnosis of some developmental disorder later on in their dog's life.
It can not be stressed often enough that a puppy is a baby dog.
Please do not expect your dog baby to do things you would not expect any human baby to do! Of course your puppies body develops at a much faster rate than a human baby's body does which is owned to the shorter life span of a canine.
Still you need to take extra care with your puppy because it's body needs to grow and mature over time.
As your puppy gets older and bigger you may slowly increase the amount of exercise you give him or her.
At the age of six month two or three 45 minute walks should be okay, preferably off the lead whenever possible so your youngster may exercise his body at his own speed.
Again, you need to take care not to let him rough house with bigger and heavier youngsters because he may get seriously hurt.
  • In order to prevent damage to bones and joints running up and down stairs should also be limited.
Remember: When it comes to the health of your puppy, it is always better to be safe than sorry!
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