Is my 3-month-old puppy getting too much or too little exercise?

Exercise for puppies should be calculated as 5 minutes per month of life twice daily. For a puppy Roddy's age, that's 15 minutes twice a day. If the loop is only 10 minutes, even if you go three times a day, that's fine. As he gets older, you can increase his exercise time. I hope this helps!

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.

Hello! There is no precise answer for this. I tell people it's easiest to use common sense and let the puppy tell them what is too much. A long walk in the park or a short hike in the mountains (under 1 hour) should be fine. If you are expecting him to run behind your bike for even 20 minutes, this is likely too much. If he keeps up and seems happy and playful, that's just right. If he is lagging behind and seems worn out, too much! And make sure you offer water often especially when it's warm outside.

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!

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.

I'm not sure what you mean by a diet chart, however for his young age I recommend following the recommendations on the back oft he food bag. When he's an adult, you want feed about 75% of what the bag suggests for his weight. Diets vary greatly in the number of calories they have per cup, so it's hard to make an across the board recommendation. I recommend checking out Purina, Hills, and Royal Canin to get you started for diets. He should be on a puppy diet until about 9 months of age. He should NOT be on a grain free diet (this is a fad born out of the human gluten-free fad and recent research is showing it may be harmful for dogs, in addition to be unnecessary). As far as exercise, start anything you do slowly. He shouldn't be going for jogs until he's about 9 months old, but can run on his own as much as he wants and you can slowly work up to longer walks with him as he's interested. I'd recommend paying special attention to mental exercise with food toys, things like "snuffle boards" and kongs -- there are thousands of DIY Ideas online for this. Enjoy your little cutie!

Let him rest, make sure he has plenty of fluids, and feed him normally. If he gets worse, not eating or drinking, then please bring him in for treatment right away. He could be dehydrated, just exhausted, or have some muscle or bone pain from the run. Puppies shouldn’t run with their owners until their bones are fully grown, usually about 18 months old, depending on the breed. They can run around plenty on their own, just not a run at a steady pace for miles until they are grown up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for puppy.