How much exercise should I give a 5-month-old energetic medium puppy?

It would be a great idea to exercise Ziggy at least twice a day. Try taking him on a fast-paced walk for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. It may also be beneficial to do it right before bedtime so he's a little more worn out. You may also want to consider getting a crate for Ziggy at night. This will keep him from chewing up your walls and prevent him from getting into anything that could be potential he dangerous for him.

A puppy should get five minutes of strenuous exercise per month of age twice a day. At two months of age, Blu can have 10 minutes of exercise twice a day. You can get him some toys he can play with himself, such as a Kong toy. They are practically indestructible, and you can fill it with treats that he needs to figure out how to get out. Best of luck.

Most puppies at 5 weeks will have short periods of activity running around, and longer periods of snoozing and napping. Playing with a toy, running up and down and indoor hallway, and just letting Rudy explore (with supervision) should be enough at this age. Five weeks is also way too young to be away from mom, so if he is still with his litter, letting him socialize with the other puppies is also good.

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.

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 sounds like Phoenix is an energetic puppy! Some puppies are more playful and energetic than others. Chasing and running around with other dogs should be fine for him, we don't recommend taking your dog on a run with you until they are full grown, but play running is fine. I would recommend working on training him to come when called in case you do need to catch him though. You can reference this article for ideas on how to train this https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/teaching_rover_to_race_to_you_on_cue/ . Taking Phoenix on walks daily may also help to release some of his pent up energy.

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.