How much exercise?

[Sarafina]

How much exercise do you give your cockers every day? How much is recommended?

I own a 7 month old cocker spaniel girl. Every day, I take her for one long walk, about 1 hour. (many of you will say that puppies need less than that, only 30 mins if it is 6 months old. However, I see that that is not enough for my dog - then she will go "crazy" inside ) She loves to be out for walks. I also go for 2 short walks, morning and night. (We dont have a garden, so this is the exercise that she gets). plus sometimes we visit friends with dogs, so they can play together.
Is this to much or too little exercise - any thoughts??

I will probably walk a bit more when she gets older, and I am also planning to start jogging with her. Does anyone have experience with running with cocker spaniels - do they like it?

[Nicola]

The rule of thumb for puppies in order to protect growing bones and joints is 5 minutes of exercise per month of age but they can have this 2-3 times per day so at 6 months that's 2 or 3 30 minute walks. An hour at a time every day is a bit too much for a pup of that age, pups aren't very good at self regulating and will often take more exercise than is really appropriate for them. Things like clicker training and playing games are excellent for keeping them occupied and wearing them out mentally.

I jog 5 mornings per week for about 30-40 minutes and I alternate taking Rodaidh or Caoimhe with me. I live on a shooting estate so I can run with them off lead on the estate roads which are really quiet and they trot along just in front of me. They seem to enjoy it although it's not good for the ego when I'm gasping for breath and they're barely panting  I would wait until your pup is a year old before starting to run with her though.

[JeffandAnnie]

Ours usually have at least 50 minutes a day walk or walks, mostly off lead. We also spend quite a bit of time playing with them, plus they play with each other quite a bit. Mental stimulation can be as or more tiring for them than physical exercise, so play and training time is really important. The worst thing you can do is to take them for short walks during the week then marathons at the weekend; although I'm guilty of this sometimes 

[mooching]

When you say she "will go crazy" inside - what do you mean?

[Sarah1985]

You could prob shouldnt extend the walks any further just yet. You can always try walking somewhere and then having a picnic or read a book for half an hour while they rest there legs and then do a bit more. That way they are out for much longer and she'll be shattered by the time you return without the joint damage,

With regards running my OH does it and has found that they can zig zag in front of him if hes not careful. We started with heel and then slowly upped the speed and they're improving. I suppose its like anything, you might need to do abit of training before they understand what to do. I start teaching heel at different speeds for the min while you wait for her to reach a year. I wouldnt do any serious running before then as you risk joint damage.

[joanna84]

Daisy is also 7 months and is in the same routine as your girl, I have heard mixed things about 'over' exercising and most have been that it is more concerning for larger dogs (and if they are over weight) as they have more weight to carry on their joints however cockers being smaller (Daisy being smaller than average) I have been advised not to fret too much about duration.  I do not think I am over doing it at the moment and try not to let her run for long periods.    Agree on the training too it really stimulates and tires her out when we play 'go find' or new tricks....latest being push the door shut  and rest when she'll lay on her side and wait for a sneaky treat! 
Keep doing what you're doing!

[Karma]

I do find it concerning that so much advice being given seems to be to ignore the advice.
The 5 mins per month rule is there to protect joints from future damage - surely as owners we owe it to our dogs not to put them at risk of health problems later in life??

Ok, an occassional longer jaunt isn't going to be a big deal, but to regularly over-exercise I personally think is irresponsible... We stuck to the guidelines, basically, up until Honey was 1 yr old.  We also had to devote time to training so that she had enough mental stimulation so she didn't go stir crazy in the house.

[cazza]

have to agree with Nicola and Karma

Sorry but I have had a dog that has been damaged by too much excercise when too young and TBH NEVER again as taking heed now and following the rule of thumb will save your dog more agony in older age

[SuperCat]

I have to admit that I have found Murphy is much more tired from going to an obedience class (where the training is quite full on) than walking for miles. He has been for whole day walks or runs with other dogs and he's actually less tired from those than from the mental stimulation. It's all to do with adrenaline and the young dog not knowing it's limits. Very much like children with eating, you put an adult sized portion in front of a small child and often it will eat the whole plate and be sick afterwards because the child hasn't learned when to stop. I've never seen it in dogs but as I've said in other posts I've seen these things in horses all too many times and with devastating results. Ok a Cocker isn't as heavy as a horse, and maybe you don't need to worry very much because they're not a big, heavy, late maturing breed but the 5 min rule has been around a long time and unlike a lot of these other 'rules' that have stood the test of time (like a bitch should have a litter before being spayed to prevent health problems was disproved quite a long time ago) it hasn't (yet) been disproved.

As Karma said the odd hour long walk hopefully won't hurt, I got lost a few times when Murphy was a pup and ended up out much later than I intended. But I'd stick to the 5min rule. She may still be going out for an hour or so but just not all in one go. In addition some people believe that too much stimulation from over walking can actually make them more excited, You have to consider too that the more she's walked, the fitter she will be, so the harder to handle she'll get because she'll basically be a pre-pubescent child who is as fit as an olympic athlete!

[joanna84]

I enjoy reading everyones views and past experiences.  I would never deliberately ignore advice if I thought it would hurt or inflict future health problems on Daisy however our creatures descend from the wolves after all and would not have a 5 minute rule in the wild, they will behave naturally and not hesitate in letting you know they are tired.  We like to compare them to children but they are dogs.  I can't help believing the ‘5 minute rule’  is perpetuated by breeders looking for a get out if a pup develops genetic problems. 

[mooching]

We also had to devote time to training so that she had enough mental stimulation so she didn't go stir crazy in the house.

Karma has hit on what I believe is a very important point here - the value of mental stimulation.

I do wonder just how many dog owners misinterpret their dog's "lively", "manic" or "stir crazy" behaviour and think they need more exercise, taking them for longer and longer walks, when in fact what they actually need is mental stimulation from games, training, etc.

[mark1]

Is there any science behind the 5 minute rule? I'm not saying it's wrong but just haven't seen anything and would like to read the evidence behind it, I'm sure it's been done by someone.

[Karma]

I enjoy reading everyones views and past experiences.  I would never deliberately ignore advice if I thought it would hurt or inflict future health problems on Daisy however our creatures descend from the wolves after all and would not have a 5 minute rule in the wild, they will behave naturally and not hesitate in letting you know they are tired.  We like to compare them to children but they are dogs.  I can't help believing the ‘5 minute rule’  is perpetuated by breeders looking for a get out if a pup develops genetic problems. 

Yes, dogs are related to wolves.  But wolves aren't taken for walks... wolf cubs stay at the den and the rest of the pack bring food back to them.  Their early exercise is limited to play with their siblings... They gradually join the hunting as they mature...  So, yes, an 8 month old may join in some hunting.... but he's still not taken for an hour's walk every day.  

And at the end of the day, dogs aren't wolves... they are dogs.  
I fail to see how adhering to a highly recommended restriction on exercise for the first year of a dog's life is akin to treating it like a child...

Dogs don't let on they are tired... it is up to us to make those decisions for them.  I recall one walk which was a long one for Honey - it was a COL meet and much more than she was used to at her age... she was limping but still refused to rest.  

[Maria n Dennis]

I enjoy reading everyones views and past experiences.  I would never deliberately ignore advice if I thought it would hurt or inflict future health problems on Daisy however our creatures descend from the wolves after all and would not have a 5 minute rule in the wild, they will behave naturally and not hesitate in letting you know they are tired.  We like to compare them to children but they are dogs.  I can't help believing the ‘5 minute rule’  is perpetuated by breeders looking for a get out if a pup develops genetic problems. 

Yes, dogs are related to wolves.  But wolves aren't taken for walks... wolf cubs stay at the den and the rest of the pack bring food back to them.  Their early exercise is limited to play with their siblings... They gradually join the hunting as they mature...  So, yes, an 8 month old may join in some hunting.... but he's still not taken for an hour's walk every day.  

And at the end of the day, dogs aren't wolves... they are dogs.  
I fail to see how adhering to a highly recommended restriction on exercise for the first year of a dog's life is akin to treating it like a child...

Dogs don't let on they are tired... it is up to us to make those decisions for them.  I recall one walk which was a long one for Honey - it was a COL meet and much more than she was used to at her age... she was limping but still refused to rest.  

Totally agree with Karma.

Also i dont think that the 5 min rule is a bredders get out clause should anything go wrong , i think its based more on the fact that a developing puppy has soft immature bones. It is true that larger breeds take longer to develop but it does still apply to other breeds.

I personally used the 5 mins rule as a guide.

[Jane S]

I can't help believing the ‘5 minute rule’  is perpetuated by breeders looking for a get out if a pup develops genetic problems. 

Right, so sensible advice not to over-do exercise is being perpetuated by breeders out of self-interest? What a low opinion you must have of all breeders

The "five minute" rule isn't actually set in stone anyway - it's just a useful "rule of thumb" so owners have a rough idea of how much exercise might be too much (but it only applies to "forced" exercise anyway not to general running around and playing in the garden) Just to show you that there is a wide range of respected organisations (charities, trainers, vets) also strongly advising that puppies should not be over-exercised and allowed free rein to tire themselves out, here are a few links:

http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/az/e/exercise/exercisepuppies.aspx

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/395

http://www.acorndogtraining.co.uk/puddling.htm

http://www.k9obedience.co.uk/puppies/puppycare/earlyneeds.html

http://www.darwinvets.com/cats/arthritis-dogs-and-cats