Is my 8-week-old Brittany puppy getting too much exercise from walks?

This is a great question! Yes, there is a concern that dogs who aren't fully grown shouldn't have too much exercise because it can have negative effects on their growth. The amount of exercise a dog of Oly's age should get is five minutes for every month of age; therefore, he should be getting at least 40 minutes of exercise twice a day. You can add on five minutes for each month of age to his exercise, and I would wait to do such long walks until he is fully grown (around 18 months of age). I would recommend scaling back on these long walks for now, and sticking to 40 minutes twice a day. I hope this helps!

Given that he is only 12 weeks old and likely not fully vaccinated, he should not be going on long walks anyway to places where lots of dogs frequent. At 12 weeks of age, he only needs 15 minutes of exercise twice a day, and he shouldn't be taken to any place where dogs of unknown vaccine status go because of the risk of serious disease. I wold keep him in your backyard for now for exercise until he is fully vaccinated. It won't hurt him to cut back on exercise at the moment.

What a cutie! I would follow his lead in the amount of exercise he needs. You are correct in that going running or prolonged jogging in a young dog is not a good idea, as their growth plates are still developing, so we recommend waiting until they are over a year old. Walks, however, and playtime outside with you are fantastic. If he is seeming like he is overly tired or not enthusiastic to continue walking, this would be a cue to slow down/stop. As he gets continued exercise his endurance will increase, just like a person starting to exercise.

Her bones will continue to grow until she is about a year old and so I always recommend some limits on them until that time such as no long distance running or mountain biking. For walks in the park however, I would say she is fine to go a couple of miles. I would base it more off of her behavior once she gets home. If she is exhausted then I would decrease the distance.

At 60 minutes twice daily, you are doing a little more exercise than Sammi needs at the moment. Puppies do not require as much [exercise](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-start-an-exercise-routine-with-your-dog) as adult dogs. Over exertion may lead to lifelong [orthopedic issues](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-common-orthopedic-conditions-in-dogs). The general recommendation is 5 minutes of exercise per month of age twice daily until fully grown, which for most dogs is about 1 year of age, although larger or giant breeds may not be fully grown until about 2 years of age. I recommend cutting back to two 20 minute walks per day, increasing it by 5 minutes each when she is 5 months, and so on. Because she has a lot of energy, you can work on [obedience training](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-obedience-commands-every-dog-should-know) with her (teaching her to sit, stay, lay down, etc.). That will use up some energy, and have the positive effect of [training](https://www.petcoach.co/article/new-dog-survival-guide-tips-for-training) her.

It really depends on the age of your puppy, breed, and personality. Self Directed Play is the best thing for growing puppies so the majority of his exercise should be free play. If he shows any fatigue, flops down, refuses to walk, you should listen to him and let him rest. Going on your walks and letting him socialize and explore is fine as long as he doesn't seem to get too tired.

Puppies will gain a lot of weight in the first couple months of life, and it's never recommended to worry about their weight at a young age. In addition, he should not be talking long walks, at most he will need 10 minutes of exercise twice a day. A puppy should get 5 minutes of exercise twice a day for every month of age, i.e. at 3 months 15 minutes, 4 months 20 minutes, etc. I would not talk him on walks just yet given that he is fully vaccinated. You can play with him in your yard, but do not worry about his weight and do not over exercise him. Too much exercise will be detrimental to his growth.