Exercise & Play, Age Appropriate

* Don’t overdo puppy exercise, and don’t underdo adult exercise!

* A puppy or a dog has been active and starts to slow down or sits, they’re asking for a break. Young puppies don’t have much stamina and recover by napping a lot longer than they were active. At five or six weeks they conk out after 15 minutes of running around and nap for hours. By 8 weeks they can go for maybe an hour if they are setting the pace, but then need to nap for a couple of hours. If you watch you’ll see them take numerous breaks at this age while they’re active. When you’re setting the pace, watch them carefully. Don’t overdo it.

* Puppies love exercise, and they’ll especially love to exercise with you! There are different types of exercise. For example, since 50% of a dog brain is devoted to scent, even short sniff walks can be very satisfying and very tiring!

* Any dog of any age will certainly enjoy a walk, but puppies tend to exhaust themselves quickly and then nap. It’s important for the puppy to set the pace. Expect young puppies to nap longer than they’re up & about.

* Overdoing it can be permanently harmful to puppy joints, which are not fully formed. One rule is that the walk should be no longer than 5 minutes per months of the puppy’s age. So a 2 month-old puppy can handle a 10 minute walk. Of course there’ll be variation between pups, so be sure to watch for your puppy asking for a break. They might slow down or sit. Your pup may be able to handle a couple of walks per day, just don’t push them past being tired. There’s no reason to rush things. In not so many months they’ll be outpacing you.

* Age appropriate obstacles are great fun – climbing, jumping exploring, etc.

* Concrete and blacktop can be hard on paws – try for as much grass and trail time as you can. And avoid anything else which could be bad for paws, like de-icing salt. Remember, unlike you, they’re walking barefoot.

* Keep your pup safe from unwanted attention from people and other dogs. It’s fine to decline any offer from people strange dogs to introduce themselves. Your goal is to build your pup’s confidence, not to have pushy people or badly behaved dogs frighten your pup. Any excuse works, such as “No thanks, because I’m just being protective for the first couple of months”. People tend to accept anything attached to “because”. If you tense up this will also tell your pup that fear is the right response to meeting strangers, which is the opposite of what you want.

* Stay in control and make it a great time by, as Caesar Milan says, exuding your “calm, assertive energy”.

* The human body and human clothing/shoes should never used as dog toys. The #1 reason dogs are put down is bite issues, especially with powerful guard/herding breeds. Puppies are going to need to bite and chew, especially between about 3 and 6 months (typically) when teething. Redirect nippy puppies to a chew toy or a game of tug-of-war.

— Dogs should not be allowed to nip or bite any part of a person or their clothing or shoes, especially during play.

— Puppies should never be allowed to chase people. The two can run together, with or without a leash, and running can be a part of many games, but the puppy/dog should never see the human as a target.

* Popular chew toys at our place:

— For puppies: Kongs, sticks, chew toys they can’t quickly destroy, (by 6 or 7 weeks they’re good at shredding water bottles so we won’t encourage those)

— For adults: Kongs, sticks, heavy duty chew toys. Some dogs destroy toys and so are harder to buy for, and others make their toys last. Good luck!

— Warnings

— Chew toys should not be eaten. This doesn’t tend to be a problem with the GSD breed, but do be aware of what your puppy is eating. Non-digestibles that are too large to pass can require surgery or even be fatal.

— Sticks or bark from certain trees, such as Black Walnut contain toxins that can cause diarrhea if little bits are swallowed. Familiarize yourself with the trees that you get sticks from. Also certain live bark can be tasty, so you might want to stick with dry/”dead” sticks.

— Familiarize yourself with plants in your area that are poisonous to dogs.

* Tug of war is highly recommended for GSDs of all ages. Studies have shown dogs to be more controlled immediately after playing, and also long-term benefits. A good tug toy will hold up to biting and pulling. Put tug toys away unless you want them to later be selected as chew toys.

* Treats can be as simple as tiny pieces of cheese or lunch meat or their normal kibble given from your hand. Or you may choose to use the expensive treats from the pet store. Whichever, you’re going to use a lot of them. Dogs love to eat from your hand though our GSDs are kind of picky. They’ll sometimes take the treat to be polite and then spit it out. Dogs don’t take treats when they’re panting.

* Arousal is an important concept. A great resource on the subject is Laura Reeves’ Pure Dog Talk podcast #507, with Denise Fenzi. Denise explains arousal as being wound up as opposed to drive, which is a built-in ability or desire to intensly focus on an item or task. The GSD breed was designed to be untiring, powerful, curious and to control situations. Daily physical and mental exercise is necessary to keep arousal low and prevent bad habits from starting.

* Wild play or an exciting stimulus can also get a dog wound up so they can’t focus on you very well. One way to help your dog mature emotionally, to be able to play at an intense level and not lose control, is to let them play hard for a minute or two, then call them back and calm them down with petting, treats and your voice. Then let them go back at it. Repeat.

* GVD (gastric dilatation and volvulus)/Twisted Stomach – if untreated, fatal to dogs in a few hours or less due to stopping blood flow to major organs. Incredibly painful. A twisted stomach is more common in breeds and individual dogs with a deep chest and a narrow waist. This tilts the stomach forward, making it easier to twist. Your vet can tack your dog’s stomach (Gastropexy), which is expectd to reduce future flips by about 75%. The most common cause is exercising after taking in lots of air or water. This surgery should also make Bloat less serious if it happens. In Bloat a dog’s stomach rapidly fills with gas.

* Training works best when it’s fun. Training works better after a light play session with you, probably because the dog is paying more attention to you and in a receptive mood. It’s obvious when you think about it – you can read the studies or you can just try it. The strength of your bond makes a difference during training.

* Let your dog be a dog, frequently and daily. Tugging, chewing, sniff walks, playing with other dogs, lying in the grass and being part of the neighborhood watch, chasing balls and sticks and frisbees, exploring nature or city-scapes, learning their place in their pack (your family), a couple of barks at a stranger, curious investigations of just about anything, running at break-neck speeds with other dogs – these (and more) are healthy dog behavior, and make a wonderful addition to living in our word, with all its snuggles, pets and rules. Half their brain is wired to their nose. When they are sniffing a mouse trail across the entire park, they are loving being a dog! Warning – plenty of annoying and gross behavior is natural for dogs too. You might want to pick your battles.

* Puppy Culture has an inexpensive resource that is a little more specific than what you’ll get free on-line: Age Appropriate Exercise Guidelines.