Is 4 days a week of dog daycare too much for my high-energy puppy?

Hi there! I actually think that this sounds like a pretty great schedule for Brody - kudos to you for planning things out so well for him! :) His daycare days should give him plenty of social interaction and exercise, and I think that the walks and dog park trips on the days that he stays home are perfect. I know a lot of dogs who would be very envious of such a great life - Brody is a very lucky guy! Keep up the good work.

In general this is ok. As long as she seems to be enjoying the activity. She will catch up on sleep when she gets home. If something were to change in her health (like a chronic illness), then this behavior would be detrimental but for a healthy young dog, it's generally ok. Watch her for signs of stress like diarrhea, anxiety, increased vocalization or a predilection for illness. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Most of the people work all day and have animals. I know we all feel guilty about leaving our pets but that is the way life goes. As long as when you are home you are walking her, interacting and playing with her you are doing a good job. You can consider sending her to doggie day care 2-3 times per week for interaction, have a neighbor kid pop in to walk her or send her to a friend or relatives house who may not work as other options. The cage is a safe place for her and your personal belongings. I wish you the best!

I think it's fabulous you are doing daily play dates with your dog, and I would keep it up! It's natural she may seem a little depressed after leaving the play date. She was having fun with her friend, and she doesn't want it to end. I have a Basset Hound and my friend across the street has a female one. We get together for play dates, and we call them boyfriend/girlfriend (I have a male). They both get sad about being separated and sulk for a bit after their play dates end. I would keep up the daily play dates, it's great exercise for them and great socialization.

Yes, I would do that. He does need more exercise even if it's just walking as opposed to playing or running. That being said, be sure he has had all his vaccinations before taking him to any dog parks or anywhere that a lot of dogs congregate so that he doesn't catch something. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

For his age the time he spends at a stretch in a crate is fine. You're doing a great job with making sure he gets out to go potty and exercise. When he's at the park, make sure he plays hard and gets tired, so throw the ball or run with him to make sure he gets tired. Making sure he gets plenty of exercise will ensure a little destructive behavior as possible, since a tired dog is a happy dog. Get him some kind of toy to keep him occupied in his crate as well. Kong toys are fantastic, they offer heavy-duty chewing and can also be thrown for him to fetch, dogs will even entertain themselves with a Kong toy by dropping it, the shape makes it bounce erratically. In time, he may be able to come out of the crate as he comes to understand that you will come back to him.

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.