How Much Exercise Does a Puppy Need? + Safety Guidelines | Pupford

We all know how much energy puppies have. These little bundles of joy seem to never have an off switch, and you may wonder when your puppy will calm down. So, the obvious answer to help relieve some of this energy is exercise, right? Not necessarily.

An often overlooked aspect of raising a puppy is providing them with appropriate exercise based on their age.

Over-exercise or high-impact activities can have long-term health risks for young puppies.

In this blog post, we will go over how much exercise puppies need, and the do’s and don’ts of puppy exercise to help you find the right balance between safeguarding their long-term health and providing adequate exercise and outlets for a growing puppy.

Table of Contents:

• How Much Exercise Does a Puppy Need?
• Risks of Too Much Exercise for Puppies
• Safe Puppy Exercises & Guidelines
• Puppy Exercises to Avoid

Let's get to it.👇

How Much Exercise Does a Puppy Need?

Unfortunately, there is no specific magic number for how much exercise a puppy should have.

It all depends on the individual puppy. Things like breed, age, size, health conditions, and energy levels all play a role in how much exercise your puppy needs.

A good rule of thumb is that for every month old your puppy is, they should have 5 minutes of exercise twice a day.

For example, if your puppy is five months of age, it should have 25 minutes of exercise a day, twice a day. While this may not sound like a lot of exercise, we will cover some ideas on making this exercise as safe and effective as possible for your puppy!

Related Reading: When Do Puppies Mature Mentally?

Risks of Over-Exercising a Puppy

We all know how important a puppy’s first year of life is; they are going through their critical socialization period, acclimating to their new home, and learning about and experiencing the world for the first time.

Another critical aspect of their first year of life is that they are growing! Puppies go through their most significant growth spurt between 4-8 months of age.

On average, a puppy is fully grown by 1 year, but large breed dogs like Great Danes or Mastiffs may be finished growing once they reach 18 months to 2 years of age.

During this time, their growth plates have not yet fully developed. Growth plates are areas of cartilage found at the end of a puppy's long bones, specifically their leg bones. These cartilage cells eventually fuse and become bone cells.

Until the growth plates fuse entirely, they are more delicate and flexible than bone, making them more prone to injury - especially from excessive or high-impact exercise.

As we mentioned, larger breed dogs will need more time to fully grow, meaning more time with growth plates than a small breed dog.

Damage to the growth plates can lead to long-term health problems such as bone deformities, stunted growth, joint damage, arthritis, and hip dysplasia.

Safe Puppy Exercise Guidelines & Tips

Here are some ways to provide safe, age-appropriate exercise for your growing puppy. Remember, balance and avoiding over-exercise are crucial for your puppy's long-term health. Here's a quick overview of safe and effective ways to exercise a puppy:

1. Mental enrichment
2. Walking
3. Playing with other dogs
4. Self-directed play
5. Swimming
6. Training

Let's look at each one below. 👇

Running into the challenges of puppy behavior? Sign up for the 100% free online training class 30 Day Perfect Pup. Get started here!

Mental Enrichment

Believe it or not, mental exercise can be more tiring than physical exercise. Mental enrichment provides puppies with outlets for natural behaviors like chewing, shredding, digging, etc.

This can reduce problem behaviors, improve problem-solving skills, and boost confidence. You can find many ideas to provide your puppy with mental enrichment in our A-Z Mental Enrichment Guide!

Working your puppy's brain can be just as crucial as working their body.

Walking

Walking is a low-impact exercise that puts much less stress on developing bones than running. It's a great way for puppies to sniff, explore, and bond each day!

Playing with Other Dogs

Puppy play dates and generally playing with other dogs can be a great form of exercise for puppies, as long as the play does not become too rough and is limited to short increments. Appropriate play also helps puppies learn body language, social skills, and bite inhibition. Note: When playing with other dogs, you will want to take vaccinations into account, to keep your pup and others safe

Self-Directed Play

Things like playing with their toys, romping around, exploring the backyard, chasing, and wrestling are all natural forms of play for young puppies.

Swimming

Swimming is a great, low-impact exercise because it puts no pressure on the joints. Getting them used to water early is also an excellent skill for your puppy as they grow into adulthood. Note: Be careful where you take your dog to swim, as certain bodies of water can contain bacteria, parasites, or algae harmful to dogs.

Training

Training sessions are a great form of exercise because they engage their brain and get them moving. We have plenty of resources for all sorts of training exercises in our app! From covering the basics, impulse control games, and trick training - there is something for every pup and pup parent.

Remember, we offer a 100% free online video training course covering leash behavior, potty training, recall, and more. Sign up for free here!

Puppy Exercise Risks & Things to Avoid

While we all want to get out for adventures with our pups, there are risks to specific activities. Here are some things to avoid when exercising your puppy to ensure their long-term health and prevent injuries:

1. Avoid high-impact exercise
2. Inclines or rough terrain
3. Stairs
4. Avoid extreme temperatures
5. Dog sports
6. Prolonged Exercise

Let's look at each one below. 👇

Running into the challenges of puppy behavior? Sign up for the 100% free online training class 30 Day Perfect Pup. Get started here!

Avoid High-Impact Exercises

Activities like going on a run, jogging beside you while you ride your bike or skateboard, jumping and twisting, and even exercises that encourage quick stopping and turning, like fetch, can cause excessive damage to their joints and growth plates.

These exercises should be avoided in the early stages of your puppy's life.

Inclines or Rough Terrain

Even if you are going for a daily walk, walking on rough terrain and going on an incline hike can put too much strain on a puppy's growing body. The motions required for this activity can be too strenuous on your puppy's joints and body.

Stairs

Excessive use of stairs can lead to joint and hip problems. If possible, puppies should be carried up and down long staircases during their first months of life.

While going up and down some stairs may be inevitable, exercise caution with too many stairs in your puppy's daily life.

Avoid Extreme Temperatures

Make sure it is not too hot or too cold when outside with your puppy. Extreme temperatures can lead to difficulty breathing, heat exhaustion, paw pad injury, hypothermia, and more.

Many puppies and dogs aren't good at knowing when to stop exercising. So, be aware of extreme temperatures and find ways to exercise during safer times of the day.

Dog Sports

It is not recommended for puppies to engage in competitive dog sports or agility until they are 18 months to 2 years old to prevent injury and long-term health concerns.

Prolonged Exercise

Keep all physical activity short. Even if you are just going on a walk on flat terrain, walking for too many miles can be too exhausting for a young puppy.

How Much Exercise Does a Puppy Need Recap + Next Steps

At the end of the day, we all want to do right by our puppies. It can be hard to find the right balance between providing exercise for a healthy lifestyle and accidentally over-exerting your puppy.

If needed, we always recommend consulting your veterinarian for advice regarding any health-related issues.

Remember, as a general rule, puppies should get 5 minutes of exercise per month of age, twice daily. So, a 3-month-old puppy would need 15 minutes of exercise twice per day.

Running into the challenges of puppy behavior? Sign up for the 100% free online class 30 Day Perfect Pup. Get started here!