How much exercise is safe for my 8-month-old puppy on walks?

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.

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 individual puppy but a few short walks is good for a 2 month old puppy. You can gradually increase the number of walks and the distance as the puppy ages. Do not over-exercise while the puppy is growing. Besides walking, you will need interact and play with the puppy multiple times a day. You can get various puppy toys to encourage play and let the puppy decide how long he wants to play. When he seems tired or not interested than stop and give him a break.

It is important that Odie does receive daily exercise, and that can be in the form of playing. He should be exercised at most 20 minutes a day at four months old, but you don't want to overexercise him as that can have negative effects on his growth. Just getting that short amount of time in with him now will be enough.

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.

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.

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.