Puppy Exercise

[misskris]

Hi everyone!

I have had my mixed breed pup for about a month now. We aren't positive of her breeds as she was adopted from my friend who was desperately seeking to rehome her because of difficulties with her children's schedules and the new pup. We are sure that Daisy (pup) has border collie, minpin, and some sort of terrier so she's extremely active, even at this young age of 3 months. Since I am a teacher who is on summer break, I have a lot of time to dedicate to training her and playing with her.

Daisy will not be completely parvo, etc. vaccinated until the END of this month. Until then, I have a small yard that is fenced in and a larger plot of grass that is unfenced. My vet suggested that as long as I know all the dogs who frequent the large plot of grass (only 2), I can take her there to potty, but I should try to refrain from playing and letting her run around because of the disease threat, which I totally understand and am abiding by.

So, I'm caught in a catch 22. Daisy needs exercise, right? But, how can I give it to her without risking her life (I know I can't take her on walks yet and shouldn't use the large plot of grass for fetch yet)? Does anyone have any suggestions for exercising her indoors (my place is not THAT big, but there is a long hallway where we play fetch currently) or in a small grassy area that is fenced?

Also, once she is vaccinated, does anyone know how much exercise is appropriate for a 4-month old puppy? I was planning on walking her in the morning for about 15 - 20 minutes, then my fiancee was going to walk her again for the same amount of time, then I was going to run with her in the late afternoon or evening, for a half hour or so. Is this too much for her?

thanks so much everyone! Sorry such a long post.

[Luv_my_Pitbull]

I think your exercise regimen sounds great! She is extremely active at this age so the more play time the better...makes for a quiet night of sleep too!! I wouldn't be too worried about the Parvo if you're wanting to walk, play, etc. As long as you know the neighborhood dogs, she's not going into strangers yards or digging a whole lot, a 15 minute walk shouldn't "risk her life". At least that's what my vet told me (Waco, Tx), I don't know if the epidemic is worse in your area or not...

[misskris]

thank you for your reply! It seems as if we are just replying back and forth to each other's posts! heehee

I will think about walking her in circles, possibly, out on the lawn. The vet did say that the chances for parvo are very high here in hawaii because of the climate. Since our days are mostly hot and humid here, there is greater chances for bacteria to fester and it takes much longer to die off. We also have very mild winters, so parvo survives through that as well...shucks.

Thank you for your suggestions, though! I appreciate the post back and will try the short walks around my grassy area!
kris

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi Kris,

You pup being a part border collie, you can start training her at home. There are videos how to teach these commands.

Remenber, dogs/pups need mental stimulations as well as physical and using brain (and physical excercise by sitting up and down) will tire them too.

Good luck

[misskris]

ahhh yes! sounds good! I have been doing about a half hour per day of obedience both indoors and out, maybe I should have more frequent sessions! I also just invested in some interactive doggie toys from amazon...that should keep her busy too, hopefully!

thanks so much!

[KOPcaroline]

Hey misskris,

Great start! It sounds like you and your pup are getting on amazingly and you're doing everything right so far!

As far as indoor play, the fetch down the hall is a great one, lots of leg work And I have to echo MHN's comment of mental exercise too, especially if Border Collie is in her background. Training basic commands will be lots of fun for her.

You can also invest in tug toys, to play tug of war with. Kong toys (might be the interactive toys you were referring to) are great for keeping puppies attention and stimulating them to roll, bat, etc. I'd highly recommend a kong treat ball or treat tube. You can make homemade version by cutting holes in soda bottles and putting kibble inside, so puppy has to roll the toy around and wrestle it to get the kibble out.

Basic stuffed toys are good for pups to throw around and wrestle with as well.

Hope you're finding good ideas, soon enough she can go outside and play in the big world, which will be even more fun! Definitely try swimming with her, its a great way to tire pups out Your planned exercise scheme sounds great for her, I'm sure you two will have fun