Exercise, Enrichment & Rest
Small Beginnings
Puppies need much less exercise than fully-grown dogs. If you over-exercise a growing puppy, you can quickly over-tire it, and more importantly damage its developing joints, which may cause early arthritis. The photo opposite shows a 55 day old (almost 8 week) puppies' hip and knee joints which you can clearly see are not yet physically connected, in the Veterinary paper linked below you can see images documenting puppy joint development from 3 - 62 days old. These images give an insight into just how delicate our growing puppies skeletal systems are and visually reinforce how careful we must be in exercising our new pups.
A good rule of thumb is a ratio of five minutes of exercise per month of age (up to twice a day), until the puppy is fully grown, i.e. 15 minutes when 3 months old, 20 minutes when 4 months old etc. Below you will find breed-specific exercise information relating to your puppy.
Exercise requirements
Until a puppy has completed its course of vaccinations, there is a risk of infection. Therefore, it is usually better that exercise is restricted to within the confines of your garden. Exercise in the garden also provides an excellent opportunity to start early training, and to get your puppy used to wearing a collar. Make sure your puppy has a number of safe toys, and always accompany them in the garden. This way, you can engage your puppy in suitable levels of activity, and start to reward good toileting behaviour, which can usually provide all the puppy’s exercise needs during this time. If the opportunity arises, take your puppy to other safe environments where there is no risk and it is able to mix with other animals and people, such as private gardens where only vaccinated dogs have access.
It is important that puppies and dogs go out for exercise every day in a safe and secure area or they may become frustrated. Time spent in the garden (however large) is no substitute for exploring new environments and socialising with other dogs. When you go out, make sure your puppy is trained to recall, so that you are confident the puppy will return to you when called (see the accompanying sheet on training your puppy).
You should never exercise your puppy on a full stomach as this may contribute to bloat or stomach dilation which can sometimes prove fatal.
All dogs require regular exercise to remain fit and prevent them from becoming overweight, which may also lead to health problems. You should remember however, that exercise needs to be introduced gradually, and that a young puppy will not have the same exercise requirement as an adult dog.
The duration and frequency of exercise should remain consistent and any increases should be gradual. For the majority of dogs, exercise is an important part of their life and so they will take as much as you can give. Thus it is very important to monitor and regulate the amount of exercise your puppy is getting. Remember they are only babies and you would not expect a toddler to walk a 10 mile hike, similar adjustments must be made for our pups. A dog will also enjoy play, whether with you or on its own, and so toys play an important part in a dog's life.
Depending on breed, temperament and mobility, an adult dog will normally be capable of walking to the same capability as its owner, however as a dog becomes older, exercise should be reduced and your dog should be allowed to walk at its own pace.
The Right Kind of Exercise
When we think of exercising our dogs, most of us think of taking them for a walk, or maybe, playing fetch. And whilst there isn’t anything inherently wrong with either of these activities in moderation, there are so many more things we can do with our dogs, things that are more challenging, more enriching and ultimately more fulfilling for both us and our dogs than that march around the block twice a day.
When we think of our own exercise, we think of sports, lifting weights, calisthenics, Yoga, Pilates, the list is endless, and the same is true for our dogs. So now I’m going to say something controversial, but in my experience invaluably true.
You Don’t Need to Walk Your Dog
Yes, that’s right, you don’t need to feel like if you don’t get that evening walk round the block in, or that early morning saunter to the park, that you’ve done anything wrong for your dog. In fact, it might do you and your dog good, to skip out on the stress of hiking through the rain and the mud and having a bath when we get home or the high arousal over excitement of constant games of fetch and instead opt for any mired of enrichment and even exercise activities at home, in the dry.
Our dogs don’t get walked every day, it’s as simple as that, they don’t, but they get lots, even tonnes of exercise every day. As you will have seen when you met them, the muscles speak for themselves.
We are big believers in choosing the right exercise, and that often means variety. Variety is the spice of life and provides much more enrichment to your dogs than the same trek around the block every day on a lead. By using a variety of Instability Training, Body Weight Exercise, Stretching, Proprioception Exercises, Canine Sports and Outdoor Leisure (walks) we can build a dog that is not just fit, but flexible, strong and aware of where they are placing their feet and how.
Most dogs aren’t even aware that they have back feet, the back end just follows the front end, you will see this if you start some proprioception training with an older dog or even when you first start with your puppy. Proprioception exercises make your dog SAFER, because they teach our dogs the key skills of balance and awareness that build strong ligaments and tendons that can support the muscles and bones that power them forward at up to 45mph!
At the end of the day, Salukis are athletes, whether we choose to channel that athleticism into a canine sport or not, anyone who has seen a sight hound move will understand what I mean when I say that. Salukis can perform some INSANE agility at breakneck speed and it’s important that we not just let this power loose, but build the skills and strength to support it with targeted exercises and activities.
For more information on some ideas for targeted exercise, follow the links in the further information segment of this section.
Sleep Requirements
It’s important that we also understand the importance of rest and SLEEP in our puppies.
Sleep is how our pups process their learning, it helps to build connections within the brain and cement our training into their memories.
Sleep is also when the body repairs itself, when it builds muscles and develops their immune & central nervous systems.
But, like children, our pups won’t necessarily choose to sleep for the amount of time they need too and it can even be very tempting for us to want to do more with our pups, to be high energy all the time. But what they really need is short bursts of activity and stimulation, followed by calmness, active rest and sleep in order for them to process, build and grow happily and healthily.
Age of puppy Total amount of Sleep/Rest (per day)
3-4 months 20+ hours
4-6 months 18-20 hours
6-9 months 16-18 hours
9-12 months 14-16 hours
1 year+ 12-14 hours
YouTube Videos
Do More With Your Dog - Canine Conditioning: Instability Training
Understanding the importance of instability training and the role it plays in building your pup a safe and strong body to power them through life.
Fit Paws - Why is Core and Instability Training Important?
Exploring all the awesome options that you have for keeping your pup fit and how they benefit and support your pups development.
Fit Paws - Canine Gym
Brilliant quick video exploring the options and equipment and techniques and games that we can play with our pups to keep them fit whilst having fun.
Fit Paws - Fitness Form Foundation Exercises
Brilliant video exploring some key foundation exercises to work through with your pup to build a strong core and skills of balance, coordination and proprioception which will help to keep your pup safe and healthy throughout their life.
Fit Paws - Using a Balance Pad
Video exploring all the many fun uses of a balance pad for your pup.
Fit Paws - Cavelletti Poles
Exploring all the fun and awesome uses for cavelletti poles you can do with your pups even from their first days in their new homes, that develop their balance coordination and proprioception skills.
Fit Paws - Warming Up & Stretching
Video exploring how to safely warm up and stretch your pup to help protect their tendons and ligaments and promote the flexibility that they need to protect their soft tissues during exercise like running, jumping and playing at speed.
Absolute Dogs - Calmness Wheel
Our pups don't always make the choice to relax and rest, here is some great information on why rest is important and the 3 different ways we can promote rest and relaxation in our dogs.
Susan Garett - Step By Step Plan for Target Training
This is a great video on how to teach some excellent body awareness in your dogs and all the possible parts of your dogs body you can teach tehmt o target and why. These are great excersizes for pups to use their minds and keep them active without having to run miles.
Susan Garett - Targetting & Body Awareness
Part 2 of Susan Garrets series on targetting and how to teach your dog to target different body parts and be aware of all the parts of their little bodies.
Susan Garett - How to Train Perch Work
A great video on the importance of proprioception and how to train perch work exercises that will improve your dogs awareness of their feet and body.
Blogs
Beacon Dog Training - How Much Sleep do Puppies Need?
Brilliant article exploring the importance of sleep with your pups
KB Agility - Why I don't (always) walk my dog
A great article from our trusted trainer and published author KB Agility on the pros and Cons of walks.
The Importance of Proprioception and Targeted Exercise Ideas
An article explaining the effects and importance of proprioception balance and coordination exercises.
Beacon Dog Training - Why Dog Park Time to tire out a Hyperactive Dog isn't always a Good Idea
An interesting article on the pros and cons of classic exercise options
Hills Pets - How Much Should Dogs Sleep
Veterinary based article explaining about the importance of sleep, the role it plays in your pups development and how much sleep your pet should be getting.
MC Rehabilitation - Understanding the Reality of Fetch
An article by a veterinary rehabilitation centre on the potential dangers and the impact on the body that this popular game has on our dogs and also how to play it safely and in a way that builds your bond with your pet rather than exposing them to danger.
Veterinary Key - Radiographic Considerations of the Young Patient
This is a veterinary article exploring the adjustments necessary to successfully x-ray young puppies, however it has some excellent photos of x-rays of young pups as they grow, offering a great insight into why it is so important to protect our pups and adjust their exercise appropriately for their age.
Susan Garett – 135 Things To Do With Your Puppy
135 different things you can do with your pup that are safe and age appropriate to build solid foundations for your pup.
Podcasts