How To Tell If My Dog Is Getting Too Much Exercise

There are a number of symptoms that your dog might be displaying if they are exercising too much.

Here we take a look at the signs to watch out for and what you can do to help.

If your dog is panting heavily, unresponsive, or lethargic they might be showing signs of heatstroke.

If this happens, get them indoors and lower their temperature by wetting them with cool water and place ice packs on their head and neck.

Is your dog breathing heavily? This could be a sign that they are getting too much exercise. If the panting doesn’t subside after several minutes, call your vet immediately.

Paw pad injuries are one of the more common reasons why dogs might need medical attention after exercising too hard or too long.

If your dog has sore paw pads, this might be a sign that you’re exercising them too vigorously or for longer than they can handle.

This is particularly the case if they are being walked on hard surfaces such as concrete or asphalt, which can cause injuries to their feet and create hotspots between their toes.

You might also notice your dog licking their paws after a run. This is often due to the presence of an injury and it’s best to contact your vet as soon as possible.

If your dog shows any signs of pain such as limping or avoiding certain movements (such as jumping) then they might be showing signs of discomfort.

They could be experiencing arthritis, hip dysplasia, or any number of injuries that require medical attention.

Be sure to monitor your dog’s behavior after exercising and take note of any changes compared to their normal behaviors.

If they are unhappy, grumpy, tired, or sluggish then you might be overworking them.

Why Is It Important To Start Exercising Young Puppies?

The first year of your puppy’s life is a critical time for their growth, development, and learning.

By taking them out to do some fun activities that encourage exercise, you’re giving them space to bond with other dogs or people, learn about their environment, and build muscles that protect them as they get older.

You’ve probably heard vets say it before – but let’s go over the benefits of puppies exercising again:

Exercise helps to make your puppy healthy by building strong bones and muscles.

Exercise encourages playful behavior and mental stimulation (which stops dogs from developing more negative behaviors later in life).

Exercise helps to keep your puppy’s weight under control.

It also helps prevent many diseases that dogs develop more often the older they get, including arthritis and heart disease.

Of course, if you’re a new dog parent, you might be worried about how much exercise your young puppy needs right now.

Thankfully, we’re going to walk you through a step-by-step plan that you can adapt to your puppy’s needs and follow at their own pace.

We’ll also share a list of the exercises you should avoid until your pup is fully grown (and how much exercise they need when they are grown too).

How Much Exercise Do Puppies Need?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. As your puppy gets older, their exercise needs will change.

But as a very general rule of thumb, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day until your pup is around 6 months old.

After 6 months, this amount should start to drop gradually until your pup is around 1 year old.

By the time they’re between 12 and 18 months old, most dogs only need around 30 minutes of exercise per week (depending on breed).

As you can see, it’s really important to adjust your puppy’s exercise routine as they get older. So let’s cover the new exercises you should be introducing at each stage of growth.

Puppy Exercise Routine At 6 Weeks Old

From 6 to 12 weeks old, your puppy is like a little sponge – soaking up everything around them and learning about their environment.

During this stage, your puppy is learning the best times to sleep and eat, what’s safe or dangerous in their new home, and how they fit into their new family.

At this age, it’s really important not to put too much pressure on them during exercise sessions.

As they haven’t yet had any vaccinations , they’re at a much higher risk of infection from other dogs and outside threats.

In fact, vets often recommend waiting until your puppy is a least 8 weeks old before taking them to a dog park or anywhere with lots of dogs running around.

This reduces the chance that your little friend will pick up infectious diseases, including parvovirus .

As well as this, their immune system and muscles are still developing – so it’s best to avoid strenuous exercise sessions that could end up hurting your pup.

With these safety points in mind, let’s cover the best exercises for puppies at this age:

Walking: When you first bring home your puppy, take them on a slow and gentle 15-minute walk around your neighborhood.

This introduces them to their new family and helps them get used to walking on a leash.

Playing: When it comes to playing, simple games like “chase me” or “fetch me” are often best at this age (with the help of another adult).

As well as this, puppyhood is the perfect time to introduce active toys into your pup’s exercise routine.

Puppy Exercise Routine At 8 Weeks Old

Crawling: Once your pup is a little older and stronger, you can start encouraging them to walk or run after you when they do their exercises.

This encourages muscle growth and boosts their cardiovascular health.

Walking: Once your puppy is crawling, you can increase the length of your walks to around 30 minutes per day.

Make sure not to walk too quickly or for too long though – as this could be more strenuous than they can handle at this age.

Playing: You might also want to try some simple games like “find it” or “hide and seek.”

These encourage your pup to learn about their surroundings and boost their sense of adventure.

Puppy Exercise Routine At 12 Weeks Old

Walking: Once they’re a little older, you can start walking them for half an hour at a time.

Make sure to take them on a route with lots of different smells and sights – as this helps them to learn about the world around them.

Playing: You can also start playing more active games like “fetch me” or “hide and seek” (with the help of another adult).

This helps your pup build muscle memory and burn off some of their endless energy!

As you can see, the amount of exercise your pup needs is constantly changing during their first year.

After 6 months, make sure to check in with your vet about how much daily exercise is right for your pup’s breed and size.

Then adjust their routine around this recommendation.

WALKING YOUR PUPPY

It can be tempting to walk your puppy constantly when you’ve just brought them home.

Whenever your bring them outside, they’re sniffing everything and they’re curious about everything they encounter.

Because puppies are obviously more independent and stronger than babies, we can forget that while they’re growing physically, they’re also growing mentally too, and they need plenty of time to relax after exercising.

They are learning about the world through their senses.

This means that you should be sensitive to their needs and watch their cues while out walking.

If you spot them getting tired or slowing down, or even sitting down while you’re walking, then it could be a sign that their bodies are being overworked.

It’s recommended to only walk a puppy no more than 5 minutes for each month of their age once or twice a day.

If your puppy is 6 months old, you should walk them for approximately 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening, relative to their needs.

PLAYING WITH YOUR PUPPY

Guess what? When you’re playing with your puppy and gamboling about with them, that counts as exercise!

Puppies don’t need to just be doing pure cardiovascular exercise to get the benefits of exercising.

They can also benefit greatly from indoor playing where they potter around, climb up on furniture, jump up and kiss you, fetching, tug of war, and digging.

As a new puppy owner, it won’t be long until you realize that pretty much everything they do counts as exercise.

Puppies are naturally hardwired to enjoy exercise and exertion, but depending on the lifestyle of their family, they can get a little lazy.

Incorporate healthy habits into your daily life and if you have more time to spend with them at the weekend, they will be delighted to get the extra time with you.

INCORPORATING DOG TOYS INTO EXERCISE

As you know, it’s really important to provide your dog with plenty of mental stimulation and variation to ensure that they are mentally happy and that they won’t act out from boredom.

That’s why some carefully chosen dog toys can be a big bonus to your puppy’s physical health.

Plan as far in advance as you can before getting your puppy and research the preferences of their breed.

This will give you the added benefit of allowing the puppy to use their natural instincts.

For example, for scent hound dogs like beagles or basset hounds, they were originally bred to sniff out and track prey.

Consider hiding treats under puppy-friendly containers to engage their core instincts and keep them amused for hours.

If you’ve got a beautiful terrier puppy, then you should create scenarios for them to chase after small toys and capture them.

The best type of dog toy for them is a puzzle toy where they have to complete an action in order to be rewarded with a treat.