puppy is 10 weeks old (Mali). Today we went to 7 11 sat by the door watched a few people and cars go by talked to one man not letting him give any attention to the puppy. Went to Target walked on the shopping carts about 25',walked back in between while shaking the carts for noise. Walked about 100' to the open stairs and walked up took the elevator down then carried him back to the truck saw a big box in the lot went and looked at it. Walked back to truck and in the crate now taking a nap. First time on stairs and was a little stressed but got over quikly. Elevator had windows and he looked outside the whole time. Was this to much walking?

I read your post carefully, and it doesn't sound like too much walking to me. They walk at least that much when they're awake at that age. As far as exposure to different things, he probably had a blast - the mental part was probably more tiring than the physical (although I don't believe the mental part was overdone either, but this is my opinion, not factual). He showed a little stress, got over it quickly.

I was very reluctant to take Lear out when he was 10 weeks old cause the vet had me scared of parvo. When it became obvious he needed more exercise than just the back yard, I overrode the vet and finally took him out the day he turned 12 weeks. It was ridiculous to keep him in the house and backyard that long and will never do it again.

Like you I took him to parking lots, around shopping carts, let him investigate everything he saw, including all the stuff left out near donation bins and trash bags, etc. When it looked like he was getting a little tired, we went back to the truck and home. My experience. It was good for him, that I can say happily. Then I started taking him to parks to play on kids slides and such, which he also loved.

i'm no expert, but it doesn't really sound like it; when brix was 10 wks old, we'd take laps around the yard and house (an acre and 1/2 yard), didn't bother him a bit, and he sure slept well afterwards!

i'd be more paranoid about exposing him to dog-deadly viruses b/f his vax are good, or even about soring his pads on blacktop than i would about the distance.

and, the more exposure to "scary" stuff, the better.

Right now we are staying away from areas where alot of dogs have been due to germs etc. We are waiting for his immune system to mature. I am wanting to get him on the playground equipment and kids but think we will wait another couple weeks. Trying to find new stressful things for him to work threw and overcome without overloading him or working to hard physicaly

I think the amount of walking you did was fine, especially if there are periods of rest. The mental stimulation will tire your dog as much as the physical at that age, in my experience, without harming his joints. My pup sleeps just as hard over mental games as he does the physical ones.

As to whether or not that's too much mental stimulation, I really believe that each dog is different and as you get to know your pup, you'll learn his endurance for stress. You want to push him a little, but only enough to show him he can handle it...not enough to overwhelm him. And it sounds like you're doing everything really well.

Sounds like he's doing great! Don't worry about the stairs too much if it stresses him. Eventually he'll get it on his own just because he has a desire to follow you. That's a strong motivator, I think.

Exactly what I did, kept him away from places where dogs went, just for the exercise and exposure to new stuff. They're so cute, everything is completely new, so many things never seen before and love to see them investigating.

A little stress and overcoming it, I agree, and did the same purposely. Builds confidence.

So I guess my questions to this would be - how much is too much walking? 30 minutes? I have a very active 13 week old female gsd and she does well on the leash but I don't want to over exercise her and casue problems with her hips down the road. She chases the ball in the yard - toss it about 10' and brings it back for about 15 min. or so but could keep going!

I fully agree with Ed's statement that a tired pup is a happy pup.

For my younger dogs, I use my commonsense, don't do repetitive exercises (jogging leashed on sidewalks when I'm out for my 5 mile daily run) or too much high impact (jumping over a high training jump many times) but other than that I watch my puppy. If they are bouncing off the walls, CLEARLY they need more exercise. I personally am a fan of OFF leash activities so the puppy can pace themselves and run/walk/sit/RUN while I'm just walking along.

I've found most people tend to under exercise their dogs, whether from concern of the joints, or because of our busy lives.

A great article that shows how alot of NORMAL exercise is necessary for the healthy growth of our puppies is on http://www.showdogsupersite.com/hips.html

Thanks for the information Jenn. I think I will be okay to walk her in the morning... letting her set the pace. This will allow for her to have some exercie and exposure to the neighborhood and will help to control her weight. She loves to play with the ball and does this with a drag leash - she is still very much a puppy - and seems to enjoy the freemdom.

Holly