# Too much Exercise?



## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

As Tobi is getting a bit older I've started working him pretty hard, he's now closing in on 9 months on the 25th, and we have for the last 2 weeks been walking/running/hiking together rigorously between 5-6 hours a day, when we get him around 7, I give him is food he eats, and crashes for about 12 hours straight. The other thing is should i rest him every other day or so to let his muscles rest?

I know he is sore because often times he doesn't want to get back in the car or doesn't really want to get out so most times i will carry him from the car to the grass let him do his thing and carry him upstairs into the house as it takes him a good 5 minutes to get up a small flight of stairs and he makes little grunts and groans when he is working his way up the stairs :lol:

Is there any long term damage to working him too hard every day like this or should i just enjoy the quiet time in the evenings? :lol:


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Yes, I think it's too much exercise. It probably always will be for him. If you want a dog that can run 5 or 6 hours a day every day, get a border collie or some other herding bread.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

How large is a bull terrier? I don't know much about them but I know with large breeds you do not want to do road work or run with them until they are 24+ months as this can lead to joint and hip issues. 

I would just listen to your dog's body language. If he is in pain and is too exhausted, I do think you are working him too much. If he seems pleasantly conked out, that is different.

ETA: You can totally borrow my poodles if you need someone to exercise with you 5-6 hours a day. These dogs *NEVER* tire!


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## pandaparade (Dec 29, 2010)

Yea it does sound like it may be over the top especially at his age. I have an aussie and at 11 months he seems so content with a walk at the trail or something and then laying around at the house. I want to do so much more with him but he seems like he doesn't really care one way or another. My dog's family never worked much so I have a feeling this is why he doesn't have as much energy as a standard aussie does. Next aussie I get is going to be a working machine. Do not get me wrong, I love how calm he is but I thought I had much more along the way since he was so young but it doesn't look like it!


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## Nani (Apr 14, 2010)

I think the fact that you are exercising Tobi a lot is awesome!!!!! But.....it sounds like too much. You should never have to carry him due to his exercise. Tone it down a bit, not too much but use your judgment on how he feels. I like my dogs to be so pooped everyday that they come home and crash. They are never sore when getting up though. The other thing you should keep in mind is that at 9 months his growth plates may not be closed and too rigorous activity could do permanent damage to his body.

I do have one suggestion, start playing with puzzle toys with him if you don't already. I exercise my dogs a ton everyday but I also use enrichment toys and games with them on a daily basis as well as random 10 min training sessions most days and I do give them a day off once a week or once every other week for them to do nothing but be lazy butts.

For toys and games I've bought kongs and every other sort of kong like toy, I also have actual puzzles where they have to nose the pieces around to get the treat. When that becomes easy then I mix it up and put one treat in one spot and see how fast they can find the spot. I play "find it" with food and toys and even myself lol. I will put toys in cardboard boxes, wrap the boxes then give the dogs the presents to rip open. All of these games leaves dogs tired in a mental sense.

Once again I really think it is so great you exercise so often. I wish more owners did!!


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

RawFedDogs said:


> Yes, I think it's too much exercise. It probably always will be for him. If you want a dog that can run 5 or 6 hours a day every day, get a border collie or some other herding bread.


At this time we couldn't accept another dog into our home, which i wouldn't mind having a running partner for, But i would love Tobi to be able to go hiking, and backpacking with me, He does like to run do you think that running 2 miles with him is an acceptable amount? 



BrownieM said:


> How large is a bull terrier? I don't know much about them but I know with large breeds you do not want to do road work or run with them until they are 24+ months as this can lead to joint and hip issues.
> 
> I would just listen to your dog's body language. If he is in pain and is too exhausted, I do think you are working him too much. If he seems pleasantly conked out, that is different.
> 
> ETA: You can totally borrow my poodles if you need someone to exercise with you 5-6 hours a day. These dogs *NEVER* tire!


Tobi is about 28-24 inches tall atm, and nearly 45 lbs mostly muscle lol! It's extremely hard to tell whether he's tired like exhausted or otherwise i'll probably back off a little bit and just take him on some nice dirt hikes. We don't really do alot of pavement as my knee and ankle don't like it either so we stick to dirt trails which are still pretty soft from the winters soaking. 
Lol if you were closer i would probably take you up on that!


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Tobi said:


> At this time we couldn't accept another dog into our home, which i wouldn't mind having a running partner for, But i would love Tobi to be able to go hiking, and backpacking with me, He does like to run do you think that running 2 miles with him is an acceptable amount?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


He sounds about the same height and weight as my dog. I definitely would not be running 2 miles with a 9 month old dog of that size. Hiking is fine, but I really wouldn't be running. It is a bummer because I want to have a running partner too, but I can't run with Millie yet (13 months). I am waiting until she is 2.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

BrownieM said:


> He sounds about the same height and weight as my dog. I definitely would not be running 2 miles with a 9 month old dog of that size. Hiking is fine, but I really wouldn't be running. It is a bummer because I want to have a running partner too, but I can't run with Millie yet (13 months). I am waiting until she is 2.


Easy enough  good advice!! thank you! we've not gone on many runs, so it's not like he will be missing anything so we'll just stick to the trails, i might invest in a backpack for him for the shorter ones maybe give him a water bottle or two to carry :lol:


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

This is my second time around being a dog owner. I'm doing things different this time.

I had a dog when I lived in Seattle and she was HYPER and super smart. I know everyone says their dog is smart but she truly was brilliant. My roommate brought her home as a puppy and I pretty much was the only responsible person in the house so I'm the one who ended up taking care of the dog and then keeping the dog when the roommate no longer wanted the dog.

I had NO idea what I was doing. I knew nothing about training, I knew very little about dogs. I made a TON of mistakes. But this dog was so smart, she made me look like I was a professional trainer. The only thing she never did was "heel" but she did every thing else, including all the stupid tricks I could teach her. She had a lot of energy, a lot, a lot, holy cow this dog had a lot of energy. I did all kinds of things to keep her energy, (and mental energy), working.

One day, I was frustrated with all her energy. I never could get a break. So I took her to the huge dog park in Redmond and we ran and played and swam and chased frisbees and learned new tricks, met new dogs, ran, ran, ran for four solid hours. We came back the next day and did it again.

My dog was exhausted. She was so exhausted she could barely walk back to the car; it was actually causing her pain to walk. I had to carry my 75 pound dog 1/2 mile to the car. Sure, people passing thought it was cute and funny but it wasn't. I had really over done my dog. I got her to the car, we drove home back to Seattle and when I got to my driveway, I opened her car door. She looked at the ground, looked up at me, looked back at the ground and refused to move. I had to get in and pick up my heavy dog out of the car, carry her in to the house and put her in the crate. She slept for 4-5 hours right away. And, while I was happy about the rest...for me...it was a little...it made me anxious knowing that my dog was so exhausted that she refused to walk another step. 

I now let the dogs tell me when they are done. The two hoodlums I have now, they are puppies, they are Lab mixes, one would think they'd be tearing up the world but they require about 5-10 minute intervals, twice and they are done. I've since read a lot about dogs, different styles and methods of training, I've tried all kinds of things but most importantly, I know that you can over do it with your dog and cause them serious problems. While I might want them to run and play for hours....it's not always best. If they are panting heavily, flopping down on the ground in the shade, we are done. I do not make them get up and keep walking or keep running or keep playing. They tell me when they are done.

And also, someone up there said, (was it Brownie??), that especially for younger dogs, like yours and mine, we have to be careful because too much exercise at a young age can cause hip and joint problems later in life. They may have a ton of energy but it doesn't mean they have to run for hours. Stimulate them in other ways. It's not just physical energy, there's also mental energy. Train them a new trick. Interact with them with something mind stimulating for them. You can burn off that energy other ways and not exhaust your dog to the point of soreness. Definitely cut back on that exercise.

And I echo the previous poster that it is good that you exercise your dogs. I am the only one in my neighborhood who exercises the dogs. There are four other neighbors with dogs here. One opens the door to his house, lets the dogs run loose and wild and then about 15 minutes later calls them back in the house. That's his idea of "exercising" the dogs. The other three neighbors take their dogs out long enough to conduct their personal business and then they are back in the house. None of them walk them, none of them take them on runs, none of them take them swimming, nothing. I feel sorry for those dogs. So you are doing good by exercising your pooch...just need to cut it back.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

That dogpark is awesome there, i used to take my dog there when i lived in Renton. I previously had an APBT and she could go for hours... and hours... and take a quick nap and be back for more, i think i found Tobi's limit for now, and cut back until he becomes more accustomed to the exercise and he builds his stamina. I love to interact with him, and like you said doing some training and mind work does tucker him out. He's brilliant, and very food motivated so it makes training alot of fun, we do that daily as well generally in the mornings and in the evenings if he is up and about. were working on distance sits, and lie downs lol!


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

First, and totally OT, my pup will be 9 months old tomorrow, too! Mia and Tobi are birthday twins!

Second, I completely agree with the previous posters; it sounds like Tobi is getting too much exercise, and you could be creating problems down the road. Mia gets about 3-4 hours of off-leash exercise per day, usually either hiking or playing in the woods with other dogs (plus a few on-leash walks and training). I have taken her on a couple of longer hikes (I'm in Durham, and we've gone to e.g. Stone Mountain and Hanging Rock a few times, plus some places in VA and around DC). There's a look that Mia gives me when we're doing too much, and I've learned to recognize it and stop for a while so that she can rest. Heat also plays a huge role, and as spring progresses, I've tried to get her out more in morning and evening to accommodate her.

My boyfriend and I run marathons, and we'd like to bring Mia along on some of our runs. However, we haven't run with her at all yet (which is really hard not to do) in order to ensure that she develops properly. When she hits one year, I may start taking her on very short runs (of half a mile to a mile), just to get her used to running with someone, but we won't do more than that until she's 18-24 months. As for how long her runs will be, it will depend on how she does. My brother had a chihuahua who could run 6 miles with me without problems. And I know dogs who cover 20+ miles with their owners. But I also know dogs who hate going for runs. So, we'll see.

There are some basic principles in running/training which I haven't seen applied to dogs, yet. I'm happy to hear that you're on trails, not pavement, as that's so much easier on the joints. I'm sure resting on alternate days, or alternating long and short days, will help Tobi recover faster as well. In humans, what you eat within an hour of a long run is crucial to rebuilding muscle. Something similar may be true for dogs, but I haven't seen anything here addressing this issue (it came up a few weeks ago on another thread, but none of the responses directly addressed this idea). I haven't checked the agility forums, yet, to see what they say, as it's not an issue for us right now, but there may be some good information for you on there.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

:lol: Well happy 9 months to her tomorrow!

Were actually going to go check out South Mountain State park today and let him mill around if he wants to a little bit, maybe see if he wants to take a little dip in the streams or something :tongue:
I'm very glad that i asked because it seems unanimous that 18-24 months is the waiting period before long runs...As far as being able to read him, he is very hard to read for me, so i will have to try to figure out that point when he says he needs a break, or just stop frequently and see if he wants to lay down for a few minutes.

I actually have been using that same model as i do with myself, with the exception of using supplements for myself and he will generally just get his dinner, It was funny that you mentioned it because i just didn't think of whether or not that would be a benefit to a dog or not, and i will definitely research that! I've never really used city streets or sidewalks for exercise but walking is okay for his joints on concrete/asphalt so long as it's not to much? I would like to walk him around downtown and stuff to get him used to passing cars, people, dogs, etc... But i don't want to do anything that will be detrimental to my pal  

Thank you everybody for your help


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Mia and I are jealous of your day at the park  I can't wait to get her out to the mountains for a few days of camping!

The rule of thumb that I heard was 5 minutes of leashed exercise for every month of age. So, at nine months, Tobi and Mia can handle leashed walks of up to 45 minutes. The concern about leashed exercise, whether walking or running, is the repetitive movement. When dogs are unleashed, their movement varies more: they run, walk, stop to sniff, run sideways, sprint, jump, bound, pounce, dig, etc. But when they're leashed, they keep walking/running at the same pace. I will say that I never adhered strictly to these guidelines. When Mia was 3-4 months old, a 15-20 minute leashed walk seemed absurdly short given her energy level. But now at nine months, a 45 minute leashed walk seems boringly long to me, when we could be hitting the trails unleashed along the Eno for the same amount of time.

I think if you keep an eye on him during unleashed hikes, you'll quickly learn when he's had enough. I think your suggestion of stopping periodically is a good one. You might also just start with shorter hikes (of, say, an hour), and see how he acts afterward. If he's still tearing around the house, go longer next time. If he comes home and naps, then you got it right. 

Also, our trainer encouraged us to play other games with Mia. A few people above recommended puzzle games. We play tug several times a day, wrestle (no biting), and otherwise keep her enrolled in different classes to help us develop our relationship and keep up the obedience work. This is my first dog (technically), and so I'm going way overboard on the training.


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