How far should I walk my 6 week old German Shepherd?
On this up coming friday, I am going to get a 6 week old German Shepherd. My Mom says it would be good to take her out on walks often. I’m just curious on, how long the walk should be.
Haha, It’s not ALL for the sake of the dog, it’s also for my health also. (I’m a little chunky around the belly area) So I’m the one who has go take her for a walk EVERY day. =)
Category: Uncategorized | Tags: German, Shepherd, should, walk, week 18 comments »
April 16th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
About half an hour two times a day for a start – then build it up to 45 mins – it will be good for you both …
April 16th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
A 6 week old puppy! Dogs shouldnt be away from their mom until they are at least 8 weeks old. Spending 8 weeks with their mom is important so that the dogs can learn things only a mother can teach them. The also need to learn with their siblings. Dogs taken from there mothers to early tend to bite very hard because with their sibling when the are play fighting and they bite to hard the other puppy will give a yelp and the puppy will release and not bite so hard. Wait a few weeks to get it.
April 16th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
* You shouldn’t get a 6 week old puppy – it needs to stay with it’s mum to at least 8 – 12 weeks.
* You shouldn’t walk it until it’s had ALL of it’s vaccinations (usually finish around 14 – 16 weeks)
* You shouldn’t walk it too far, especially not a GSD because they can have joint problems, maybe 10 mins at the most once his vaccinations are finished, and slowly increase that as he gets older.. never go running though.. you can probably start running with it when it’s about a year old.
April 16th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
A young German Shepherd should be very active, and they may run and walk a lot. IT all depends on you and th dog’s personality. SOme dogs, no matter how big or small, will not walk very much, like mine. It’s tiny, but I’ve seen other the same size run 10x as fast and be 10x more faster.
April 16th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
birds need to fly, fish need to swim, and DOGS NEED TO WALK. The pup will tell you when it has had enough. Enjoy your pup, and walk walk walk!!! god bless
April 16th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
At such a young age long walks would not be good for the dog and growing bones and muscules. Regular play sessions should be enpugh. At 8 or 9 weeks you can take her for multiple 10 min walks daily, but nothing serious. But when when she get older you may be going on a 45 min. walk twice a day, including mental stimulation.
April 16th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
He’s still pretty little, so keeping the walks short is a good idea. Around the block would be fine, or until he gets tired.
Don’t worry he’ll be big and leggy soon enough and you’ll be able to walk him for miles and miles!
April 16th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
probabally 1/2 mile walk 1/2 mile run each day…then slowly do more
April 16th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
You don’t. You shouldn’t have the dog until it’s EIGHT weeks old. At six weeks the dog will probably just be starting it’s shot schedule (heck, it should still be with mom) so it will be vulnerable to illnesses. The dog should have at LEAST the second set of shots before going into public places where other dogs may be or may have been.
When the pup is old enough, two 20 minute walks a day will do it. Build up from there.
April 16th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Puppy is far too young to be walked they shouldn’t be away from mum till minimum 8 weeks (too late now) they also shouldn’t be outside their normal environment till they have had first round of shots, as they can pick up infection easily.
April 16th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
You have to start out easy on the dog. At 6 weeks old they are just barely old enough to leave their mother. Yes, puppies are very playful, but when they are that young they are probably going to want to sleep quite a bit.
I would suggest only going a few houses down the street (((if you live in a decent sized neighborhood))) at first, and then work your way up. By the time she is several months, you’re going to think that you can never tire her out! You’ll know if your dog gets tired. But make sure you’re close to your house when they do, because then you’re going to have to carry them home! (((she will refuse to move. I’ve seen it before, it’s pretty funny!)))
Good luck with your dog! I know you’ll enjoy her. ^.^
April 16th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
First you should NOT be getting a 6 week old puppy. A puppy NEEDS to stay with mom until 8 weeks old. There is SO much a puppy learns in the last 2 weeks. I dont know where you are getting this puppy from, but if its a breeder, I would not be buying from them if they sell puppies at 6 weeks old.
Second a puppy should NOT be walked until ALL shots have been given.
No puppy should walk a large distance or do any straneous work (jogging, hiking ect) as this is a growing dog and it will be bad on the joints.
April 16th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
like all the other people have said you shouldnt get a pup that early. But the pup will tell ya. Start our like around the yard. ya gotta get it going on a lesh first. Then the pup will tell ya. My poms get tired when we walk and they let me know. they lay on the ground or jump up on me. So i then carry them and finish the walk for my saint bernards. Ya i got 2 of each.
April 17th, 2010 at 12:14 am
Puppies should be with their moms for 8-12 weeks.
Just walk her in the yard and play with her until she gets tired and take her back in. Do it about 2 times a day.
April 17th, 2010 at 1:02 am
A GSD should not leave it’s mother before 8 weeks old! AFTER the dog is 8 weeks, you usually spend a week letting him get used to his collar. Then you can attach a leash and let him drag it around the next week. THEN you can try walking him, but not far — puppies should only get small walks, and shouldn’t have vigorous exercise such as running/jogging with you until they are at least 1 year because their developing joints are still very soft. But 6 weeks is WAY to young!
This breeder is not very responsible for letting the pups go at 6 weeks — sounds to me like he’s trying to get out of paying for their 6-week vaccinations!
April 17th, 2010 at 1:22 am
Others have said when the pup should be leaving its mother.
With GSD the breeder should advise if its a good one, though not seeing it is as its going so young.
They need minimal exercise when they are young pups due to over exercise can bring on joint problems when she is older.
Just play with the dog in the garden, they tire very easily.
When the pup is abotu 12 weeks old then you can look to do 5-10 mins twice a day walks for the pup.
My advice would be to buy some books on the breed and read up about them. They will give a lot of valuable information on there.
My friends got a GSD at the same time as i got my Bernese and they recommended that when they are around 6 months old you shouldn’t be doing more than 20 mins walk twice a day, more than that is too much on their joints.
I would speak to or get you mum to speak to the GSD clib secretary for more advice if you need to speak to someone in the know about this.
Looks like they are having a re-fit on the website, so there should soon be new information on there about bringing up your puppy.
April 17th, 2010 at 2:16 am
Don’t!
And DON’T!!!!
Purchase:
Even if the dam died, the breeder should keep the litter until at least 7 weeks old to give them time to learn “canine language” from their siblings and uncles/aunts. The ideal time to collect a pup is in the 7-through-11 weeks range, when they adjust far more easily than at any other age. A pup available at 6 weeks is certain to have nothing except its temporary cuteness. You accept that from a rescue group, but not from a breeder. Any GSD from a breeder should come with a printed & signed Guarantee stating what the breeder will do if any of the genetic “unthinkables” happen – and YOU consider the conditions fair to both parties. NEVER encourage puppy millers or ignorant BYBs (or the pet shops that are their main market) by buying from them. NEVER accept a pup of a medium or large breed whose parents do not have official hip & elbow certificates. If you want a REAL GSD (and not one of the deviations sneeringly referred to by names such as AlsatiOn or Hyaena Dog or NAmerican Ski-Slope Dog) then you will accept only a pup that has two parents with Breed Survey Reports (BS.Cl. in English, KKl. in German).
Exercise:
Puppy walks are NOT for exercise, they are for socialisation and for lead-training.
Although vaccinations are supposed to be given at 8, 12 and 16 weeks, you cannot relax until 2 weeks after that 16 weeks shot. But yes, the pup needs socialisation before that, so your task is to take it to ONLY places where dogs do not piddle/poo/vomit.
A pup exercises itself. DO NOT CRATE IT for more than a few minutes – in a crate it cannot exercise, it cannot piddle/poo without having to then lie in it. Anyone intending to get a pooch should first ensure that they have a safe back yard fenced to not only keep their pooch home but also to keep stray dogs and stray brats OUT. Inside that should be a roofed escape-proof pen with at least 12 feet between the gate and the raised sleeping box, so that when no-one can supervise it (e.g., everyone is asleep) the pup can be outside experiencing the scents & sounds & movements of the environment, with room to bounce around and to excrete without having to lie in it; at least its last meal each day should be in there, and it should have a fresh gnaw bone to give it something to do when life is boring – the gnawing exercises the cheek muscles that control the ears, plus helps to clean the teeth, to dislodge the deciduous teeth, to bring the permanent teeth through the gums, and any bits swallowed have the perfect calcium:phosphorous balance.
I wouldn’t consider taking it on walks at younger than 10-12 weeks, and those walks should be VERY leisurely, so that the pup has time to stop & think about each new thing.
Even at 5 months the speed of the walks should be set by the pup, not you.
YOUR exercise should be done without a pup.
I’d say that you have heaps to learn from http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source/links Make sure you study at least the [Feeding] and [Parvovirus] and [Vaccination] sections.
And then join a couple of the 300+ YahooGroups dedicated to discussing various aspects of living with GSDs. A group’s Home Page begins with a “mission statement” that will indicate whether they want to discuss what you want to talk about; below that is a Monthly Activity display so you can see whether the group is almost dead or generates more traffic than you can cope with.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly
“In GSDs” as of 1967
April 17th, 2010 at 2:50 am
I will definately agree with those on here that say a 6 week old puppy is too young to be taken from it’s mother. However, what is done is done and all you can do is know better next time.
I wouldn’t suggest walking long distances with a pup that age. Perhaps down the street is all. You want to limit exercise for large breed dogs while they are growing as it can put a lot of strain on growing joints. Large breeds (especially shepherds) are prone to joint disease.
There are a lot of variables in this question so I suggest you join a community forum full of others that own the breed and can give you all the tips and tricks when it comes to raising one. Check out http://germanshepherdworld.net/