[Paintsmeblue]

I must admit that Anthony and I have been lackadaisical about taking Napa for walks. But in my defense, I'm scared that I'm going to over work him. When I was in 8th grade, the same summer we got my family dog, I think I almost killed him by taking him out for a two hour walk, without water, and in the New England summer heat and humidity. Ever since then, I've been scared that I'm going to do the same with Napa. Now, I know I'm older and know better, but Caesar Millian says 45 mins a day. Is that for an adult dog, or is that a good length of time for a puppy, as well?

Thanks! I just don't want to do anything to hurt Napa!

 

[tallady]

I power walk Abby (almost 10 months at 46 pounds) for a half hour every morning and most evenings too. I started walking her as soon as she had all her shots around 4 months and eased her into it slow and easy. When my dad sees her he is always commenting that she is one solid dog underneath all that fluff On the weekends we will walk 1.5 hours sometimes and she loves it. I had to put Bag Balm on her pads in the beginning because the poor baby seemed to always get one bleeding pad My goal is to eventually have her run with me, but I need to wait until she is completed matured so the power walks are setting up her base I just make sure she has an opportunity to drink water on the longer walks and I really watch her panting so if she has a day where she seems more tired I will cut the long walk short, especially in the warmer months.

 

[DebBrown]

I think it in part depends on the energy level or your dog. If Napa is bouncing off the walls and running wildly around the house, then she needs more exercise. When Charlie is restless, he literally "climbs the walls". In my office he is up on his back paws scratching at the wall behind me.

Charlie is 8 months and we walk one hour almost every morning. We also walk or play in the yard 1/2 to an hour in the late afternoon or evening.

Deb

 

[Paintsmeblue]

See, that's the confusing part.... Napa isn't an overly energized dog. I mean he has his Doodle 500's, but he doesn't bounce off the walls.

Unfortunately with all of our planning, I had some rough beginnings to the semester, which has made the rest of the semester one big "catch-up" leaving Napa's walk time at a minimum. So, I'll start trying to walk him a half hour each morning to start with. Napa nearly bounded up the stairs when we got back from the 45 min walk.... so perhaps that was too long?

 

[lmtoth2]

How old is Napa again? We've been doing close to the same walking routine with Dexter since he was 6-8 months old (before that it was shorter to teach him how to walk). We don't do a certain amount of time, but both doodles get a 1 mile walk in the morning and a 1-2 mile walk in the afternoon.

I have decided to become more active so I am just starting to add short runs into Dexter's walk...I don't think they're supposed to run much (on concrete) until they are 1.5-2 yrs old. It will take me that long to work up to longer runs myself :wink:

 

[Sheila]

I have read that you should start w/walks around the block when they're 4 months, and work up to about a half mile at 6 months. But I have to admit, we are already doing 1/2 mile (or longer) some days, and Pixie is 4 months. She never seems really tired out, she is always happy trotting along, tail held high. On the other hand, occasionally she doesn't get a walk, and she seems ok with that, too.

 

[Paintsmeblue]

Napa is just shy of his 6 month b-day. But he's never been overly active. It not that we've never walked him, we've walked him around the apartment complex. But as an actual "event", we did it for the first time this weekend. I'd like to start including it into my daily routine, but I've only got the mornings to walk him. It's getting dark so much earlier, and I don't get out of class until its after dark now.

So, any suggestions? I need to start working out myself, again, so feel free to offer distances. I need to start walking!

 

[BAD]

We take Abbey on our daily hour walks. She is carried for most of the time. We put her down and let her walk in certain areas. She seems to like it. If she wants to be carried she stops and sits and waits to be picked up. We think the experience helps her get used to different sounds and sights. We don't introduce her to dogs on the walk (she's getting her third shots Wed) but she meets a lot of nice people.

 

[mariab60]

Emily is 13 weeks and loves to walk. I take her for hour long walk in the am and a shorter one in the pm. She is so happy when she sees the training collar I use for our walks. She does not seem too tired after that and still wants to do a few doodle 500's when we get back in the yard. She will sleep an hour after that and I can get some work done. I checked with our vet and he said it was fine as long as she looked confortable.

 

[annieG]

I am amazed that Napa hasn't driven you crazy...if Tanner doesn't get his walks, he is unable to settle down. When he was 5 months on, he was walked 3 times a day. AM and PM close to a mile, sometimes more on weekends and everyday at lunch 1/2 mile.

Now that he is 1+, on the days that he doesn't go to daycare, I walk him 1-3 miles in AM..depending on weather and how much time I have. We have a park close by that is 1.5 miles around. He is then walked in the PM and again down the block before bedtime.

When he goes to daycare, he gets a walk after dinner and again down the block before bedtime.

This is in addition to his favorite exercise..fetch..especially with the Chuckit.

I am just curious...how does Napa entertain himself? What does he do while you study? Tanner seems to want us to play with him...he doesn't do much play by himself. I don't think he would settle down and let me study or read if he hadn't had his exercise.

 

[gracielou]

Sounds like Napa is just a really laid back dog which is good for you since you are in school and don't have as much time as others. I would just start with short walks and condition him as you go, your very bright you'll know when he has had enough.

 

[River Rat]

They're all different in terms of their need for exercise, I guess. I found early on that a tired puppy was a puppy that would let me read! When Chouette first came I got no rest at all, but then we developed a workable pattern. She knows that when I'm at the computer I'm not available, and when I sit in my chair by the woodstove she's allowed to climb up with me while I read, although I don't know how much longer that will work because she's getting bigger.

When we're not playing with her or doing her ears or brushing her or taking her for walks she usually either sleeps or chews on her toys. Whenever I move she does move with me, though, and that keeps her alert. If I go upstairs she comes; she just doesn't join me in the basement for some reason.

We don't take her for long walks; the round trip to get the newspapers is four-tenths of a mile, but she logs more than that since I put her on a long light lead and let her drag it, so she does a lot of exploring. We go out at other times and she runs around, but it's nothing like a mile or two and yet she seems perfectly content with that amount of exercise. I was thinking we should start taking longer walks with her, for her sake and for ours!

Leslie

 

[MaxandMe]

i'd say your puppy lets you know ....I take all 3 doodles out back daily.

I let them play and run till they the settle down usually. NOW i know we can't always do that, but Beau is 4mos old andwhen he's had enough he lays right down placidly and just lays....that's when we go back in


last year i looked at walking and training 2 doodles almost like a chore, but I changed my thinking this past summer. i now look forward to it as i get to get fresh air, enjoyment and some good laughs too!

most times its about 10 to 15 min several times a day with at least one being a half hour.
With Beau we're doing tons of walks right now hhahhahaaaa

 

[Paintsmeblue]

When we need to study and work on the computer, Napa lays down with us. If he's bored, he'll bring us a toy to play fetch with, and he's really good about just dropping it at our legs or feet. He does pay with himself sometimes.

But he's different when we bring him places. That's when I can tell that he's got built up energy. But when he's home, he's pretty mellow. It was because of his "mellow personality" that we first started to consider getting another dog. I didn't want him to become a sack of potatoes. But we've got to wait on that. Probably over the summer we'll be able to start looking again.

 

[KingstonTodd]

Hershey sounds alot like Napa, she was very much a mellow yellow at home. She loved walks and did play fetch inside and out, but was content to sleep in the sun on the porch a lot too. But get her around other dogs and she was energy for hours. She was always the life of the dog park, a little energizer doodle. Thats why we got a second doodle, since we couldnt go to the park everyday anymore, we moved into the country. Now she is Ms. energizer in the yard with Gus, and still mellow inside.

 

[Paintsmeblue]

That's good to know! We're thinking about moving into a cheaper place for the summer and for next year, which would save us at least $5000..... So, Napa might finally be able to have a play mate!

 

[KingstonTodd]

Oh a playmate would be great! I wanted a mellow dog, i like to chill out and watch the game and didnt want a needy dog during that time (we have a golden retriever in the family that is soooo needy, it needed constant attention) so Hershey's mellowness is great. My wife wanted more of a cuddle bug, and when Hershey is chilling our in her chair watching the neighbourhood, Gus is her lap buddy. Its great for everyone.

 

[Paintsmeblue]

Took Napa on his first evening walk tonight. He's a scary cat. But we walked around the apartment complex three times, so about 30 mins to 45 mins.

My life was really thrown for a loop for the first months we had Napa. First the actual adjusting period, then my grandpa died.... I lost three weeks of the beginning of the semester. So up until now, I've been flying by the seat of my pants barely able to meet deadlines. Now that my life's finally slowed down, I can focus on all the things I've been neglecting. I know it wasn't fair for Napa. But we were lucky enough to get a dog who fits our lifestyle like a glove. It's really amazing! So, now I do plan on working on his obedience training and walking him twice a day. And it was a lot of fun walking him tonight!

 

[sandy]

I try to walk Nicky every day. We just go on the streets of the subdivision most of the time, but yesterday we did something different. We went on a nature trail! It went through a wooded area and near a creek that we crossed on a wooden bridge. The path itself was mulch, now covered with a layer of leaves that have just fallen from the trees. Tree branches lined the sides of the path so it was easy to follow. Nicky loved it! He was like a bloodhound with his nose to the ground, checking out all the scents! Because of the drought there wasn't much water in the creek and the banks were steep, so we didn't go down to it.

 

[MaxandMe]

I am fortunate enough to have land so i walk all 3 doodles multiple times and they are allowed free run out back. Many are quick one 10 to 15 min and we try to have at least one if not 2 that last 30min.

we also play fetch inside the house too hahhaha then they end up wrestling and playing well....meaning by 9-9:30pm they are ready to unwind most nights and lay at our feet.