About

September 21st, 2010 Leave a comment Go to comments

I have been breeding, raising, showing, training and enjoying Rottweilers since 1996.  My kennel, Fallhammer Rottweilers (http://www.fallhammerrotts.com) has been operating for twelve years. One of my interests is learning everything I can about the breed and studying as much as I can about Rottweilers and working dogs in general. Along the line, I have also learned a lot about animal husbandry as I take care of over a dozen dogs daily and just about everything that could happen, has happened!  I like to share my knowledge with other people who are willing to read or listen. Thank you.

  1. Stefan Gilbert
    May 25th, 2012 at 08:58 | #1
    Reply | Quote

    Hiya Bob,

    I have been trawling the web to find information on “exercise for puppies”. I was hoping perhaps you could offer some advice…

    I have a large German Shepherd and now a female Rottweiler puppy (she is now 14 week old). She is a doll and I love her to bits!

    We live across the street from a big park and I have pretty much always taken the GS for two walks a day, on in the morning and then when I get home. The afternoon walk is more social, which is great, as there are lots of dogs for them to play with and socialise.

    My question is really about my morning walk, which is a “brisk” 3.5 kilometer (or just over 2 miles). It is a walk as much for my health as it is for the dog(s).

    Is my 14 week old Rotti too young for that? In other words, is that distance too much exercise for her (at a brisk walking pace)? I absolutely hate leaving her behind in the mornings. I have taken her twice now and she still has energy when we get home, but I have read that it can be bad and the stress it puts on her body may come out later in life.

    I really hope you have an answer to this as I really want to take her with me in the mornings but would hat to think that I am hurting her.

    Thanks.

    Stefan

  2. Bob
    May 25th, 2012 at 18:00 | #2
    Reply | Quote

    Hi Stefan,

    That’s a great question! Here’s my take on exercise for pups, particularly Rotties and other working breeds.

    Until they are around 18 months old, their skeletal and muscular components are still developing. Young pups have quite a bit of subluxation (muscle laxity) around hips, elbows, stifles and so on. Muscle laxity is a major cause of joint issues, since the muscle is needed to hold the bone in place. The solution to muscle laxity is exercise. These muscle groups need some time to fully and correctly develop. Daily exercise is critical for proper development of muscle tone, so I think you’ve got the right idea in taking her for daily walks.

    If she does alright with a 2 mile walk, then don’t worry. You will not hurt her by exercising her. Quite to the contrary, in my opinion, leaving a pup to sit around all day rather than getting them to build muscle tissue, is the actual cause of muscle and joint issues later in life. Just remember to stay away from high impact exercise (i.e. running/walking on concrete or pavement) until she is fully developed. Also, I would mix up the exercise with a bit of ball chasing and retrieving, getting her to run in a straight line, to get all of her muscle groups involved. I’ve run my dogs on grass/dirt for the first year and a half and never have had hip or elbow problems.

    You will want to see the improvement in her muscle tone after around a month of this. Rotties show muscle development in the shoulders, the rear and the stifle/thigh areas. Again, in my opinion, good exercise will help prevent things like dysplasia from becoming an issue. Also, if possible, hold off on getting her spayed until she is fully developed. You want her hormones available for muscle, bark and other developmental steps until at least 1.5 years old.

    As always, make sure you do not get her to do heavy exercise too soon before or after meals.

    Hope this helps.

    Bob

  1. No trackbacks yet.